136 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD 



to the eye is about one-sixth of the body length, which is about 

 eight feet. The number of teeth is about thirty-five on either 

 side above and below. It is found from India to the Straits of 

 Malacca. 



DuGONGS, Sea Cows. Order Sirenia 



The sea cows, manatees, and dugongs are mammals which 

 have undergone almost as much change to fit them for an 

 aquatic life as have the whales. Their hind limbs have disap- 

 peared, their fore limbs are now flippers, their tails have ex- 

 panded into flukes. In some of their features they resemble the 

 elephants. The upper incisors when present have developed into 

 tusks. The cheek-teeth come into place from the back of the 

 toothrow, pushing the others forward as they wear. 



DuGONG. Family Dugongid^ 



The Dugong (Dugong dugong) is the only representative of 

 this family. This animal has a crescent-shaped tail. The up- 

 per incisors of the males are enlarged to form small tusks ; in 

 the female these are yet smaller and do not pierce the gum. 



Fig. 55 — Dugong 



In color, the dugong is uniform bluish gray, sometimes lighter 

 on the underside. It may be as much as nine feet in length al- 

 though it is generally smaller. The dugong feeds on seaweeds 

 and other aquatic vegetation and lives in shallow bays and 

 estuaries from the Red Sea through the Indian Ocean and east 

 as far as the Solomon and Marshall Islands. It extends south 



