Why dugongs are important

Unlike their close relation, Dugongs inhabit eastern ocean waters rather than freshwater lakes, and are slightly smaller in size. A post shared by euronews Living euronewsliving. We understand that manatees are threatened by warming water temperatures, which make it easier to assess their status as vulnerable animals.

Seagrass also play an important role in reducing the effects of climate change, yet they are under pressure from human activities.

Seagrass ecosystems with dugongs indicate a healthy ecosystem. When seagrass are healthy they play an important role in securing the dietary needs of coastal communities and millions of consumers of fish and seafood globally. They also protect coasts from the impacts of storms, improve the quality of marine water and help prevent climate change acceleration. The dugong that live in these seagrass ecosystems are excellent barometers indicative of the overall health of the ecosystem.

The dugong Dugong dugon is the only herbivorous marine mammal. A single adult dugong can grow up to three meters, weigh up to kilograms and live for 70 years. Dugongs can remain underwater for 3 to 12 minutes while feeding and travelling. They can eat up to 40 kilograms of seagrasses per day. Dugongs are seagrass community specialists and their range is broadly coincident with the distribution of seagrasses in the tropical and sub-tropical Indo-West Pacific. Dugongs occur in over 40 countries in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean and are able to move into different home ranges, travelling hundreds of kilometers in a few days.

Dugongs have been important to human cultures in various ways for thousands of years. The average adult dugong weighs to kg, while the average manatee weighs to kg; 2 Dugongs cannot tolerate freshwater. Manatees usually are between 3 and 3. On the east coast of Queensland, we estimate that each year commercial gillnetting entangles around 50 of these majestic animals, so it's a significant threat to declining populations. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians, whose land we work upon and we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

At WWF, we work in Australia and in our Asia-Pacific backyard to protect endangered species and habitats, meet the challenge of climate change, and build a world where people live in harmony with nature. Text available under Creative Commons licence.

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Share this page with your friends and family to help endangered animals even more. Our stories News Blogs. Adopt Koala Turtle Tree International species. Adopt Donate. What we're doing See our conservation work on dugongs. Net-Free North Opportunities to create a square-kilometre haven for dugongs don't come along too often. Their movements are often slow and graceful. Early explorers and sailors believed that they were mermaids because of their streamlined bodies and the large teats at the base of the flippers of the female dugong.

They have a rounded head with small eyes and a large snout. The nostrils are at the top of the snout and can be closed diving to keep the water out. As with all other marine mammals, dugongs must surface to breathe. However, unlike other marine mammals such as some whales and dolphins, dugong cannot hold their breath under water for very long. Dives generally last for only a few minutes, especially if they are swimming fast.

Dugong have poor eyesight but very good hearing. They find and grasp seagrass with the aid of coarse, sensitive bristles that cover the upper lip of their large and fleshy snout.

Small tusks can be seen in adult males and some old females. During the mating season, male dugongs use their tusks to fight each other. Their slow breeding rate and long life span mean that dugongs are particularly susceptible to factors that threaten their survival.

Throughout their worldwide range they are threatened by human impacts, particularly by the effects of habitat degradation. In Australia, dugong are protected under various pieces of legislation.