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THE DUGONG
Dugongs are large grey mammals which spend their entire
lives in the sea. Fully grown, they may be three metres long and
weigh as much as 400 kilograms. Interestingly, their nostrils
are near the top of their heads.
When they swim, dugongs use their broad, spade-shaped tail in
an up-and-down motion (as does a whale), as well as their two
front flippers.
Where are they found?
In Australia, dugongs can be found in the shallow,
protected coastal waters, north from the NSW-Queensland border,
across the Top End, right round to Shark Bay on the Western Australian
coast. They are also found in other parts of the Pacific and Indian
Oceans, where there is warm shallow water and plenty of the seagrass
on which they feed. Dugongs only surface to breathe; they never
come onto the land..
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