Sexual maturation in dugongs occurs at the age of 9-10 years, and their total lifespan is close to a person – 70 years. Young animals are mostly moved by the fins, and adults by the tail. The calf gives birth to about a meter in length and weighs up to 35 kg. Females feed the cubs with milk up to 1.5 years, although already after reaching three months the cubs begin to gradually switch to vegetable food.
Dugongs are singles, they float mostly by themselves, but during the search for food they can gather in a small flock. Living in warm waters, dugongs can reproduce throughout the year. Males are fighting for females using their tusks, and at this time they do not look as peaceful as the rest of the time. The female bore about one year, a maximum of two cubs, and raise the cubs independently, without the participation of the fathers.
It is necessary to take measures to increase feeding areas and clean the coastal waters, only this unique species can be preserved. Dugongs are absolutely defenseless to humans, and enough natural predators and sharks are enough to control their population. We can not control the volume of hunting for sharks in dugongs, but we are quite able to limit our activity in the coastal waters.
