Marine mammals form a fascinating group of animals including whales, dolphins, seals and the dugong, also known as the sea cow. Being mammals, they are more closely related to elephants, leopards, bats and hares than they are to sharks and other fish. There are some 120 species of marine mammal to be found in the world, and a fourth of these may be found in India and adjacent countries.Dugongs are one of the ancient living creatures underwater and are most interesting aquatic mammals. Perfect non- violent underwater giant do not injure any living creature. Because of their grass-eating habit, they are known as sea cow. The size, average four meter-long, does not matter and this mammal surf on waters every 15 minutes like Gangetic Dolphins and whales, for breathing. Unlike whale and dolphins, dugongs release breathing sounds like musical notes, hence were named Sirenades. Also unlike seals, they never come up on the land. Nature has lost Sea-Cows to poachers.
Dugong Conservation in India
Three areas of the Indian coast have remnant populations of Dugongs: the Gulf of Kutch, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay, and the Andaman and Nicobar waters. However, these populations are threatened by mechanized fishing and illegal hunting, pollution and destruction of coral reefs and sea grass beds.In October 2010, a ‘Task Force for the Conservation of Dugongs’ was constituted, with the agenda to look into the entire range of issues related to their conservation, and towards the implementation of the UNEP/CMS Dugong Memorandum of Understanding in India.
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