Here's an Ocean Animal That I had Never Heard of Before

This unusual looking animal is a Dugong. It may look like a manatee, and is related to it (just to point out that both the dugong and the manatee are related to elephants, which I thought was pretty interesting) but apparently its tail is fluked like a whale's. Dugongs live in the "warm coastal waters from East Africa to Australia, including the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Pacific." They are threatened animals because are easy targerts for coastal hunters, who want them for their "meat, oil, skin, bones, and teeth." Dugongs are vegetarians, chowing down on underwater grasses. They can hold their breath for up to 6 minutes and are said to be the inspiration for the stories of mermaids and sirens.