Libby Evans-Illidge
Author of
Published on 23 October 2013
Dugong (Dugong dugon) are air-breathing marine mammals of global conservation significance, that can grow up to three metres, weigh up to 400kg and live for at least 70 years. Females reach sexual maturity at six years, and produce a calf only once every 2.5-5 years thereafter. Gestation period is 14 months, but calves suckle milk from their mothers for 18 months after birth. Dugongs’ main food source is seagrass, but they also eat invertebrates such as worms, sea squirts, and shellfish.
Published on 23 October 2013
The Torres Strait marine environment contains a relatively shallow (<20m) and highly productive stretch of seawater between the tip of Queensland and Papua New Guinea. It straddles the juncture of the Indian Ocean (Arafura sea) with the Pacific Ocean (Coral Sea), resulting in complex patterns of influence from the two ocean systems, including complicated tides and currents, and high biodiversity. Torres Strait contains over 100 islands, and a diversity of marine habitats including coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and rich benthic garden communities.