Tribune News Network
Doha
A weakened dugong, also known as a sea cow, that was rescued off the Qatari waters near Khor Al Adaid has been named Ocean. It is the first dugong to be named in the region.
Qatar is home to the world’s second-largest population of dugongs, with sightings of 600- to 700-strong herds recorded in the country's waters recently, according to visitqatar.qa. Dugongs may live in the sea, but they are not really fish. They are marine mammals, and it’s believed they made their first appearance in the waters of the Arabia Gulf approximately 7,500 years ago.
Ocean was rescued with the help of Qatari environmentalists Khalifa Omar Saleh Al Hamidi and Ahmed Saad Al Fayyadh Al Khalidi. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change transferred Ocean to a pond in Fuwairit, a marine reserve area dedicated to conserving endangered hawksbill sea turtles.
Dugongs are related to manatees and are similar in appearance and behaviour— although the dugong's tail is fluked like a whale's. Unlike manatees, which live in freshwater areas, dugongs are strictly marine mammals. They live in shallow waters and graze on underwater grasses. These mammals can stay underwater for six minutes before surfacing. They sometimes breathe by “standing” on their tail with their heads above water. It can grow up to over 300 feet in length with an average body weight of 550 kg.
