Dugong

Meet the Dugong

The dugong is a special kind of sea animal. It is also called a sea cow. Dugongs are part of a group called Sirenia, which also includes manatees. They are the only animal that eats plants and lives only underwater.

Dugongs live in warm, shallow waters near the coast. You can find them in about 40 countries and territories in the Indo-West Pacific. They love to eat seagrass and live close to seagrass meadows. Big groups of dugongs like to stay in safe places like bays, mangrove channels, and near big islands. The northern waters of Australia between Shark Bay and Moreton Bay have lots of dugongs.

Dugongs have a body shape that helps them swim. They do not have a back fin or back legs. Their front legs look like paddles. They can be told apart from manatees by their tail, which looks like a dolphin's tail.

People have known about dugongs for a very long time. They are important to many cultures. Today, people work hard to protect dugongs and their homes so these friendly sea animals can stay safe.