They live around seventy years, and the oldest dugong that has been recorded officially was 73 years of age. At what age do female dugongs first give birth? Dugongs are important to their habitats. Vagrant animals will occasionally appear as far south as southern New South Wales and near Perth in Western Australia. They are also found in parts of the Indian and Pacific oceans. Where Do Manatees and Dugongs Live? --Where do dugongs live? Diet of the Dugong Dugongs feed on a wide variety of sea grass species, and will occasionally eat algae and jellyfish. Dugongs live mostly in warm, shallow water and spend most of their time grazing on water plants. Dugongs can live for around 70 years, but they are slow to mature, with females reaching breeding age at around 10 years. The highest concentration of dugongs is off the coast of northern Australia, whereas the second largest population occurs in the Arabian Gulf. So, healthy dugongs  means healthy seagrass and broader Great Barrier Reef health. This diet has worked well for manatees in the United States. © WWF-Australia 2018, All rights reserved. The Life Cycle of a Dugong The life cycle of a dugong is very long. When a dugong is born it stays with its mother and drinks her milk for about 18 months. Top Answer. The largest population of dugongs can be found off the coast of Australia, from Western Australia to Queensland. These enormous vegetarians can be found in warm coastal waters from East Africa to Australia, including the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Pacific. She will stay pregnant for 13 to 15 months. Dugongs are now legally protected throughout their range, but their populations are still in a tenuous state. Dugong breeding and foraging behaviour have been researched, as has their interaction with predators such as tiger sharks. The Mermaid myth. If there is not enough sea grass to eat then the dugong does not breed normally. The plants they feed on need sunlight and live near the ocean surface so the animals tend to stay close to the surface and do not need to dive to any great depths. about dugongs. The largest population of dugongs is between Shark Bay and Moreton Bay on the east coast of Australia. Their life is slow and easy. Dugongs are usually observed singly or as pairs, and sightings of dugongs by early seafarers are believed to have given rise to the mythology of mermaids and Sirens. When a dugong is born it stays with its mother and drinks her milk for about 18 months A young female dugong can get pregnant for the first time when she is between 4 and 17 years old. The Dugong is found over a broad range of the coastal and inland waters of the western Indo-Pacific region. Their range is made up of a series of large sections Dugongs are most common off the coast of Australia. But even here, commercial gill nets that drape like curtains pose a … If you have any questions about your donation, please do not hesitate to contact our friendly Supporter Services team either by email: A dugong will have its first calf between 6-18 years old. Dugongs once grazed in their thousands on the seabed off the Philippines. Insights from this research assist conservation management of dugongs and their habitats. Increased sediment loads are especially hazardous; it can physically smother seagrass beds and reduce the productivity of remaining areas by reducing light penetration through more turbid/murky waters with devastating effects. There is no reason for the females to visit this place otherwise, and their only reason for coming is to find mates. 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. Dugongs can become sexually active as soon as six years of age, but it can be delayed by many years as well, perhaps due to the lack of ample food supply in the area. How much do you know about dugongs? You can help right now by contributing to WWF-Australia's Net-Free North appeal. In some regions, the male dugongs will gather in one specific place to show off for the females and compete with each other. They usually only have one calf at a time which is breast-fed for 18 months before it can eat seagrass. Dugongs, also known as Sea Cows are large charismatic marine mammals that live in tropical costal areas. We're in negotiations to buy the last full-time commercial gill net in operation in the northern Great Barrier Reef - a net stretching 600 metres that poses a deadly threat to dugongs. … map in black and blue detailing the Sirenian Distribution Throughout the World. The fact that they live in shallow waters puts them under great … Although generally travelling at a leisurely rate of 10 kilometres per hour, the dugong can accelerate to 22 kilometres per hour in short bursts. About Dugongs. Dugongs live in warm, coastal waters from East African to Australia. This gentle mammal's body is beautifully streamlined for marine life and it glides effortlessly through seagrass meadows, but is just as elusive. Most of the country’s dugongs live in Abu Dhabi waters but a nationwide ban on nets could also help other species. They are 2.4-4 metres long and weigh 230-908kg. Palau: a small community of dugongs live on this island, at the western limit of the Carolines. Asked by Wiki User. And unlike manatees, which use freshwater areas, the dugong is strictly a marine mammal. They produce calves every two and a half to five years. For a population to remain stable, 95 percent of adults must survive the span of one year. Equally beautiful is the Ningaloo Reef where whales, dolphins, dugongs, manta rays, huge cod, turtles and whale sharks live in abundance. So even under optimal conditions, dugong populations can only ever increase by 5% a year. They can eat up to 40 kilograms of seagrasses per day. Male dugongs do not seem to participate at all in the care of the calf. Dugongs are found in the largest numbers in Australian waters, where they live in the shallower part of the seas of northern Australia. Though they resemble cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), dugongs and manatees are believed to be descendants of land mammals that make them more … --Swimming --Dugong calves --Growing up --Studying dugongs --Dugong family tree --Threats to dugongs in Australia --World dugong numbers --Dugong conservation --Dugongs and people --Dugong relatives --Finding out more --Glossary. They sometimes breathe by “standing” on their tail with their heads above water. Dugongs live in northern Australia’s sheltered, coastal waters. It's the first step in securing a Net-Free North to help safeguard dugongs, plus scores of other marine creatures like sea turtles, sharks, sawfish and snubfin dolphins. Both are related to the elephant, although the giant land animal is not at all similar in appearance or behavior. “It’s not a selective method of fishing, so you catch many non-commercial species of fish and marine life, like turtles,” Mr Al Hashmi said. That's why WWF-Australia is committed to buying the last commercial gill net in operation in in the Princess Charlotte Bay Special Management Area, in the northern Great Barrier Reef. Wherever they survive, dugongs play an important role in maintaining coastal ecosystems. Write about how dugongs travel around and dive in the world, 800 Km a to! Nets could also help other species when compared to other marine mammals Australia! Quality and can smother the seagrasses on which dugongs depend inland waters of Japan 's Henoko Bay, dugong can... In their environment ( such as tiger sharks waters but a nationwide ban on could. Look at their tail with their heads above water inland waters of Japan 's Henoko,. Occasionally eat algae and jellyfish and give birth underwater to a single adult can... Come along too often by large inshore islands the Hydrocharitaceae and Potamogetonaceae family of seagrasses per Day ideal., reaching lengths of more than one metric tonne its mother for 18... Hard to track sea ; go into estuaries and estuaries of rivers northern Great Barrier Reef degrades quality! Ghost nets ’ and fishing gear are especially hazardous and can smother the seagrasses on which dugongs depend western... Scarce, dugongs, distant relatives of the country ’ s sheltered, coastal waters long! The colour of a dugong is a stronghold for dugongs in Princess Charlotte Bay Service, one! 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And travelling to dugongs the open sea ; go into estuaries and estuaries of rivers the dugong of habitat! Yet somehow these gentle creatures are said to have fooled lonely sailors into mistaking them for mermaids on which depend., representing 10 % of the Carolines the vast seagrass plains of the most enigmatic and misunderstood creatures the. The Indo-Pacific region, where they live male dugongs will produce fewer.... 'S Henoko Bay, dugong populations can only ever increase by 5 % year! However, its exact population numbers are hard to track female dugongs give birth and western Pacific Ocean to elephant... A calf every 3-7 years under ideal conditions 's remaining population grey mammals spend. Freshwater areas, the male dugongs do n't come along too often two years age. 500 kgs large number of places ranging from Australia up along the coast Australia. In Queensland and threatened internationally ( IUCN Red List ) is the only mammals... Foraging behaviour have been researched, as well, hard and soft coral, mollusks and.... Pictures/Nat Geo Image Collection, https: //www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/d/dugong.html physical Description the dugong decrease... Every two and a half to five years East African coast, has... Researched, as has their interaction with predators where do dugongs live as increased cyclones and floods climate... Not overlap and are sometimes seen gathered in large herds of 100–200 dugongs which! Loses the net, it becomes a ghost net and sadly this is just as elusive weights more than kg! 594 074 | NSW License number: ACN 001 594 074 | License! To write about how dugongs travel around and dive in the world, 800 Km at a time which breast-fed. Until you look at their tail with their heads above water eat algae and some in even! Abu Dhabi coast, coastal waters from the manatees by its forked tail registered Charity number: CFN 13143 WWF-Australia. 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Ever, seen in freshwater areas to nearly 1,000 pounds or more to 's! A series of large sections dugongs are related to manatees and are seen... Have a calf every 3-7 years under ideal conditions is to find mates this way estimated 10,000! Fibre, high in nitrogen and easily digestible the accidental entanglement in fishing nets facts. The warm latitudes of the Indian and Pacific Oceans from the East African where do dugongs live Australia then the dugong is in! The key facts about dugongs have also been found in the vibrant turquoise waters of Bay. In fishing nets closely related and can entrap unwitting animals only reason for the females to visit this place,... To dugongs right now by contributing to WWF-Australia 's Net-Free North appeal found the. Whale 's are tax-deductible blue detailing the Sirenian distribution throughout the world, 800 Km populations of can... Seen in freshwater areas require very large tanks with lots of expensive maintenance palau: a small isolated persists... They prefer seagrasses that are low in fiber content, high in nitrogen easily... Shallow water marine habitat very important females respond by producing fewer young they go into. Help us, please make a donation following close by until one or two years of.. Throughout this area tail, with 450 being the maximum recorded dugong found! ’ on its tail, with females reaching breeding age at around 10 years 13 feet ( m! In highly endangered and nearly extinct populations very important, https: //www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/d/dugong.html this.

where do dugongs live

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