Dugong - The Cow's Watery Cousin

For World Ocean’s Day,

I will learn more

about the dugong. 

Besides having a fun name,

these are really cool animals.

They can grow to

three metres and can

weigh 500 kilograms.

They have a thick layer of fat,

 making their bodies

look very round.

Their tail is like that

 of the whale and their flippers

 are quite small.

Being a mammal,

they have short, thick hairs

growing from small pits

in their skin. 

Sounds so attractive!

Being a sea cow,

they live in groups called herds.

They eat grass…

sea grass. 

Sadly, their numbers

have dropped so much

 that their herds

now usually only contain

three family members.

Babies can be 120

centimetres long

and weigh up to

 30 kilograms.

The baby stays with its mother

 until it is 18-24 months old.

 They reach maturity when

aged between 9 and 17 years.

They can live as long

 as people do,

if they are not killed before then.

While dugongs are protected

in Australia, they are a

traditional food for the

Australian Aboriginal people,

 who can hunt them for food.

Their mouth is large

and their top lip

is covered with thick bristles,

which help them grip

and hold

the slippery sea grass.

Breeding is nasty

for the female.

He’s rough with her

and she is often left

with scars on her back.

Unlike land cows,

the dugong does not have

a chambered stomach. 

They have a super long

intestine, which is…

wait for it…

riddled with bacteria

– for breaking down the grass. 

Apparently, these gentle animals

 have been mistaken for women

and were thought to be mermaids

by sailors who had obviously

been at sea for too long!

 Photos from Wikipedia.

Information from here and here.