WoRMS taxon details
Dugongidae Gray, 1821
- Subfamily Dugonginae (Gray, 1821) Simpson, 1932
- Genus Dugong Lacépède, 1799
- Genus Halicore Illiger, 1811 accepted as Dugong Lacépède, 1799 (unaccepted > junior subjective synonym)
- Genus Manati Steller, 1774 accepted as Hydrodamalis Retzius, 1794 † (Generic name on Official List of Rejected & Invalid Names: ICZN Opinion 1320.)
marine
recent + fossil
Not documented
Description There is only 1 living species in the family Dugongidae. The other recent member, Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas)...
Description There is only 1 living species in the family Dugongidae. The other recent member, Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) has been extinct since 1768. The dugong is tropical and subtropical, but Steller's sea cow was an inhabitant of cold temperate to subarctic waters. In members of this family, the flattened tail is expanded into flukes, similar to those of cetaceans. Other caracteristics include a rostrum that is deflected downwards, the presence of erupted tusks in males (dugongs only; Steller's sea cow had no teeth), a more streamlined body than those of manatees, and the absence of nails on flippers. <123> [details]
WoRMS (2025). Dugongidae Gray, 1821. Accessed at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=196263 on 2025-04-23
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additional source
Domning, D. P. (1996). Bibliography and Index of the Sirenia and Desmostylia. <em>Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology.</em> (80): 1-611., available online at http://www.sil.si.edu/SmithsonianContributions/Paleobiology/sc_RecordSingle.cfm?filename=SCtP-0080 [details] 
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
Unreviewed
Description There is only 1 living species in the family Dugongidae. The other recent member, Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) has been extinct since 1768. The dugong is tropical and subtropical, but Steller's sea cow was an inhabitant of cold temperate to subarctic waters. In members of this family, the flattened tail is expanded into flukes, similar to those of cetaceans. Other caracteristics include a rostrum that is deflected downwards, the presence of erupted tusks in males (dugongs only; Steller's sea cow had no teeth), a more streamlined body than those of manatees, and the absence of nails on flippers. <123> [details]
