The dugong is the Great Barrier Reef marine mammal also called a sea cow.
Dugongs are large herbivorous mammals that feed mainly on seagrass in shallow coastal waters. Their grazing links them closely to seagrass meadows, which are important habitats for juvenile fish, turtles and other marine animals. Dugongs are related to manatees, but they are separate species and are generally associated with the Indo-Pacific rather than the Atlantic and Caribbean.
In the Great Barrier Reef region, dugongs are distributed particularly around suitable shallow seagrass habitats. They must surface to breathe air, despite spending most of their lives in the sea. Their slow reproduction and dependence on coastal feeding grounds make populations vulnerable to habitat damage, boat strikes, hunting and accidental capture in fishing gear.
The nickname “sea cow” refers to their plant-eating lifestyle, not to their appearance or taxonomic relationship with cattle. Another common confusion is calling every marine mammal in the region a dugong; dolphins and whales are also present, but they are not herbivores and do not have this nickname.