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
- FaunaHub record reviewed
- Checked against IUCN
- Matches source — IUCN's 2015 global assessment of Dugong dugon says VulnerableChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment
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
- IUCN Red List — look up Dugong (authoritative status)
- Animal Diversity Web
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.