SPECIES
Dugong
Dugong dugon
A gentle-looking sea mammal that grazes the meadows hidden beneath tropical water.
Dugongs surface to breathe and spend long periods foraging in shallow coastal areas.
Their grazing directly connects large marine herbivores to seagrass meadows.
Warm shallow coastal waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
Where does a dugong live?
Warm shallow coastal waters of the Indian and western…
Worth knowing
- Adaptation Dugongs surface to breathe and spend long periods foraging in shallow coastal areas.
- Ecological role Their grazing directly connects large marine herbivores to seagrass meadows.
- Home Warm shallow coastal waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
How it survives
Dugongs surface to breathe and spend long periods foraging in shallow coastal areas.
A gentle-looking sea mammal that grazes the meadows hidden beneath tropical water.
Why relationships matter
Their grazing directly connects large marine herbivores to seagrass meadows.
Where it lives
Warm shallow coastal waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
Pressures and responses
Bycatch, vessel strikes, seagrass decline and habitat disturbance.
Protect seagrass and limit entanglement and boat strikes.
Sources
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology — Animal Diversity Web, Dugong dugon
- GBIF — Dugong dugon accepted taxon
- Australian Government DCCEEW — Dugongs
- WWF Norway — Dugong species
Records of where it has been seen come live from GBIF; observed interactions from GloBI. Draft — not yet reviewed by a person.