Dugong

About the Dugong

The original mermaid myth - sailors likely mistook them for mermaids. They are the only strictly herbivorous marine mammal. They can live 70+ years. They are more closely related to elephants than to any marine animal. Their tail is fluked like a whale. They surface every few minutes to breathe. They communicate with chirps and barks. They are vulnerable to extinction, with only some populations remaining healthy. They were hunted extensively for their meat and oil. Their closest living relative was the Stellers sea cow, hunted to extinction in 1768, just 27 years after discovery.