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Dugong mammas float upright to hold their tiny
babies out of the ocean while they nurse. |
The
dugong is a native mammal of the Indian seas, resembling the whale in some respects. It has a tapering body, ending in a crescent-shaped, finlike tail, and is said sometimes to attain a length of twenty feet, though generally it is about seven or eight feet long. The thick, smooth skin is bluish on the upper and white on the lower parts of the body, and bears a few scattered bristles. The dugong's food consists of marine plants, which it finds in the mouths of large rivers.
