The dugong is an aquatic mammal, the only modern representative of the dugong genus of the dugong family of the siren order. The name "dugong" comes from the Malay duyung meaning "sea maiden" or "mermaid".

Appearance

In length, the body of the animal reaches 2.5 - 4 m. The dugong weighs up to 600 kg. Males and females can be distinguished by their size: males are usually much larger. The head of the dugongs is small, looks disproportionate on such a large body. The body ends with a caudal fin, which resembles the tail of cetaceans. The skin of these mammals is thick and rough - it reaches a thickness of 2.5 cm. With age, it becomes darker, the belly is slightly lighter than the main color.

The dugong has no ears, and its eyes are very small. The lips are heavy and drooping. Thanks to the vibrissae, which are located above the upper lip, it is easier for dugongs to pick algae. 26 teeth in the mouth is the norm for a young dugong. The male can also be distinguished by the presence of tusks, into which the upper incisors turn at an older age. The bones of the animal are strong and durable.

Habitat

In the past, the range was wider: dugongs penetrated as far north as Western Europe. According to some researchers, they served as the prototype of the mythical sirens or mermaids. Later, they survived only in the tropical zone of the Indian and South Pacific Ocean: from the Red Sea along the eastern coast of Africa, in the Persian Gulf, off the northeastern coast of India, near the Malay Peninsula, Northern Australia and New Guinea, as well as near a number of Pacific islands. The total length of the modern range of dugongs is estimated at 140,000 km of coastline.

Currently, the largest population of dugongs (more than 10,000 individuals) lives off the Great Barrier Reef and in the Torres Strait. Large populations off the coast of Kenya and Mozambique have declined greatly since the 1970s. Off the coast of Tanzania, the last specimen of a dugong was observed on January 22, 2003, after a 70-year hiatus. A small number of dugongs are found near Palau (Micronesia), near about. Okinawa (Japan) and in the Strait of Johor between Malaysia and Singapore.

Nutrition

Coastal waters and shallow waters are considered a comfortable habitat for dugongs, so they rarely go to the open sea. The main occupation of these animals, which takes up almost all their free time, is feeding. They feed in shallow waters and in coral reefs at a depth of 1-5 m. Most of all they love seaweed and aquatic plants. Food is captured by their fleshy lip, after which they rise to the surface for inhalation. During the day, this animal absorbs up to 40 kg of aquatic vegetation!

They prefer to live alone, but they go to feed in groups of 3-6 goals. They do not like to migrate, so they prefer a settled way of life. Some animals make seasonal movements that are affected by water levels and temperatures, food availability, and human influence. The speed of dugongs is unpresentable - 10 km / h, but in a state of fear they accelerate to 18 km / h. When swimming, the tail and fins are used.

Dugongs are very quiet animals. Only the lucky ones can hear their whistle. They emit it only when frightened or excited. They see very poorly, but their hearing is well developed. Dugongs cannot live in captivity.

reproduction

Breeding continues throughout the year, varying in peak times in different parts of its range. Male dugongs fight for females using their tusks. Pregnancy is supposed to last a year. There is 1 cub in the litter, rarely 2. Births take place in shallow water; a newborn with a body length of 1-1.2 m weighs 20-35 kg, is quite mobile. During diving, the cubs cling to the mother's back; milk is sucked upside down. Grown up cubs gather in flocks in shallow water during the day. Males do not take part in the upbringing of offspring.

Milk feeding continues up to 12-18 months, although at 3 months young dugongs begin to eat grass. Sexual maturity occurs at 9-10 years, possibly later. Young dugongs are preyed upon by large sharks; adults can only be threatened by combed crocodiles and killer whales. Life expectancy - up to 70 years.

species protection

The dugong is highly valued among poachers. Firstly, dugong meat tastes like veal, so among gourmets it is considered an expensive delicacy. Secondly, fat, skin and bones are also used for various purposes, especially for making ivory crafts. Asians use parts of the animal's body for a variety of rituals and in medicine. That is why in some habitats these animals have disappeared completely or partially.

To date, catching dugongs with nets is prohibited, so harpoons are used for prey. It is worth noting that the dugong is protected by the laws of different countries and is listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and is considered a “vulnerable species”.

The closest relative of the dugong - it was three times larger in size, its mass reached 3,600 kg. The sea cow was discovered in 1741, after 27 years it was completely exterminated.

The section is very easy to use. In the proposed field, just enter the desired word, and we will give you a list of its meanings. I would like to note that our site provides data from various sources - encyclopedic, explanatory, word-building dictionaries. Here you can also get acquainted with examples of the use of the word you entered.

The meaning of the word dugong

dugong in the crossword dictionary

New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.

dugong

m. An aquatic mammal of the siren family that lives in the coastal waters of the Indian Ocean.

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

dugong

aquatic mammal of the siren order. The length is usually up to 3 m. It lives off the coast of the East. Africa, South Asia, Moluccas, Philippine and Malay Islands, Nov. Guinea and Australia; enters the mouths of the rivers. Few. In the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

dugong

(Dugong dugon), an aquatic mammal; the only representative of the genus Dugong of the siren detachment. Body length is usually 2.5≈3.2 m; males weigh about 170 kg, females about 140 kg. A small, inactive head passes into a spindle-shaped body, ending in a horizontally located bilobed fin. The forelimbs are flexible, flipper-like fins. From the hind limbs there were rudimentary pelvic bones hidden in the musculature. Rough skin, dull leaden or brownish, covered with sparse single hairs. In both jaws, on each side, there are 5≈6 molars of a cylindrical shape, devoid of enamel; in males, in addition, 2 tusk-shaped upper incisors protruding by 6≈7. It lives in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa, South Asia, the Moluccas, the Philippine and Malay Islands, New Guinea and Australia. Occasionally enters river mouths. Lives in groups of 3≈6 heads or in pairs. It feeds on aquatic vegetation. There is 1 cub in the litter. The object of hunting, as a result of which it is rarely found everywhere.

O. L. Rossolimo.

Wikipedia

dugong

dugong- aquatic mammal; the only modern representative of the dugong genus of the dugong family of the siren order. The name "dugong" comes from the Malay duyung, meaning "sea maiden" ("mermaid").

Dugong (disambiguation)

dugong:

• The dugong is an aquatic mammal; the only modern representative of the dugong genus of the dugong family of the siren order.
• "Dugong" - a series of the latest Russian air cavity landing craft.

Examples of the use of the word dugong in the literature.

Without a doubt, dugong, attacked by some mighty animal, he now defended his life himself. But this did not last long. The water was stained with blood, and the body of the dugong, surrounded by an increasingly expanding purple spot, floated to the surface and was soon washed up on a small shallow in the southern part of the lake. The colonists ran up to this place.

Around the little shoal on which lay dugong, the water was not particularly deep, but further the lake gradually lowered, and in the center its depth could be quite significant. This lake, in essence, was a wide pool filled with water from the Red Creek.

But this excellent animal is hunted so ruthlessly that dugong, like the manatee, is becoming rarer and rarer.

Sometimes we almost overtook him, and the Canadian was already swinging his harpoon, but dugong every time he went under water - inaccessible to the harpooner.

There was a grinding of teeth against the iron plating of the boat, and dugong disappeared under the water, dragging our harpoon with him!

They had to be driven away with stones, since Cyrus Smith wanted to use fat dugong for the needs of the colony As for the meat of this animal, it must have been very tasty, because in some areas of the Malay Archipelago it is served only at the table of nobles.

He expressed his readiness to become a chemist, since an engineer needs chemists, or a bricklayer, or a shoemaker - anything, even a teacher of dancing and good manners, if necessary, Neb and Pencroff were tasked with extracting fat dugong and save his meat, which was to be eaten Without waiting for further explanation, they immediately set off.

Pencroft and Nab were removed from dugong fat and collected it in large earthen jars.

I confess, not quite, - said Pencroff, - especially since the wound in the side dugong was, apparently, inflicted by some sharp tool. This is also incomprehensible.

He immediately noticed dugong, understood the excitement of the Canadian and turned directly to him: - If you had a harpoon with you, it would burn your hand, wouldn't it?

We've been tracking dugong for a whole hour, and I was already beginning to incline to the idea that the animal was elusive, when suddenly the poor fellow took it into his head to take revenge on his pursuers.

I had to use the strongest hoists to lift dugong to the deck of the ship.

On the same day, the steward brought me to the table a dish skillfully prepared from the pulp dugong ship's cook.

Meat dugong It seemed to me tastier than veal and, perhaps, not inferior to beef.

The most sacred animal in India is the cow. And in the depths of the Indian Ocean lives a mysterious marine inhabitant - the dugong.
The dugong is an aquatic mammal of the siren family that lives in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, as well as in the northern waters of Australia. This is a rather large and unusual animal.

The name "dugong" in translation from the Malay language means "sea maiden", "mermaid". In the old days, myths about sirens and mermaids were created in the image of the dugong.

First of all, let's try to clarify who the sirens are. Sirens are a class of herbivorous mammals, which includes only four representatives. They live in water, the main food is sea grass and algae. Since dugongs "graze" in shallow waters in secluded coastal waters, they are often called sea cows.

Mammals have a massive cylindrical body, thick skin, with many folds, which outwardly very much resemble seals. However, dugongs, unlike seals, cannot move on land. In the process of evolution, their paws were completely transformed into fins. It also lacks hind limbs and dorsal fins.

Of all the representatives of the sirens, dugongs are the smallest. The body length is no more than 4 meters, and the weight is about 600 kg. Females usually grow much smaller than males.

The first remains of dugongs are dated at 20 million years old. In those distant times, these animals were able to move quietly on land, as they had all four limbs. But even then they spent more time in the water. And after a certain period of time, they completely lost the opportunity to get out to the surface of the earth. The reason for this was their great weight, since weak fins simply cannot physically support about 500 kg of the weight of a mammal.

And dugongs also swim not very fast and skillfully. Basically, they carefully move along the bottom, pushing off with their front fins. On the "sea fields" they not only eat grass and algae, but also lift sand and bottom soil with their muzzle in search of juicy roots. Nature endowed sea cows with a callused mouth and tongue to make it easier for them to chew treats. In adult dugongs, the upper teeth transform into small tusks (about 7 cm long). With the help of tusks, it is easier for them to uproot grass, while they leave characteristic grooves on the bottom. It is on such tracks that it is very easy to calculate the places where sea cows graze.

The habitat of sirens depends on the presence of algae and grass, which they eat. When there is not enough grass, then small benthic vertebrates become a delicacy. This change in food preferences is due to the catastrophic decline in aquatic vegetation in some dugong habitats. And without such "extra" food, sea cows would not be able to survive in some areas of the Indian Ocean.

To date, the population of these wonderful animals has declined sharply. In Japan, the number of dugongs is only about 50 heads. And Approximately 7,500 individuals live in the Persian Gulf, although this is rather arbitrary data. A small number of dugongs remain in the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Philippines and the Strait of Johor.
Even in ancient times, people hunted sirens. In the Neolithic era, primitive people left cave paintings of dugongs on the walls. The main purpose of the hunt then was the fat and meat of animals, so it tasted very similar to the "earthly" veal. And the bones of marine mammals were used as material for various crafts and figurines.

Dugongs are peaceful animals. And this was often used by hunters for their valuable skin and fat, as well as meat. Moreover, poaching has reached such proportions that now the dugong population needs legal protection. Otherwise, this species is threatened with extinction, such a fate befell the larger sea cow Steller (they were completely exterminated in just a few decades).

Unpunished dugong hunting, as well as global environmental problems, have led to the almost complete extinction of sea cows around the world. To date, dugongs are listed in the International Red Book with the status of "vulnerable species". The strictest ban is imposed on catching animals with nets, and only aboriginal peoples are allowed to catch animals.

dugong(lat. Dugong dugon) - aquatic mammal; the only modern representative of the dugong genus of the dugong family of the siren order. The name "dugong" comes from the Malay duyung, meaning "mermaid", "sea maiden".

The smallest representative of the siren squad: body length 2.5-4 m, weight reaches 600 kg. The maximum recorded body length (a male caught in the Red Sea) was 5.8 m. Sexual dimorphism is pronounced: males are larger than females.

Range of dugongs quite large and includes the warm coastal waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as the Red Sea. The largest population of dugongs lives along the northern coast of Australia between Shark Bay and Moreton Bay, and the second largest is found in the waters of the Persian Gulf.

But the concept of "large population" in relation to dugongs is very relative: for hundreds of years they were hunted for meat, skin, bones and fat, so now this species is seriously threatened, it is listed in the Red Book and is under international protection.

The dugong differs from its closest relatives, the manatees, in its powerful, flat, large, whale-like tail, which gives it the ability to travel long distances. And with flippers - like a steering wheel - the dugong sets the direction of movement. The dugong has no hind limbs, and its brown coat is covered with short, stiff bristles. A thick layer of subcutaneous fat makes his body rounded. The muzzle of a dugong looks lopped off and ends in fleshy lips hanging down. The nasal openings are located on the upper lip, and to make it easier to breathe, the dugong bends it in a special way. Small tusks grow in the mouth - in males they are noticeably larger, and in females they are hidden in the jaws.

The dugong plucks algae from the bottom with its muscular upper lip. If it weren't necessary to come up about every six minutes to take a breath, the dugong would only eat. These animals grow up to 3 m in length and weigh about 500 kg. In favorable conditions, their average life expectancy is 70 years. Most of this time they spend alone or with a partner - although sometimes, in large populations, they may gather in flocks.

These animals reach sexual maturity between ten and seventeen years of age. Females give birth to offspring once every three years. The baby develops in the womb for 12 months, and as soon as it is born, the mother pushes it to the surface so that it takes its first breath. Females feed offspring with breast milk for 18-24 months.

These slow, quiet animals are easy prey for many predators. But fortunately the dugong, its imposing figure scares away most of them. Only killer whales, the largest sharks and crocodiles can pose a threat to the dugong.

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First, let's find out who the sirens are? This class of herbivorous mammals, consisting of four representatives, lives in the water, feeding on algae and sea grass in a shallow coastal zone. They have a massive cylindrical body, thick skin with folds, reminiscent of the skin of seals. But, unlike the latter, the sirens do not have the ability to move on land, since in the course of evolution the paws completely transformed into fins. There are no hind limbs or dorsal fins.

The dugong is the smallest representative of the siren family. The length of her body does not exceed 4 m, and her weight is 600 kg. Males grow larger than females. Fossils of dugongs date back 50 million years. Then these animals still had 4 limbs, and could move on land, but they still spent most of their lives in the water. Over time, they completely lost the ability to go to the surface of the earth. Their weak fins are not able to withstand more than 500 kg. mammalian weight.

Dugong swimmers are not important. They move very carefully and slowly near the bottom, eating vegetation. In the fields, sea cows not only nibble grass, but also lift the bottom soil and sand with their snout, looking for juicy roots. For these purposes, the dugong's mouth and tongue are calloused, which help them in chewing food. In adults, the upper teeth grow into short tusks up to 7 cm long. With their help, the animal uproots the grass, leaving characteristic furrows on the bottom, which can be used to determine that a sea cow grazed here.

Their habitat directly depends on the amount of grass and algae that the dugong consumes for food. With a lack of grass, animals do not disdain small benthic vertebrates. This change in eating habits is associated with a catastrophic decline in the volume of aquatic vegetation in some areas where sea cows live. Without this "extra" food, dugongs would have become extinct in some areas of the Indian Ocean. Currently, the number of animals is dangerously low. Near Japan, herds of dugongs number only 50 heads. In the Persian Gulf, the exact number of animals is not known, but, apparently, it does not exceed 7500 individuals. Small populations of dugong live in the Red Sea, the Philippines, the Arabian Sea and the Straits of Johor.

Man has been hunting dugongs since ancient times. Even in Neolithic times, cave paintings of sea cows are found on the walls of primitive people. At all times, animals were hunted for fat and meat, which tasted like the usual veal. Sea cow bones were sometimes used to make figurines resembling ivory crafts.

The uncontrolled extermination of dugongs, as well as environmental degradation, has led to an almost complete reduction in the number of dugongs around the world. So, from the middle of the 20th century. the number of animals in northern Australia alone has decreased from 72 thousand heads to a catastrophic 4 thousand. And this part of the Indian Ocean is the most favorable for the life of sea cows. In the Persian Gulf, military conflicts have caused serious damage to the ecological situation of the region, as a result of which the dugong population has practically disappeared there.

Currently, dugongs are listed in the International Red Book. Their fishing is prohibited, and extraction is allowed only to local aboriginal tribes.