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| Thai Wildlife > Rare or Extinct |
Dugong
Species: Dugong dugon (Muller, 1776)
Synonyms: Trichecus dugon (Muller, 1776); Halicore cetacea (Hueglin, 1887)
Order: Sirenia
Family: Dugongidae
Common names: Dugong; Sea Cow
The tail of the dugong is split like that of the fish with no bone ridge. The dugong swims by flapping its tail up and down not side ways like fish. It has five fingers used for swimming or walking on the sea floor and no nails nor hind legs.
The head of the dugong is round with a thick lip. Sparse hairs grow along the mouth. When it grows to adulthood the male dugong has one pair of fangs like elephant's tusks.
It measures 2.2-3.5 meters inclusive of the tail with the tail itself about 0.75-0.85 meters. The bust measurement is about 1.6-2.5 meters. The frontal fins are about 0.35-0.45 meters long. Body weight is 280-380 kilograms.
Commonly found in the Indian and Pacific oceans, they can be seen along the coasts of Africa, India, and Sri Lanka. In Southeast Asia they can are along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, and the north of Australia. Dugong used to live along both sides of the south of Thailand but today they are found only on the Andaman side on the west. They are commonly found in the national reservation areas of Had Chao Mai and Libong Island in Trang where it is estimated that there are no more than 70 dugongs alive.
It breathes with lungs thus they cannot stay submerged for long like dolphins and whales. They must surface to breathe air often. During the day the dugongs stay in the deep sea coming to the coastal areas at night to eat the sea grass. Since they eat grass like cows hence they are called "sea cows" in English.
The dugong lives in families or groups. The mother carries her foal for a year giving birth to one offspring at a time. The young dugong must surface rapidly to breathe air after birth and has to drink it's mother's milk for a year. The mammary glands are located under the frontal fins. The dugong reaches adulthood after 13-14 years and has a lifespan of 40 years.
Today the numbers of the dugong have fallen rapidly to a critical condition because they have been hunted for food, caught in fishing nets and die as a result. In addition to the long reproduction cycle, dugong eat only sea grasses which are getting scarcer because of pollution, contributing to fewer feeding areas and the possible contamination of existing feeding areas which might poison the dugong.
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