The dugong ( Dugong dugon ) is a marine mammal that lives in the warm coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is similar to the manatee , and it feeds on seagrasses. Dugongs can grow to between 7 and 11 feet long and weigh between 500 and 925 pounds. They have a tapered body that ends in a notched tail, similar to those of whales. Their forelimbs are rounded flippers without nails. These long-lived animals can live up to 73 years. Dugongs are currently classified as a vulnerable species because of hunting and habitat degradation.

Where do dugongs live?

The dugong is a marine mammal that lives in the warm coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They can be found along the western coast of Madagascar, the eastern coast of Africa, in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, around the Indian subcontinent, and throughout the western Pacific from Okinawa to northern Australia. Australia has the largest dugong populations. A small, isolated population lives in the remote Pacific archipelago of Palau. Dugongs are protected by law, but face threats such as hunting and habitat degradation. In Chinese waters, dugong populations have declined to the point of functional extinction.

Dugongs are marine mammals that can be found in the warm coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They range in length from about 2.2 to 3.4 meters and weigh 230 to 420 kg. Dugongs feed on seagrasses, using their thick bristles (vibrissae) to detect, discriminate, and manipulate food. They seem to prefer the more delicate forms of seagrass often found at greater depths, leaving feeding trails along the seafloor. They typically dive for one to four minutes but can remain submerged for up to eight minutes.

How do dugongs look different from manatees?

Dugongs and manatees are both sirenians, but they have several key differences. Dugongs have a tapered body that ranges in length from about 2.2 to 3.4 metres (7 to 11 feet) and ends in a deeply notched tail, or fluke , similar to those of whales. Manatees have paddle-shaped tails. Dugongs have tusklike incisors, while manatees lack incisor teeth. Manatees grow a never-ending series of molars that continuously move forward in the jaw to replace those that wear and fall out at the front. Dugongs, on the other hand, have a finite number of six molars and premolars in each jaw, and they are not replaced; in older individuals only two remain. Also, manatees have six neck vertebrae instead of the seven typical of mammals. Dugongs are exclusively marine, but manatees inhabit both marine and freshwater systems.

How do dugongs care for their young?

Dugong mothers nurse their calves for at least a year, but calves also eat seagrass early while nursing. Females reach sexual maturity at about 10 years of age and typically give birth to a single calf every 3 to 7 years after a 12-month gestation. Dugongs are usually seen alone or in pairs, but sometimes they gather in herds of 100–200; the largest recorded herd numbered 450. These marine mammals can live up to 73 years, but their low reproductive rates make them vulnerable to population decline from hunting, habitat degradation, entanglement in fishing nets, and boat collisions.

Why are dugongs considered a vulnerable species?

Dugongs are classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources due to several factors. Dugongs have a long lifespan of up to 73 years and a low reproductive rate; females reach sexual maturity at about 10 years of age and give birth every 3 to 7 years. Their mortality rate is further exacerbated by habitat deterioration, loss of seagrass, entanglement in fishing nets, and collisions with boats. Although protected by law, dugongs are still in danger in some areas due to hunting and habitat degradation. For example, the dugong population has fallen so low in Chinese waters that a 2022 study declared them functionally extinct in the country.

dugong

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Two illustrations of a dugong (Dugong dugon), one from the side and one from above, are shown next to the silhouette of a scuba diver for scale. Measurement bars indicate the dugong's average length of about 2.7 meters, or 9 feet.

Features of dugongs and manatees compared.

World map showing the geographic ranges of the four living species of the order Sirenia: the West Indian manatee (highlighted in yellow along the southeastern US, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and northeast South America), the Amazonian manatee (in green within the Amazon River basin), the African manatee (in pink along the west coast and rivers of West and Central Africa), and the dugong (in purple along coastal waters from East Africa through the Indian Ocean to northern Australia and parts of So

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Related Topics:: State Animals of India; marine mammal

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dugong

mammal

Also known as: Dugong dugon

Written by

Thomas O'Shea

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Mammalia
Order: Sirenia
Family: Dugongidae
Genus: Dugong

Vulnerable Species

Top Questions

What is a dugong?
The dugong (Dugong dugon) is a marine mammal that lives in the warm coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is similar to the manatee, and it feeds on seagrasses.

Dugongs can grow to between 7 and 11 feet long and weigh between 500 and 925 pounds. They have a tapered body that ends in a notched tail, similar to those of whales. Their forelimbs are rounded flippers without nails.

These long-lived animals can live up to 73 years. Dugongs are currently classified as a vulnerable species because of hunting and habitat degradation.
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1. sirenian: Natural history
2. dugong
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Where do dugongs live?
The dugong is a marine mammal that lives in the warm coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They can be found along the western coast of Madagascar, the eastern coast of Africa, in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, around the Indian subcontinent, and throughout the western Pacific from Okinawa to northern Australia. Australia has the largest dugong populations. A small, isolated population lives in the remote Pacific archipelago of Palau.

Dugongs are protected by law, but face threats such as hunting and habitat degradation. In Chinese waters, dugong populations have declined to the point of functional extinction.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Definition of dugong
2. dugong
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What do dugongs eat?
Dugongs are marine mammals that can be found in the warm coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They range in length from about 2.2 to 3.4 meters and weigh 230 to 420 kg.

Dugongs feed on seagrasses, using their thick bristles (vibrissae) to detect, discriminate, and manipulate food. They seem to prefer the more delicate forms of seagrass often found at greater depths, leaving feeding trails along the seafloor. They typically dive for one to four minutes but can remain submerged for up to eight minutes.
1 Britannica Source
1. dugong: Natural history
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do dugongs look different from manatees?
Dugongs and manatees are both sirenians, but they have several key differences. Dugongs have a tapered body that ranges in length from about 2.2 to 3.4 metres (7 to 11 feet) and ends in a deeply notched tail, or fluke, similar to those of whales. Manatees have paddle-shaped tails. Dugongs have tusklike incisors, while manatees lack incisor teeth. Manatees grow a never-ending series of molars that continuously move forward in the jaw to replace those that wear and fall out at the front. Dugongs, on the other hand, have a finite number of six molars and premolars in each jaw, and they are not replaced; in older individuals only two remain. Also, manatees have six neck vertebrae instead of the seven typical of mammals. Dugongs are exclusively marine, but manatees inhabit both marine and freshwater systems.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do dugongs care for their young?
Dugong mothers nurse their calves for at least a year, but calves also eat seagrass early while nursing. Females reach sexual maturity at about 10 years of age and typically give birth to a single calf every 3 to 7 years after a 12-month gestation.

Dugongs are usually seen alone or in pairs, but sometimes they gather in herds of 100–200; the largest recorded herd numbered 450. These marine mammals can live up to 73 years, but their low reproductive rates make them vulnerable to population decline from hunting, habitat degradation, entanglement in fishing nets, and boat collisions.
1 Britannica Source
1. dugong: Natural history
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Why are dugongs considered a vulnerable species?
Dugongs are classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources due to several factors.

Dugongs have a long lifespan of up to 73 years and a low reproductive rate; females reach sexual maturity at about 10 years of age and give birth every 3 to 7 years. Their mortality rate is further exacerbated by habitat deterioration, loss of seagrass, entanglement in fishing nets, and collisions with boats.

Although protected by law, dugongs are still in danger in some areas due to hunting and habitat degradation. For example, the dugong population has fallen so low in Chinese waters that a 2022 study declared them functionally extinct in the country.
1 Britannica Source
1. dugong: Conservation status
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

dugong, (Dugong dugon), marine mammal that inhabits the warm coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, feeds on seagrasses, and is similar to the manatee. Australia harbors the largest populations, but dugongs also occur along the western coast of Madagascar, along the eastern coast of Africa, in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, around the Indian subcontinent, and through the western Pacific from Okinawa to northern Australia. A small isolated population persists in the remote Pacific archipelago of Palau.

Natural history

Dugongs range in length from about 2.2 to 3.4 meters (7 to 11 feet) and weigh 230 to 420 kg (500 to 925 pounds). As with whales and dolphins, the dugong has a tapered body that ends in a deeply notched tail, or fluke. The forelimbs are rounded flippers lacking nails; there are no hind limbs nor any discernible neck. The snout is broad and bristled. The thick bristles (vibrissae) function as sensory hairs and are important for detecting, discriminating, and manipulating food.

Dugongs are usually observed singly or as pairs, and sightings of dugongs by early seafarers are believed to have given rise to the mythology of mermaids and Sirens. Herds of 100–200 dugongs, however, are sometimes seen, 450 being the maximum recorded. Dugongs seem to prefer the more delicate forms of seagrass often found at greater depths (as deep as 37 meters [120 feet]) and leave feeding trails along the seafloor. One possible function of feeding in herds may be to maintain seagrass meadows at their most nutritious stages of growth. Dugongs typically dive for one to four minutes but can remain submerged for up to eight minutes.

Britannica Quiz

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

DugongDugongs (*Dugong dugon*) feed on seagrass and leave feeding trails along the seafloor.

Males have tusklike incisors, and adults of both sexes often have sets of parallel scars across their backs from mating attempts or fighting. Mating systems vary. Mating herds are seen in eastern Australia, but groups of males in leks are observed in western Australia (Shark Bay), where they produce complicated whistlelike songs. Females reach sexual maturity at about 10 years of age and give birth every 3 to 7 years. A single calf is born after a 12-month gestation; the calf nurses for at least a year but also eats seagrass at an early age while still nursing.

Conservation status

Dugongs are long-lived animals (up to 73 years). Predation by killer whales and sharks has been documented, and crocodiles may also prey on dugongs. In the past dugongs were widely and heavily hunted by humans for their meat, hides, and oil. Although now protected by law throughout their range, dugongs in some areas remain in danger of local extinction because of excessive hunting and habitat degradation. For example, dugong populations have fallen so low in Chinese waters that a 2022 study declared them functionally extinct (meaning that their population was no longer viable over the long term) in the country. In other areas populations have not recovered from past exploitation. Habitat deterioration, loss of seagrass, accidental entanglement in fishing nets, and collisions with boats also have negative effects on populations, as the low reproductive rates of dugongs cannot compensate for their rates of mortality. For these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has classified the dugong as a vulnerable species since 1982.

Dugongs are the only living members of the family Dugongidae. Dugongidae and the family Trichechidae (manatees) constitute the mammalian order Sirenia.

Thomas O'Shea The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

dugong

Natural history

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Conservation status