Mammal · sirenian

Dugong

Dugong dugon

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic Found in 2 oceans

Depth

Shallow waters, mostly between 1 and 40 m

Size

About 3 m, up to 400 kg

Diet

Seagrasses, which it pulls up roots and all

Zone

Sunlit zone · 0 – 200 m

Key facts

• It is more closely related to elephants than to whales or dolphins.
• As it grazes, it pulls up whole seagrass plants and leaves furrows on the seafloor.
• A herd of about 600 dugongs was seen between Bahrain and Qatar.
• Its giant cousin, Steller’s sea cow, was hunted to extinction in the 18th century.

Verified sources

1. SeaLifeBase, Dugong dugon
2. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Dugong

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

Lion’s mane jellyfishCyanea capillata WalrusOdobenus rosmarus Leopard sealHydrurga leptonyx Arnoux’s beaked whaleBerardius arnuxii Sperm whalePhyseter macrocephalus OrcaOrcinus orca