Dugong Research :: Marine Mammals Biology Essays

Dugong Re search Scientific name Dugong Dugon Status susceptible to extinction since 1982 (IUCN) Appendix I of CITES Taxonomy Class MammaliaOrder order SireniaFamily DugongidaeGenus DugongSpecies dugonCommon Name dugong or sea cowLocal Name duyong or baboy dagat Description The dugong is superstar of the 24 species of marine mammalians present in the Philippine waters. The dugong is the simply representative of the order Sirenia to be found in the country. It is a truly curious aquatic animal, being the only herbivorous mammal whose preferred habitat is the sea. Like people and otherwise mammals, the dugong is warm-blooded, has h blood lines, breathes air and the mother suckles their young. It has been noted that stories on mermaids ar attributed to this unique animal due(p) to its striking resemblance fish-like tail, brownish smooth skin, mammary glands, woman-like genitalia and yet its suckling baby. An adult dugong can grow to more than one-third meters in length and can weigh more than 400 kg. Newborns are a little over a meter, while mature animals bank note at least 2.5 meters in length (Marsh et al. 1984). The dugongs ashes is torpedo-shaped with whale-like flukes. The neck is short and indistinct. The flippers are small and short are apply for manoeuvring and as a support during feeding or resting at the sea bottom. The color of an adult dugong is greyish bronze, which becomes luminance ventrally. Neonates and juveniles are lighter and are browner in color. The skin is tough, heavily scarred and usually colonize with barnacles in older animals. Short/stiff hair and fine/ slew hair is sparsely distributed throughout the back of the animal. Hair is almost wanting(p) in the abdomen but are large, thick and abundant in the snout region. The upper lip forms the rostral disc, which is horseshoe in shape and is cover with a lot of thick and long vibrissae used for pro bing. A unique feature is around 25-35 mm thick (not as thick compared to other marine mammals, since protection from the cold is not a great chore for this warm and shallow water species).