; superorder Paenungulata, order Sirenia)
A monospecific family (Dugong dugon) of large (up to 5.8 m long), exclusively marine ‘sea cows’ which have notched tails and moderately cleft upper lips. The functional teeth are reduced to a pair of upper incisors (tusks in the males) and there are four to six other, peg-like teeth, the lower jaw having a horny pad. The stomach is complex, the intestine very long. Dugongs are distributed throughout coastal waters from the Red Sea to Taiwan and northern Australia.
Subjects: Zoology and Animal Sciences.