Dugongs in Sydney

The Sydney Aquarium has recently received two new inhabitants. The Mermaids of the seas Dugongs.
And they have housed them in their own enclosure which they share with little fish and 2000Kg of lettuce a day! When visiting the enclosure you are able to walk around above the waterline, and the best bit, where you go down under the waterline and walk through huge tunnels underwater enabling you to come face to face with these magnificent animals.

Dugongs, as are manatees, are also known as sea cows and grace the seagrass found in coastal regions making them particularly vulnerable to boating and unfortunately also poaching.
You can find manatees from Florida in the South of the US down to Brazil to the west coast of the Africa.

The habitat range of the Dugong is also very wide from the east coast of Africa to Fiji unfortunately they both are classified as a vulnerable species. Dugongs have some of the fiercest natural enemies to deal with including sharks, saltwater crocodiles and killer whales. Their distribution in Australia is from Shark Bay in Western Australia to Moreton Bay in Queensland.