In January 1840, after having discovered two new territories in Antarctica, Adélie and Clarie, the expedition of Jules Sébastien C. Dumont d’Urville continued to the Auckland Islands and New Zealand. The expedition then followed the... more
In January 1840, after having discovered two new territories in Antarctica, Adélie and Clarie, the expedition of Jules Sébastien C. Dumont d’Urville continued to the Auckland Islands and New Zealand. The expedition then followed the coasts of New Caledonia and Loyalty Island and reached New Guinea on 29 May. On their ships the Astrolabe and the Zélée, sailors and scholars then began ‘crossing the Torrès Straits, from east to west, visiting and studying Banks, Mulgrave and Jervis islands; it was there, on Touwarriors Island of the English – now Tudu Island – where they were beached for ten days, that they discovered an unusual ossuary entirely formed of bones and particularly the skulls of dugongs stacked up as trophies’ (Dumont d’Urville 1846). One hundred and forty years later,the excavation of a dugong bone mound on an island in the Arabian Gulf led us in 2006 to formulate a similar hypothesis: the arrangement of bones on the island of Akab, in the lagoon of Umm al-Qaiwain (U.A.E.) was a ritual structure dating to the Neolithic.
Dugong populations are decreasing worldwide due to human activities. Reproductive behaviour observations are valuable due to the scarce information on dugong reproductive behaviour, which vary between populations. Surveys were carried out... more
Dugong populations are decreasing worldwide due to human activities. Reproductive behaviour observations are valuable due to the scarce information on dugong reproductive behaviour, which vary between populations. Surveys were carried out to document dugong reproductive behaviour at the island of Koh Libong, province of Trang, Thailand. Aerial images of dugong reproductive behaviour were captured using a zoom camera mounted on a drone. Images clearly revealed several stages of matting (following, approaching and stimulating, pairing, mounting and separating). In addition, we also identify a possible method to track individual dugongs by recording the tusk scars in dorsal regions using drone images. This study highlights the importance of small quadcopter drones as a cost-efficient tool to document dugong behaviour such as mating, identification of individuals, measurement of body mass index, contributing to an effective conservation effort.
A review of records of dugongs Dugong dugong from the Gull of Kutch, Gujarat, is presented. Details of an immature male found dead near Bet Dwarka Island are also given, with morphometrics (including rarely measured internal organs),... more
A review of records of dugongs Dugong dugong from the Gull of Kutch, Gujarat, is presented. Details of an immature male found dead near Bet Dwarka Island are also given, with morphometrics (including rarely measured internal organs), stomach contents and parasites. Stomach contents indicate that the small marine angiosperms Halophila ovalis is an important food item. Three intestinal flatworms were found: Haerator caperatus, Rhabdiopoeus taylori, and lndosolenorchis hirudinaceus; the first two are new records for Indian dugongs. It is concluded !hat, although formerly discounted as consisting of strays, the dugong population in the Gulf of Kutch is significant; there is evidently a resident, breeding population. This population needs to be investigated and protected.
Two important ecological reports, The Dugong Dugong dugon: An Action Plan for its Conservation (Marsh et al., n.d.) and A System of Dugong Sanctuaries for the Recovery and Conservation of Dugong Populations in the Great Barrier Reef World... more
Two important ecological reports, The Dugong Dugong dugon: An Action Plan for its Conservation (Marsh et al., n.d.) and A System of Dugong Sanctuaries for the Recovery and Conservation of Dugong Populations in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (Preen and Morissette, 1997) have been prepared in recent times on the status of the dugong in Australia. Each is accompanied by proposals to foster conservation of populations of dugong. The latter report proposes ten dugong sanctuaries for the southern Great Barrier Reef and Hervey Bay (see Figure 1). Gill nets are recommended to be banned in these sanctuaries.
