Great South Gems & Minerals

• Dugong Fossilized Rib Bone (Florida) •

• Dugong Fossilized Rib Bone (Florida) •

sea cows - whales - dolphins - manatees

Dugongs, or sea cows as they are sometimes called, are marine animals which can grow to about 10 feet in length and weigh as much as 880 pounds. Dugongs are more closely related to elephants than to marine mammals such as whales and dolphins, but their closest living aquatic relatives are the manatees. Dugongs inhabit shallow, tropical waters throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Most of the world's population of dugongs is now found in northern Australian waters between Shark Bay in Western Australia and Moreton Bay in Queensland.

The dugong is an endangered species and only small numbers exist today. Dugong is a protected species.

The name sea cow refers to the fact that they graze on the seagrasses, which form meadows in sheltered coastal waters. As dugongs feed, whole plants are uprooted and a telltale feeding trail is left.

Dugongs swim using their whale-like fluked tail and they use their front flippers for balance and turning. The dugong has a rounded head with small eyes and a large snout. The nostrils are at the top of the snout and, like mammals, dugongs must surface to breath. However, unlike other aquatic mammals such as some whales, dolphins and porpoises, dugongs cannot hold their breath under water for very long.

It is believed that the dugongs can live to be 70 years of age.

These fossil specimens were collected by divers in the Peace River, DeSoto County, Florida. These dugong fossil bones are from the Bone Valley formation. Miocene Epoch. 6.7 to 14.2 million years.

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