My
closest encounter with
one
was while paddling near Magnetic Island outside Townsville, but they
are found in all the northern waters of Australia.
It passed through under our kayak and nearly knocked it over, they are large animals.
They are funny looking animals, you kind of expect a whale's head but
they are different.
What
Are They?
Like whales
and
dolphins,
they are mammals.
They
belong
to the order Sirenia and the family Dugongidae, and they are the last
species left from both.
Their closest known relatives - the Steller's
Sea Cows - were hunted
to extinction in the 1700s.
Their closest living relatives are not the whales and dolphins but elephants! Their
closest water
dwelling relatives are manatees.
Dugongs
are
also called sea cows
because
they eat sea grass that grows in the bottom of the ocean, looking much
like the grass growing in the paddock.
by Blue Dolphin Marine Tours via
Flickr.com
What
Do They Look Like?
Their
name - dugong - comes
from a few different native languages and
means the 'lady of the sea'.
It's body, indeed, is streamlined and females are believed to have
inspired the old stories of mermaids
with their big teats, slow, graceful movements, and the habit to 'walk' on their tail in the
water.
They have a tail
and flippers
similar to those of a
dolphin,
but
no dorsal fin
or hind limbs.
They have a unique rounded
head and a large
snout with an elongated upper lip, adapted for uprooting
and
eating sea grass.
Their eyes
are small,
and like whales and dolphins
they don't rely on
vision as much as hearing
- a
much more efficient sense to use under
the water.
They use sounds for communication, and the senses of smell and touch when looking
for food.
They are about three
metres long
and weigh about 500kg, but the largest
one seen was more than four metres long and weighed about a tonne.
Like whales and dolphins, dugongs need to surface to breath.
Unlike
whales
and dolphins,
they are shy animals and don't approach humans. by .m for
matthijs via Flickr.com
Where
Are They Found
Dugongs
are found in the
waters of 37 different
countries,
from east Africa to Australia - in Indian and Pacific Oceans (while the
similar looking and related manatees are found on the opposite side of
the globe in western Africa, Florida, South America and the Caribbean
region).
The largest dugong population is
found in
Australia,
along the northern half of the continent - between Moreton Bay in
Queensland and Shark Bay in Western Australia.
The southernmost individual was spotted in Sydney.
They prefer warmer waters
and
are more abundant in the far north - the waters around Cape York, the
Kimberleys and the Top End of Northern Territory.
They also often prefer
shallow waters
and tend to be found along the coasts, in the bays, near islands and in
the
mangrove habitat.
They do
also
swim into deeper waters
if the
waters are sheltered and there is deep-water sea grass.
They are abundant in the Great Barrier Reef that is their major feeding
ground, and Torres Strait
where they move between the tip of Cape York peninsula and Papua
New Guinea.
by
brittonpaul83 via Flickr.com
What
Do They Eat?
Their
main food is sea grass,
however, they are also known to eat algae and
even invertebrates in colder waters and in the absence of sea grass.
They are known to specialise in certain meadows and species of sea grass.
When they eat they uproot whole plants, and usually eat all parts of
them.
As they move along while feeding, they leave behind a trail on the sea
floor. by Frank
Gloystein via Flickr.com
What
Eats Them?
Being large marine animals, dugongs don't have many natural predators.
Their young can be killed by sharks,
killer whales and crocodiles.
Humans
have
historically hunted them for their meat, oil, teeth, bones and skin. Just like
whales, they have been easy targets for hunters thanks to
their slow movements and proximity to the coast. by flickkerphotos
via Flickr.com
Significance
and Threaths
Dugongs are an important part of their ecosystem, and they are now protected by law
in most of the countries where they are found. (many, including
Australia,
allow traditional hunting).
However, habitat loss,
fishing
(net) accidents and some illegal hunting continue.
Their
long
life span and low reproduction rates make the
populations slow to
recover.
Dugongs numbers are believed to be decreasing. by Sfondrini
Nicola via Flickr.com
A recent
study has shown that dugong populations along the more inhabited coast
of Queensland - south of Cooktown
- may be declining.
In the waters of Cape York, north of Cooktown, their numbers appear to
be more stable.
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This complete 300 pages
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detail), it has invaluable information on at least 10 four wheel drive tracks,
at least 30 guaranteed FREE
camping spots on the Cape (and at least 150 on your way to
the Cape), at least 40 best
swimming holes, all mapped; as well as practical things -
from fuel, roads, wireless internet and mobile phone reception,
how to deal with the national
parks booking rules; and Aboriginal land entrance and camping permits
and alcohol restrictions - to vehicle preparation and accessories and necessary recovery
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This site uses British
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Australia.
Disclaimer:
Although
best efforts have been made to ensure that all the information on this
website is correct, this site is not to be blamed should there be a
mistake.
This is the ORIGINAL Cape York Travel Guide run Locally on the Peninsula.