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Dugong dugon (Müller, 1776)
| Family Name: | Dugongidae |
| Taxonomic Group: | Vertebrates (Mammal) |
| Common Name: | Dugong, Sea Cow |
Name
Description
| Description | Body streamlined with a blunt, whiskered head and a thick layer of blubber. Body colour is usually greyisy-brown. Length ranges from 2.2m to 3.4m. |
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Ecology, Habitat & Location
| Ecological Notes | In coastal seas, usually at the mouth of rivers. This exclusively aquatic mammal travels alone, in pairs, or in small groups, and feeds on seagrass. Apparently, it feeds during the night and rests in deeper water during the day. |
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| Habitats | Marine |
| Distribution | In Singapore, dugongs are recorded mainly from the north-eastern Johor Straits, around the Sungai Johor estuary. Strandings have occurred on Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong, Changi, and the beaches along the East Coast Parkway. Individuals have been sighted off the Changi coast, around Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong, and off Labrador Beach. The dugong is widely distributed throughout tropical Indo-West Pacific. |
| Nature Reserves | Labrador Nature Reserve |
| Nature Areas | Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin |
Conservation
| Trends & Threats | Dugongs in Singapore waters have been injured by propellers of motor boats and entangled (and drowned) in fishing nets. Extensive land reclamation destroys beds of sea grasses that are their main diet. |
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| Scientific Interest & Potential Value | Dugong meat is eaten by some people and the hide can be used to make leather or glue. 'Gracie' presently a star tourist attraction at Underwater World Singapore is an orphaned dugong calf rescued from Pulau Ubin in September 1998 after her mother drowned in a fishing net. |
| Conservation Notes | Protection of feeding grounds, stringent policing against water pollution. |
Status
| Singapore Red Data Book Status | Critically Endangered (CR) [2008], Endangered (E) [1994] |
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| IUCN Red List | Vulnerable |
Photos
References
| References | Davison, G.W.H., Ng, P.K.L. & Ho, H.C (Eds.). 2008. The Singapore Red Data Book (2nd Edition). Singapore: Nature Society (Singapore). 285pp Ng, P.K.L. & Wee, Y.C. (Eds.). 1994. The Singapore Red Data Book (1st Edition). Singapore: Nature Society (Singapore). 343pp |
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