The Pokémon character- Dugong

Now we take safari of a marine life of  India and start our journey with "The Pokémon character- Dugong" 

Introduction

The Dugong is a medium-sized marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia.

It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae. 

It's closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow, was hunted to extinction in the 18th century.

• The dugong is the only strictly marine herbivorous mammal.

Physical Characteristics

The fully-grown adult dugong can grow up to a length of 3 meters.

• The weight of the adult dugong is between 231 and 499 kilograms.

• The dugong has an elongated snout which faces downwards, an enormous, bristly upper lip, used to strip sea grass leaves or snuffle up rhizomes from the sea floor. 

• Adult males and some females even have short tusks. Special valves in the nose keep the nostrils closed while underwater. 

• The dugong has paddle-like flippers, a fluked tail and large body.

• It is actually more closely related to an elephant.

• Its heavy skeleton helps it stay on the bottom while feeding.

Population in India

There are just 250 Dugongs in the Indian seas, according to a study by Zoological Survey of India in 2013, spread across Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay, Gulf of Kutch and Adman and Nicobar Islands,

• Australia has a high dugong population of around 85,000. This is due to the increased protection of the coral reef ecosystem.
  

Reproduction 

A dugong reaches sexual maturity between the ages of eight and eighteen, older than in most other mammals.

The age when a female first gives birth is disputed, with some studies placing the age between ten and seventeen years, while others place it as early as six years.

• There is an evidence that male dugongs love fertility at older ages.

• Despite the longevity of the dugong, which may live for 50 years or more, females give birth only a few times during their life, and invest considerable parent care in their young.

• The time between birth is unclear, with estimates ranging from 2.4 to 7 years.

• The mating behaviour varies between population located in different areas. Females give birth after a 13-15 month gestation, usually to just a one calf.

• The calf nurses for 14-18 months, although it begins to eat sea grasses soon after birth. A calf will only leave its mother  once it has matured. 

Conservation

Dugong conservation is nothing but coastal conservation being a flagship species in its range. 

In order to conserve and manage the declining populations of dugong in India, a ‘Task Force for Conservation of Dugong in India’ was constituted by the Government of India to formulate the conservation action plan for this species.

• India has the largest population of dugong in the South Asia Sub-region and therefore, it has a significant role to play in the dugong conservation at global level in general and in the South Asia Sub-region in specific.
• India and Sri-Lanka ban the hunting and selling of dugongs and their products.