FaunaHub
VUVulnerablePartial review

Dugong

Dugong dugon

Dugong (Dugong dugon) swimming over the seabed.

Dugong (Dugong dugon), Red Sea.

Image: Julien Willem, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category
VU · Vulnerable
Animal group
Mammals
Population trend
Decreasing
Last verified

Conservation overview

The dugong is a large, slow-moving marine mammal that grazes on seagrass, a relative of the manatees. It is assessed as Vulnerable.

It is the only fully marine mammal that feeds almost exclusively on plants.

Range & habitat

Warm coastal waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.

Major threats

Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.

  • Loss of seagrass meadows
  • Entanglement and bycatch
  • Boat strikes and hunting

Why it matters

As a seagrass grazer, the dugong helps keep these underwater meadows healthy, and its decline signals the loss of vital coastal seagrass habitat.

Globally Vulnerable, but several regional sub-populations are assessed at higher risk.

Sources

Sources for Dugong

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a dugong eat?
Almost entirely seagrass. The dugong is the only strictly marine mammal that is essentially a plant-eater, grazing seagrass meadows like an underwater cow.
Why is the dugong Vulnerable?
Published assessments cite loss of seagrass meadows, entanglement and bycatch in fishing gear, boat strikes, and hunting in places. See the IUCN Red List.

Last updated: