Dugongs are cousins to the manatees and share a similar plump appearance, but have a dolphin fluke-like tail. So cute!
But sadly, the giant, gentle sea creature is now “functionally extinct” in China with no sightings recorded since 2008.
The dugong, a strictly marine herbivorous mammal, is known to slowly roam the coasts of tropical and subtropical countries, feeding on sea-grass beds in shallow waters.
Photo via WWF
According to the Washington Post, conservationists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences said the number of dugongs in waters near mainland China has dwindled significantly since 1970 due in large part to human activity.
The research that was published on Wednesday (24 August) in Britain’s Royal Society of Open Science revealed that there are “strong indications that this is the first functional extinction of a large mammal in China’s coastal waters,” where they have been spotted for hundreds of years.
Researchers also recommended that the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which keeps a global conservation “Red List” reassess the dugong’s regional status as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct) across the entirety of Chinese waters.
Oh no, this is so sad!
Dugongs play an important role in maintaining coastal ecosystems. Their constant browsing of seagrass encourages regrowth, ensuring critical habitat and feeding sites for a host of other marine species, including turtles, dolphins and sawfish.
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
