There are lots of fun facts about the dugong. Did you know that:

• The dugong, like the manatee, is a member of the Sirenia species.
• It lives in shallow, tropical waters, feeds its young and eats only sea grass. The dugong is a marine mammal herbivore.
• Like all modern day sirenians, the dugong doesn't have hind limbs or a dorsal fin. But unlike other members of its species, the dugong has a dolphin-like tail and downturned snout.
• Dugongs surface only to breathe and never come on to land.
• When fully grown this large, gray sea creature can measure three meters long and weigh as much as 400 kilograms.
• The dugong may be aquatic but it most closely resembles it land-based cousin, the elephant. In fact, sailors once called it a sea elephant.
• Once hunted for its meat and oil the dugong is today a protected species.