Dugong
1
8.2
- noun
- /ˈduːɡɒŋ/
- Specialized
- So the most the the closest living relative of seller sea cow are dugongs and manatees.
- dugongs and manatees
Examples
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She's a sweet old Florida manatee, also known as a sea cow or dugong.
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And I believe the dugongs live in the Pacific side.
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Well, shave my belly and call me a dugong!
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Whales, dolphins, and dugongs, oh my.
Blog text (14) -
He cares so much about those doggone dugongs.
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Fish, shellfish, turtles, dugongs, sago, lime, canoes.
Academic text (1994) -
Otters and dugongs thrived in newly formed kelp forests and baleen whales were at their most diverse.
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Molecular studies have shown that hyraxes, elephants, and sirenians (manatees and dugongs) are derived from a common ancestor.
Academic text (2009) -
The dugong is a gentle sea creature that grazes on seagrass in warm coastal waters.
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Divers often spot dugongs swimming gracefully as they feed on aquatic plants.
Synonyms
3
4.8
A large sea animal like a manatee that eats plants and moves slowly
1
8.8
A large sea mammal that eats seagrass in shallow warm water
Surface Forms
Etymology
Dugong comes from the Malay and Tagalog word duyung, which means 'mermaid' or 'lady of the sea'. That's why people used this name for the slow, round sea animal that lives in shallow coastal waters, and today Dugong is the name for this large marine mammal.