dugong

noun

du·​gong ˈdü-ˌgäŋ 

-ˌgȯŋ

plural dugongs also dugong

: an aquatic, herbivorous, usually brownish-gray mammal (Dugong dugon) that inhabits warm coastal waters chiefly of southern Asia, Australia, and eastern Africa and resembles the related manatee but differs in having a notched tail divided into two lobes and upper incisors which grow into small tusks in the male

Note: The dugong commonly attains a length of 8 feet (2.4 meters) or more. It is the sole living species in its taxonomic family (Dugongidae) which also includes the extinct Steller's sea cow and various sirenians known only from fossilized remains.

Illustration of dugong

Examples of dugong in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s no reliable method yet to convert the number of feeding trails to the number of dugongs, but Cossa estimates that as many as 10 or even 20 dugongs now graze in Maputo Bay. —Danna Staaf, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024

Meanwhile, indiscriminate fishing tools such as gill nets ensnare and drown dugongs. —Danna Staaf, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024

Australia is home to the world’s largest dugong population, and they are legally protected by all states and the nation’s federal government. —Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Sep. 2023

Because seagrasses are highly sensitive to changes in water quality, dugongs are also easily affected by environmental changes. —Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Sep. 2023

Last year, scientists reported that dugongs are functionally extinct in China. —Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Sep. 2023

Other animals – particularly turtles, dugongs, and dolphins – can become entangled in the nets and drown. —Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Aug. 2023

Some believe that aquatic mammals such as manatees and dugongs inspired mermaid legends. —Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2023

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) designated the dugong a vulnerable species in 1982, but says the degree to which dugong numbers have dwindled is unknown. —Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 21 Oct. 2022

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, genus name, probably from dugung in Cebuano or a related Austronesian language of the central Philippines

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

dugong

noun

du·​gong ˈdü-ˌgäng 

-ˌgȯng

: a mammal that lives in water, eats plants, and is related to the manatees but has a two-lobed tail and tusks in the male