The dugong's body is large with a cylindrical shape that tapers at both ends.
It has
thick, smooth skin that is a pale cream colour at birth but darkens dorsally and
laterally to brownish-to-dark-grey with age. The colour of a dugong can change due
to the growth of algae on the skin.[20] The body is sparsely covered in short hair, a
common feature among sirenians which may allow for tactile interpretation of their
environment.[21] These hairs are most developed around the mouth, which has a
large horseshoe-shaped upper lip forming a highly mobile muzzle.[19] This muscular
upper lip aids the dugong in foraging.[20]
Bones in the forelimb can fuse
variously with age.
The dugong's tail flukes[22] and flippers[18] are similar to those of dolphins. These
flukes are raised up and down in long strokes to move the animal forward and can
be twisted to turn. The forelimbs are paddle-like flippers which aid in turning and
slowing.[19] The dugong lacks nails on its flippers, which are only 15% of a dugong's
body length.[19] The tail has deep notches.[23]
A dugong's brain weighs a maximum of 300 g (11 oz), about 0.1% of the animal's
body weight.[19] With very small eyes,[24] dugongs have limited vision, but acute
hearing within narrow sound thresholds. Their ears, which lack pinnae, are located
on the sides of their head. The nostrils are located on top of the head and can be
closed using valves.[18] Dugongs have two teats, one located behind each flipper.
[19]
There are few differences between the sexes; the body structures are almost the
same.[20] A male's testes are not externally located, and the main difference between
males and females is the location of the genital aperture to the umbilicus and
the anus.[25] The lungs in a dugong are very long, extending almost as far as
the kidneys, which are also highly elongated to cope with the saltwater environment.
[19]
If the dugong is wounded, its blood will clot rapidly.[20]
Dugong tail fluke
The skull of a dugong is unique.[23] The skull is enlarged with a sharply down-
turned premaxilla, which is stronger in males. The spine has between 57 and
60 vertebrae.[19] Unlike in manatees, the dugong's teeth do not continually grow back
via horizontal tooth replacement.[26] The dugong has two incisors (tusks) which
emerge in males during puberty. The female's tusks continue to grow without
emerging during puberty, sometimes erupting later in life after reaching the base of
the premaxilla.[19] The number of growth layer groups in a tusk indicates the age of a
dugong,[13] and the cheek teeth move forward with age.[23]
The full dental formula of dugongs is 2.0.3.33.1.3.3, meaning they have two incisors,
three premolars, and three molars on each side of their upper jaw, and three
incisors, one canine, three premolars, and three molars on each side of their lower
jaw.[23] Like other sirenians, the dugong experiences pachyostosis, a condition in
which the ribs and other long bones are unusually solid and contain little or
no marrow. These heavy bones, which are among the densest in the animal
kingdom,[27] may act as a ballast to help keep sirenians suspended slightly below the
water's surface.[28]
