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