The Dugongs of the Great Barrier Reef | Dugong | World's Weirdest Animals
The dugong, a creature from the depths of the sea, was often mistaken for a mermaid at medieval Japanese fairs, considering the public's ignorance. No wonder the name "dugong" translates from Malay as "sea maiden.
The dugong, despite its impressive size, has a rather good-natured appearance with a blunt face and round little eyes. If you look at it in profile, it looks like a dugong is smiling.
Because of the smoothness of the overall shape, it is not at all clear where the small head ends and the short neck begins. The dugong has no earflaps, and its eyes are set very deep. The muzzle, which seems to be stumpy, is fitted with nostrils with special valves that block off the water when it's needed.
Fifty million years ago, dugongs ( according to the fossil remains ) had four full-fledged limbs that allowed them to move easily on land. They spent most of their lives in the sea, but over time, they adapted to an underwater existence to such an extent that they completely lost the ability to move on land.
