Dugong is a mammal of the genus Dugong in the family Manatee. It is also a marine herbivore. Slow in action and docile in temperament.
The body of the dugong has a small head, the back of the body is flattened, ** relatively smooth, with sparse short hair, the body shape is like a whale, spindle-shaped, and the body is fat and round; No distinct neck, small eyes, no dorsal fin, pectoral fins of the flippers. The snout is bent towards the abdomen, and when he eats, he can grasp the food through the side and back edges of the snout plate and put it in his mouth.
The dugong's two valve-like nostrils sit next to each other, hidden behind its rounded snout, like a diver's secret breathing hole as he explores the ocean floor. When adult dugongs dive into the water, they simply put their nostrils out of the water and breathe freely. The body of a dugong is about 3It is 3 meters long and weighs 400 kilograms, giving it a sense of stability and strength.
The dugong is as slow as an old man and as docile as a lamb. Despite its poor eyesight, it has a keen sense of hearing and is always alert to its surroundings. On a daily basis, dugongs are always in a state of lethargy, and only after they have eaten enough will they occasionally surface for ventilation. It prefers to dive to the bottom of the sea at depths of 30-40 meters, lying quietly on the reef, never far from the shore and deep into the depths of the ocean.
Dugongs have certain requirements for sea temperature, and will only swim in warm seas, rather than going to cold seas. It is extremely sensitive to cold, and if the water temperature is below 15, dugongs are very susceptible to pneumonia and death. At the same time, if the water quality is not good, dugongs are also prone to ulcers and even internal parasites.
Dugongs like to live in groups, usually in small groups of 2-3 heads, but there are also many solo rangers. They also form small teams of about 6 heads, and sometimes even large teams of hundreds of heads. Take root in a hidden spot where seagrass is lush and surface regularly for fresh air. Sensitive and shy by nature, once frightened, they will flee immediately. They never stray far from the shore, cruising slowly, traveling no more than 2 nautical miles per hour, and even 5 nautical miles when escaping. They surface every 1-2 minutes to breathe, but sometimes they dive for up to 8 minutes. When they rise, they expose only the pointed snout to the surface of the water, while when they dive, they rotate their entire body vertically like dolphins. In general, they swim a distance of about 25 kilometers every day and enjoy the tranquility and freedom of the sea.
The range of dugongs spans more than 37 countries. Foreign distribution: foreign discontinuous distribution in the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean tropical and ** zone coastal and island waters, as well as the waters in the bays and straits, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to the coast of central Australia, west to East Africa. Domestic distribution: South China Sea: Guangxi (Fangchenggang Zhushan Port, Hepu County to Da Port), Hainan (Dongfang City Gangmen Bay, Baimajing Yangpu Port, Chengmai County Dongshui Port), Guangdong Province Maoming City Dianbai District and Yangjiang City in the 70s of the 20th century and the southern part of Taiwan Province in the 30s There were records of dugongs.
In February 2021, the dugong was included in the List of National Key Protected Wild Animals of China. In December 2022, it was included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.