In this blog post, I’m sharing dugong encounters through stills from earlier dives in the Red Sea, alongside more recent footage and hydrophone recordings from the New Caledonian lagoon.
Have you ever heard a dugong vocalise? Read on :-)
In sunlit, coastal waters stretching from the eastern shores of Africa across the Indo-Pacific, along a fragmented range that includes the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, northern Australia, and scattered Pacific islands, lives one of the ocean’s most gentle and elusive mammals, the dugong, sometimes called sea cow.
Scientifically known as Dugong dugon, the dugong is a marine mammal belonging to the order Sirenia, the same ancient lineage as manatees. Its closest known relative, Steller’s sea cow, was hunted to extinction in the 18th century, an early warning written into the history of human–marine relationships.
Long before marine biology gave the dugong its Latin name, sailors glimpsed these animals rising from the water and told different stories. In dim light and long solitude, the silhouette of a dugong surfacing could be mistaken for something almost human. For this reason, dugongs, along with their sirenian relatives, are believed to have inspired ancient mermaid legends, myth born from misrecognition, wonder shaped by waves...
Physically, dugongs are distinct. Their smooth, greyish bodies taper into a whale-like fluked tail, unlike the rounded paddle-shaped tails of manatees. They typically grow to about 3 meters in length and weigh around 400 kg, but can grow larger.
The dugong is the world’s only fully marine herbivorous mammal, completely dependent on seagrass and never visiting freshwater.
Its rounded, downturned snout is perfectly adapted for grazing, allowing it to uproot seagrass with slow, deliberate precision.
Though often described as silent, dugongs are far from mute. Beneath the surface, they produce a surprising variety of sounds often described as: chirps, trills, barks, squeaks, quacks, and croaks.
These vocalisations are relatively quiet by underwater standards, suggesting that dugong communication occurs over short distances, well suited to the shallow, seagrass-filled habitats they call home.
Today, dugongs face a range of ongoing pressures, from seagrass loss and coastal development to boat strikes, fishing gear, and in some regions, illegal hunting. Unlike Steller’s sea cow, they still have a chance, if the shallow habitats they depend on are allowed to endure.
The dugong is a living species that once inspired myth. Protecting the dugong is about caring for the breathing world beneath the surface and keeping our ancient sense of wonder for the sea.
In the end, the dugong does not need to be a mermaid to be magical. This peaceful creature reminds us that wonder still moves slowly through the shallows, asking only for space, quiet, and time.
