Dugong of the genus Dugongidae belongs to the genus Sirenia. This Zitanian tribe also includes the sea lion (Sealion) and the walrus marine life.
Habitat And Size
The dugong Dugonidae is a large mammal. Their shoulder pads have two hooves that adapt for foot swimming. Their tail evenly divided into two, and the head is round. They have a small mouth. There are fibers around the mouth. The hole on the inhaling head is located in front of the head above the mouth. In terms of the body, the eyes are small. Have teeth. No ears. The scientific name also knows the dugong found in the Sri Lankan and Indian Oceans of Dugong dugon.
Often people hunt to get meat. Therefore, the distribution of dugong has been dramatically reduced. The lifespan of a dugong is 56 years. It has a long lifespan. Other dugongs have been identified explicitly in the Strait for about three centuries. These dugongs are scientifically known as Hydrodanmalis gigas. The length is 7.5 m. Only 25 feet. They are not in the Indian and Sri Lankan seas.
Species
The length of dugong off the coast of Sri Lanka is 22 to 3.4 m. (7-11 feet). The shoulder blade is 1.6 m long. Weight 300-500 lbs. It has a pair of shoulder blades but no neck. It is called a dugong because it has a head like a pig. There is a breathing hole above the front head. There are rough fibers in front of the head and nose—no body hair.
Body selection is reddish-brown with a grayish tinge. The abdomen is light. The short fibers around the mouth are yellow. Walks in pairs. There are about six in the herd. The dugong’s diet consisted of seagrass and mackerel. In addition to eating these seaweeds, they also eat seaweed species such as Halopela, Zostera, and Zingdosea (Zidosia). However, Newborn pups of dugong suck the mammary glands at the mother’s shoulder. It can stay underwater for about ten minutes. The water comes to the surface to rest, and then their head raises above the water’s surface. Swimming speed 38 km / h | Is about. Following is an excerpt from the December 17, 2010 issue of Lankadeepa:
Photo credit to https://pixabay.com/
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