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Dugong - Quiz
Contributed by: Newman
  • 1. What is the scientific name of a dugong?
A) Dugong dugon
B) Dugong aquaticus
C) Dugong waterus
D) Dugong marineus
  • 2. Which ocean is the primary habitat of dugongs?
A) Atlantic Ocean
B) Indian Ocean
C) Pacific Ocean
D) Arctic Ocean
  • 3. What is the diet of a dugong primarily composed of?
A) Fish
B) Seagrass
C) Plankton
D) Algae
  • 4. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of dugongs?
A) Whiskers
B) Sharp teeth
C) “V”-shaped tail
D) Large flippers
  • 5. Which of the following countries is known to have a significant population of dugongs?
A) Russia
B) Japan
C) Australia
D) Brazil
  • 6. How many calves does a dugong usually give birth to at a time?
A) 1
B) 4
C) 3
D) 2
  • 7. What is the conservation status of dugongs according to the IUCN Red List?
A) Vulnerable
B) Critically Endangered
C) Least Concern
D) Endangered
  • 8. How do dugongs communicate?
A) Visual displays
B) Telepathy
C) Vocalizations
D) Sign language
  • 9. How long can dugongs hold their breath underwater?
A) 1 hour
B) 6 minutes
C) 30 minutes
D) 2 minutes
  • 10. Which order do dugongs belong to?
A) Pinnipedia
B) Artiodactyla
C) Sirenia
D) Cetacea
  • 11. How many living species are there in the order Sirenia?
A) Five
B) Four
C) Six
D) Three
  • 12. What is the closest modern relative of the dugong?
A) Amazonian manatee
B) African manatee
C) Steller's sea cow
D) West Indian manatee
  • 13. In which century was Steller's sea cow hunted to extinction?
A) 16th century
B) 19th century
C) 18th century
D) 17th century
  • 14. Where are the largest concentrations of dugongs typically found?
A) Deep-sea trenches
B) Wide, shallow, protected areas like bays and mangrove channels
C) Open ocean
D) Cold-water regions
  • 15. How long can dugongs live?
A) 30 years
B) 70 years or more
C) 50 years
D) 40 years
  • 16. Which convention limits or bans the trade of derived products from dugongs?
A) World Wildlife Fund
B) Marine Conservation Society
C) Greenpeace
D) Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
  • 17. What are the main causes of population decline for dugongs?
A) Predation by sharks
B) Pollution only
C) Climate change only
D) Fishing-related fatalities, habitat degradation, and hunting
  • 18. What is the rate of reproduction for dugongs?
A) Slow
B) Moderate
C) Fast
D) Rapid
  • 19. From which language does the word 'dugong' derive?
A) English
B) French
C) Visayan (probably Cebuano)
D) Malay
  • 20. Who first adopted and popularized the name 'dugon' in 1765?
A) John James Audubon
B) Carl Linnaeus
C) Charles Darwin
D) Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
  • 21. What is the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root of 'dugong'?
A) *elephānt
B) *sirenia
C) *duyuŋ
D) *manatē
  • 22. What is the local name for dugongs among the Wunambal people?
A) Ocean beast
B) Sea lady
C) Balguja
D) Duyung
  • 23. Which family does Dugong dugon belong to?
A) Elephantidae
B) Manatee
C) Dugongidae
D) Hyracoidea
  • 24. Which scientist assigned the type species of Dugong?
A) Lacépède
B) Müller
C) Linnaeus
D) Gray
  • 25. Who classified dugongs within their own family?
A) Linnaeus
B) Gray
C) Müller
D) Lacépède
  • 26. To which group are dugongs more closely related?
A) Dolphins
B) Elephants
C) Seals
D) Whales
  • 27. When did sirenians first appear according to the fossil record?
A) Eocene
B) Pliocene
C) Cretaceous
D) Miocene
  • 28. When are the two extant families of sirenians thought to have diverged?
A) Late Eocene
B) Late Miocene
C) Early Pliocene
D) Mid-Eocene
  • 29. What type of studies have been conducted on dugong populations?
A) Molecular studies using mitochondrial DNA
B) Ecological studies
C) Behavioral studies
D) Genetic studies using nuclear DNA
  • 30. Which dugong population is distinct from others according to molecular studies?
A) Australia
B) Southeast Asia
C) Arabia
D) Africa
  • 31. How many distinct maternal lineages do Australian dugongs have?
A) One
B) Three
C) Two
D) Four
  • 32. Where has limited genetic mixing occurred between dugong populations?
A) In the Indian Ocean
B) Off the coast of Australia
C) In the Mediterranean Sea
D) Around Timor
  • 33. What is the typical maximum length of an adult dugong?
A) 4 metres (13 ft)
B) 2.5 metres (8.2 ft)
C) 3 metres (10 ft)
D) 5 metres (16.4 ft)
  • 34. What is the color of a dugong's skin at birth?
A) Black
B) Brownish-to-dark-grey
C) Dark grey
D) Pale cream colour
  • 35. What shape does a dugong's upper lip form?
A) Horseshoe-shaped
B) Circular
C) Rectangular
D) Triangular
  • 36. Which country's Fisheries Ministry began implementing a dugong conservation plan in 2018?
A) Tanzania
B) Kenya
C) Indonesia
D) Vietnam
  • 37. In which year did Indonesia list dugongs as a protected species?
A) 1999
B) 2005
C) 2018
D) 2010
  • 38. Which islands once provided habitats for sizeable herds of dugongs but now only have isolated populations?
A) Inhaca Island
B) Madagascar
C) Mayotte
D) The Philippines
  • 39. Where was a single dugong recorded at the northernmost edge of its historic range more than 40 years after the last sighting?
A) Amami Ōshima
B) Kenting National Park
C) Dongsha Atoll
D) Northern Mariana Islands
  • 40. Which island is home to the largest remaining dugong population in East Africa?
A) Bazaruto Island
B) Inhaca Island
C) Mayotte
D) Madagascar
  • 41. What is the estimated worldwide decline in dugong population over the last 90 years?
A) 30 percent
B) 10 percent
C) 40 percent
D) 20 percent
  • 42. What is the estimated length of coastline where dugongs can be found?
A) 100,000 kilometres (62,000 mi)
B) 200,000 kilometres (124,000 mi)
C) 140,000 kilometres (87,000 mi)
D) 50,000 kilometres (31,000 mi)
  • 43. Which human activity does not negatively affect seagrass meadows?
A) Trawling
B) Dredging
C) Bird watching
D) Mining
  • 44. What is the biggest threat to dugongs in the Philippines according to recent reports?
A) Overpopulation
B) Local marine trash problem
C) Fishing gear accidents
D) Habitat destruction of seagrass meadows
  • 45. Where is a male dugong kept that has resided there since he was a juvenile?
A) Sea World Indonesia
B) Toba Aquarium
C) Underwater World, Singapore
D) Sydney Aquarium
  • 46. What has replaced shark nets in most areas to reduce dugong fatalities?
A) Acoustic deterrents
B) Underwater drones
C) Baited hooks
D) Electric barriers
  • 47. What socio-political issue impedes dugong conservation in many developing countries?
A) Technological limitations
B) Insufficient funding for research
C) Lack of public awareness
D) Socio-political needs
  • 48. What mating behavior involves males defending a territory and impressing females?
A) Monogamy
B) Polygyny
C) Solitary mating
D) Lekking
  • 49. How were dugongs traditionally hunted in Palau?
A) By using harpoons
B) By shooting with bows and arrows
C) Using nets and traps
D) With heavy spears from canoes
  • 50. What is the status of dugong populations in Mozambique's Maputo Bay and Inhaca Island?
A) They have become rare
B) Protected within a sanctuary
C) Increasing in number
D) They are thriving
  • 51. What is the term for the behavior where dugongs favor the growth of certain seagrasses?
A) Selective feeding.
B) Cultivation grazing.
C) Herbivorous grazing.
D) Nutrient optimization.
  • 52. Which country has legislation protecting dugongs since 1955, but enforcement is lacking?
A) Mozambique
B) Philippines
C) Kenya
D) Japan
  • 53. What activity was conducted in August 2014 around the seagrass beds in Oura Bay?
A) Seaweed harvesting
B) Marine wildlife census
C) Preliminary drilling surveys
D) Coral transplantation
  • 54. How old was Gracie when she died at Underwater World, Singapore?
A) 30
B) 15
C) 19
D) 25
  • 55. By what percentage did the dugong population drop in the Persian Gulf since 1950?
A) Nearly 25%
B) 5%
C) 50%
D) 10%
  • 56. When was the first sighting of a live dugong in Taiwan waters in over 88 years?
A) 1950s
B) 2017
C) March 2025
D) 1985
  • 57. Which country has a National Action Plan for dugongs implemented within the Mayotte Marine Natural Park?
A) Japan
B) France
C) India
D) Australia
  • 58. What condition do sirenians, including dugongs, experience that makes their bones unusually solid?
A) Osteoporosis
B) Rickets
C) Arthritis
D) Pachyostosis
  • 59. What is the status of dugong populations around the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia?
A) Increasing in number
B) Populations exist
C) Protected within a sanctuary
D) Extinct
  • 60. Which country banned all hunting of dugongs within its waters and also banned drift net fishing?
A) Philippines
B) India
C) Japan
D) United Arab Emirates
  • 61. Which area in Vietnam is known for regularly seeing dugongs?
A) Con Dao Island within Côn Đảo National Park
B) Hainan Island
C) Phu Quoc Island
D) Guangxi
  • 62. Where was the first 'Dugong Festival' held in Vietnam?
A) Guangxi
B) Con Dao Island
C) Hainan Island
D) Phu Quoc Island
  • 63. What is the estimated population of dugongs in the Gulf of Carpentaria?
A) 10,000
B) 30,000
C) 5,000
D) Over 20,000
  • 64. Where did dugongs once inhabit until after the rise of civilizations along the inland sea?
A) The Caribbean Sea
B) The Mediterranean
C) The Pacific Ocean
D) The Red Sea
  • 65. Where was a 5,000-year-old wall painting of a dugong discovered?
A) Tambun Cave, Ipoh, Malaysia
B) Stonehenge
C) Pyramids of Egypt
D) Great Wall of China
  • 66. In which Australian state are dugongs listed as vulnerable under the Nature Conservation Act?
A) Queensland
B) New South Wales
C) Victoria
D) Western Australia
  • 67. What do dugongs ingest when they eat seagrass?
A) Only the stems of the seagrass.
B) Only the leaves of the seagrass.
C) Only the flowers of the seagrass.
D) The whole plant, including the roots.
  • 68. What additional food does a dugong calf begin to eat soon after birth?
A) Fish
B) Crustaceans
C) Plankton
D) Seagrasses
  • 69. How long can Halophila ovalis survive without light?
A) Thriving for up to 60 days
B) Living for a week without light
C) Dying completely after 30 days
D) Surviving indefinitely with reduced growth
  • 70. In Australia, which bay has a stable population of over 10,000 dugongs?
A) Shark Bay
B) Moreton Bay
C) Gulf of Carpentaria
D) Hervey Bay
  • 71. Which area provides important feeding grounds for dugongs in Australia?
A) Torres Strait
B) Great Barrier Reef
C) Shark Bay
D) Hervey Bay
  • 72. How long do dugong calves typically nurse from their mothers?
A) 30 days
B) 24 months
C) 14–18 months
D) 6 months
  • 73. When did the second dugong at Sydney Aquarium die?
A) 2011
B) 2014
C) 2020
D) 2018
  • 74. What event occurred in 2009 around Mafia Island Marine Park that affected dugongs?
A) Extinction declaration
B) Establishment of a marine sanctuary
C) Discovery of new population
D) A failed hunt by fishermen
  • 75. Where was the first documented sighting of a dugong in Sarangani Bay?
A) 2009
B) 2014
C) 1980s
D) July 2024
  • 76. What is the status of the dugong population around Palau?
A) Large and stable population
B) Extinct
C) Protected within a sanctuary
D) Highly isolated population
  • 77. In what year were new sightings of a cow and calf reported around Okinawa?
A) 2025
B) 1996
C) 2017
D) 1985
  • 78. Which country's coast has marine parks established to protect dugongs in the Red Sea?
A) Australian coast
B) African coast
C) European coast
D) South American coast
  • 79. What action did the World Wide Fund for Nature take in northern Queensland to protect dugongs?
A) Purchased gillnet licences
B) Banned all fishing activities
C) Implemented a conservation plan
D) Established new marine parks
  • 80. What is an unknown effect related to dugongs accumulating heavy metal ions in their tissues?
A) They lose their ability to reproduce
B) They become more aggressive
C) The effects are unknown
D) Their lifespan decreases significantly
  • 81. What is the genetic status of the East African dugong population compared to those in the Red Sea and Madagascar?
A) Genetically distinct
B) Closely related
C) Identical
D) Intermediate
  • 82. How many countries and territories have populations of dugongs?
A) 50
B) 25
C) 37
D) 45
  • 83. What is the maximum annual adult mortality rate that allows a dugong population to remain stable?
A) 5%
B) 10%
C) 20%
D) 15%
  • 84. Which Australian bay is the southernmost significant habitat for dugongs?
A) Hervey Bay
B) Torres Strait
C) Moreton Bay
D) Shark Bay
  • 85. What is the primary function of the heavy bones in dugongs?
A) To aid in rapid swimming
B) To store energy
C) To provide strength for digging in the seabed
D) To act as ballast to help keep them suspended slightly below the water's surface
  • 86. What is the status of dugongs in Chinese waters as reported in 2022?
A) Stable population
B) Increasing in number
C) Protected within a sanctuary
D) Functionally extinct
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