The Dugong - by Black Bear

Dugongs are mammals. The dugong is related to the dolphin. It is most closely related to the extinct Steller's sea cow. They look similar to the manatee but have some differences. Unlike the manatee, the dugong never ventures into fresh water. They live in salt water where they feed on sea grasses. Dugongs live in both the Indian and Pacific oceans. They are found off the coast of Austrailia, Madagascar, Thailand, Indonesia and even Japan. The dugong and the manatee also have different types of tails. The dugong has a tail more like a whale and the manatee tail is paddle-like. Dugongs have tusks. Dugongs can live to be over 70 years old in the wild if they have the right habitat and are not threatened by humans. I found a fun song about dugongs on youtube when we searched dugongs on the internet. The only problem with the song is that it says that dugongs and manatees are the same thing, but they aren't. I still wanted to share the song because it's just fun! Make sure you have your mom's permission to watch and BEWARE...this song will get stuck in your head for days!

Information found at www.sirenian.org/dugong.html Video found at youtube.