Family DUGONGIDAE

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Introduction

Found in shallow water of the tropical and subtropical India and western Pacific Oceans, the dugong is herbivorous. It is the only completely marine herbivorous mammal. It feeds primarily on sea grasses, is socially gregarious, and where undisturbed, its daily activity patterns are largely related to the tide, weather and season. These aquatic, nearly hairless mammals lack hind limbs and, although the skeleton of the manus is pentadactyl, the forelimbs are paddle-shaped. The head is large and rounded and the external nares are on the upper surface of the rostrum near the level of the orbit, nasal bones are absent, the premaxillae enlarged and canines and premolars are absent from the tooth row. Dugongs are active and alert, with excellent hearing and probably very good sight. The major surviving populations occur in northern Australian waters.

General References

Marsh, H. 1989. Dugongidae. pp. 1030-1038 in Walton, D.W. & Richardson, B.J. (eds). Fauna of Australia. Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 1B 827 pp.

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