Dugong

ocean · mammal · endangered · herbivore

Seagrass Vacuum. Dugongs spend most of their day grazing on seagrass on the ocean floor, just like cows graze in pastures. They can eat up to 40 pounds of seagrass in a single day.

Long Childhood. Baby dugongs stay with their mothers for several years, learning how to find food and survive in the ocean. This makes them slow to have new babies, which means their populations grow very slowly.

Sirenia Siblings. Dugongs belong to a group called Sirenia that includes three species of manatees. These are the only marine mammals that are purely vegetarian, eating only plants.

Last of Its Family. The dugong is the only living member of the Dugongidae family. Its closest cousin, Steller's sea cow, was hunted to extinction in the 1700s.

Ocean Wanderers. Dugongs live in shallow coastal waters from East Africa all the way to Australia, always staying in warm tropical regions where seagrass grows.