Wildlife Guide · Indonesia & Malaysia

Dugong

Dugong dugon

The gentle sea cow that mowed the seagrass meadows long before sailors mistook it for a mermaid.

Vulnerable globally — but Critically Endangered in East Africa and Japan's Nansei Islands, and Endangered in New Caledonia

A dugong grazing on a shallow seagrass meadow, its broad downturned snout pressed to the seabed and a dolphin-like fluked tail trailing behind in clear tropical water

Image: Source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia “Dugong” — verify license before production

In brief

A dugong is a large, plant-eating marine mammal of the order Sirenia (the "sea cows"), reaching about 3 metres long, that lives entirely in warm coastal seas and feeds almost exclusively on seagrass.

By the WARN Research & Conservation TeamChecked against IUCN Red List & CITES sourcesLast updated June 2026

The dugong (Dugong dugon) is a large, slow-moving marine mammal that spends its whole life at sea, grazing seagrass in the warm shallows of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the only strictly herbivorous marine mammal and the sole surviving member of the family Dugongidae. Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List with a declining global population, it faces mounting pressure from fishing bycatch and the loss of the seagrass meadows it depends on.

Vulnerable

IUCN Red List status, global population decreasing (assessed 2019)

~3 m

Typical adult length; weight commonly 250–400 kg

~70 yrs

Lifespan; one female aged at 73 years

13–15 mo

Gestation, usually producing a single calf

Figures sourced from IUCN Red List — Dugong dugon (Vulnerable, 2019 assessment), CITES — Dugong dugon listing (Appendix I; Australian population Appendix II), CMS — Global dugong report 2025: status and conservation needs and other references on this page.

Dugong: Quick Facts

Vital statistics and key facts about the Dugong
Lifespan	~70 years (oldest recorded 73)
Weight	Typically 250–400 kg; max ~1,016 kg
Length	Up to about 3 m
Diet	Herbivore — almost entirely seagrass
Gestation	13–15 months
Young per birth	Usually 1 calf
Calving interval	Roughly every 2.4–7 years
Top speed	~10 km/h (about 3 m/s)
Baby name	Calf
Group name	Herd (often solitary or in pairs)
CITES	Appendix I (Australian population on Appendix II)

Scientific Classification

Scientific classification of the Dugong
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Sirenia
Family	Dugongidae
Genus	Dugong
Species	Dugong dugon (Müller, 1776)

Conservation Status

IUCN Status: Vulnerable (IUCN Red List)
Population: No reliable global estimate; population decreasing. Northern Australia holds the largest numbers, while many Southeast Asian populations are small and poorly counted.
Trend: Decreasing
Assessed: 2019 (Marsh & Sobtzick; criteria A2bcd+4bcd)
CITES: Appendix I (all populations except the Australian population, which is on Appendix II)

The global Vulnerable rating masks far higher local risk: subpopulations are assessed Critically Endangered in East Africa and Japan's Nansei Islands and Endangered in New Caledonia.

Did you know?

Dugongs are widely thought to be the origin of mermaid legends — their order, Sirenia, is named after the Sirens of Greek myth, and sailors really did mistake these gentle grazers for "ladies of the sea."

Key Facts: Dugong

The dugong is the only living member of the family Dugongidae and the only marine mammal that feeds almost entirely on plants — seagrass.
It is globally Vulnerable, but several subpopulations are far worse off: Critically Endangered in East Africa and Japan's Nansei Islands and Endangered in New Caledonia.
Unlike its manatee cousins, the dugong has a dolphin-like fluked tail and a sharply downturned snout built for grazing the seabed.
Bycatch in gillnets and the loss of seagrass meadows to coastal development and pollution are the leading threats across Indonesia and Malaysia.
Dugongs breed slowly — one calf every few years after 13–15 months' gestation — so populations recover very slowly from losses.
Long associated with mermaid and 'lady of the sea' legends, the dugong belongs to the order Sirenia, named for the Sirens of myth.

Why the dugong is threatened

The IUCN lists the dugong as Vulnerable globally, with a decreasing population trend (assessed by Marsh and Sobtzick in 2019). That single global label hides a harsher reality: regional assessments rate the species Critically Endangered in East Africa and Japan's Nansei Islands and Endangered in New Caledonia, while only a few strongholds — notably northern Australia and the Persian Gulf — remain relatively secure. Across much of Southeast Asia, including Indonesian and Malaysian waters, populations are small, scattered and poorly counted, with only a couple of Asian sites confirmed to hold more than 100 animals. Because dugongs are long-lived and breed slowly, even modest losses each year can push a local population into decline that takes decades to reverse.

Life in the seagrass meadows

Dugongs are entirely marine and rarely stray from the shallow, sheltered coastal waters where seagrass grows. An adult eats tens of kilograms of seagrass a day, uprooting whole plants with its muscular, bristled snout and leaving distinctive feeding trails across the meadow. They are generally slow swimmers, cruising at around 10 km/h, and surface every few minutes to breathe. Mostly solitary or seen in pairs, they sometimes gather in larger herds where seagrass is abundant. Reproduction is unhurried: females give birth to a single calf after a 13–15 month gestation, nurse it for well over a year, and may wait several years between calves.

Threats: bycatch and vanishing seagrass

The two threats that matter most across the dugong's Southeast Asian range are entanglement and habitat loss. Gillnets set in shallow coastal waters drown dugongs as accidental bycatch — in Malaysia's Mersing area alone, numerous deaths, many of them calves and juveniles, were recorded over recent years. At the same time, the seagrass meadows dugongs cannot live without are being degraded by destructive fishing, coastal development, sedimentation from land clearing, and pollution. Seagrass covers only a fraction of the seafloor yet stores a disproportionate share of ocean carbon, so protecting it serves both dugongs and the climate. Vessel strikes, hunting and pollution add further pressure.

What dugong rescue and protection involve

Saving dugongs is less about rescuing individuals and more about protecting the meadows they graze and keeping nets out of their path. Effective work combines community-based patrols that deter destructive fishing and reduce gillnet entanglement, seagrass mapping and restoration, response to stranded or orphaned calves, and education so coastal fishers and tourists understand the animal's fragility. Because dugongs range across some 40 countries, lasting protection depends on local teams working meadow by meadow, bay by bay, supported by national protections and international agreements such as the CITES trade ban.

Dugong vs. manatee: telling the sea cows apart

Feature	Dugong	Manatee
Family	Dugongidae	Trichechidae
Tail shape	Fluked, dolphin-like	Broad, rounded paddle
Snout	Sharply downturned for seabed grazing	Shorter, less downturned
Diet	Almost entirely seagrass	Seagrass and freshwater plants
Habitat	Strictly marine (coastal seas)	Marine, estuarine and freshwater
Range	Indo-West Pacific (~40 countries)	Atlantic — Americas and West Africa

What WARN Does

The World Animal Rescue Network (WARN CIC) is a registered global not-for-profit animal welfare organisation that funds local partner shelters, sanctuaries and rescue teams across its partner network. Two of those countries — Indonesia and Malaysia — sit squarely within the dugong's range, where the species clings on in small, scattered groups threatened by gillnet bycatch and seagrass loss. WARN's role is honest and focused: channel donations to vetted local partners working on coastal-marine protection, community-based patrols and education in its funded countries, while using its wider platform to raise awareness of the dugong's plight across the rest of its Indo-Pacific range. WARN does not run dugong programmes itself; it backs the local people already doing the work.

In Indonesia and Malaysia, dugongs survive in small, fragile groups where one gillnet can undo years of recovery. A gift to WARN helps fund the local partner teams patrolling these coasts and protecting the seagrass meadows dugongs depend on.

Support Marine Wildlife Donate to WARN

How can I help save the dugong?

There are three practical things that make a real difference for the dugong — and the first is the one that funds everything else.

Fund frontline rescue

Back the partner-led teams, veterinary care and protection that reach dugongs where the need is greatest — WARN channels donations straight to that work.

Ease the pressures

Avoid the wildlife trade and souvenirs, never buy wild animals as pets, and choose sustainable, habitat-friendly products — the threats behind the dugong's decline fall when demand does.

Spread the word

Share accurate, sourced information about the dugong. Wider awareness is what turns concern into lasting protection.

Support Marine Wildlife Donate monthly

Dugong: Frequently Asked Questions

How can I help save the dugong?

The most effective way to help the dugong is to fund the frontline rescue and habitat protection that keeps the species alive — WARN channels donations to partner-led teams working where the need is greatest. You can also ease the pressures behind its decline by avoiding the wildlife trade and souvenirs, never buying wild animals as pets, and choosing sustainable products, and by sharing accurate information to build wider support. See the ways to help below, or support WARN's Support Marine Wildlife.

What is a dugong?

A dugong is a large, plant-eating marine mammal of the order Sirenia, the group known as sea cows. It lives entirely in warm coastal seas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans and feeds almost exclusively on seagrass.

How long do dugongs live?

Dugongs are long-lived, commonly reaching around 70 years; one female was aged at 73. Their slow breeding means each long-lived adult matters for the population.

What do dugongs eat?

Dugongs feed almost entirely on seagrass, uprooting whole plants from shallow meadows with their bristled, downturned snouts. They occasionally take invertebrates such as sea squirts, but they are essentially the only herbivorous marine mammals.

How big do dugongs get?

Adult dugongs are typically about 3 metres long and weigh roughly 250–400 kg, though exceptionally large individuals have exceeded 1,000 kg. Females tend to be slightly larger than males.

Are dugongs dangerous to humans?

No. Dugongs are gentle, slow-moving herbivores with no interest in or threat to people. The danger runs the other way — humans harm dugongs through fishing nets, boat strikes and habitat destruction.

How many dugongs are left?

There is no reliable global population total. The IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable with a decreasing trend; northern Australia holds the largest numbers, while across much of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and Malaysia, populations are small and poorly counted, with only a few Asian sites confirmed to exceed 100 animals.

What is a baby dugong called?

A baby dugong is called a calf. A female usually gives birth to one calf after a 13–15 month pregnancy and nurses it for well over a year.

Sources & References

Population figures, conservation status and biological facts on this page are drawn from authoritative scientific and intergovernmental sources.

Terms used on this page

Plain-English definitions, from our wildlife and conservation glossary.

Latest Dugong Stories

Quick, fact-checked reads on the dugong — amazing facts, key questions and the threats it faces.

Species

12 Amazing Facts About the Dugong, the Ocean's Only Vegetarian Sea Cow

From mermaid myths to tonnes of seagrass and 70-year lifespans, here are 12 remarkable facts about the dugong, the only marine mammal that lives entirely on plants.

Read the story

Species

Dugong vs Manatee: How to Tell the Two Sea Cows Apart

Dugongs and manatees look almost identical at a glance, but their tails, snouts, diets and home waters tell them apart. Here is a clear, fact-checked guide.

Read the story

Species

Why Are Dugongs Disappearing — and What's Being Done to Save Them?

Dugongs are vanishing from waters where they once thrived, declared functionally extinct in China and critically endangered in East Africa. Here's why — and the work that offers hope.

Read the story

Explore More Species

Every animal in our network faces a crisis. Learn about the others.

View all wildlife guides

Support Marine Wildlife