Are there really mermaids in the sea who can talk like us humans? The upper body is a human and the lower body is a fish tail.

Yes!!

Dugong

Dugong, commonly known as mermaid, is a rare mammal in the world and is rarely seen by people

Also known as mermaid

Scientific name Dugong dugong

English name dugong

Dugongidae

Distributed along the coast of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and southern Taiwan

National first-level protected animals

The dugong's body is spindle-shaped, about 3 meters long and weighs 300-500 kilograms. There is sparse short fine body hair all over the body. There is no obvious neck, the head is small, the upper lip is like a horseshoe, the snout has protruding bristles, and two approximately circular breathing holes are juxtaposed at the front of the head; there is no external auricle, and the ear holes are located behind the eyes. There is no dorsal fin, and the flippers are oval. The tail fin is wide, flat and symmetrical on the left and right sides, and the trailing edge is forked without notches. There is a pair of breasts under the flippers. The back is mainly dark gray and the belly is slightly lighter.

Dugongs are marine herbivorous mammals. Its distribution is closely related to water temperature, ocean currents and the distribution of seaweed as the main food. They mostly appear in the seagrass about 20 meters away from the coast. Sometimes they enter the estuary with the tide. After feeding, they return to the sea with the ebb tide. They rarely swim to the open sea. They live in family groups of 2-3, live at the bottom of seagrass areas with good hiding conditions, and surface regularly to breathe. Often regarded as a "mermaid", she emerged from the water and left many beautiful legends to people.

Dugongs are marine animals that evolved from terrestrial herbivores. They have been severely hunted and their resources have been damaged. They urgently need to be protected.

Actually, the mermaid is not beautiful. It is a kind of sea beast called dugong that lives in the coastal areas of Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan and other provinces in my country. This name is a literal translation from Malay, and some people also call it "Southern Sea Cow". In addition to China, it also has its footprints in some other countries around the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean.

Dugongs are not only unattractive, but also ugly. It is shaped like a huge spindle, more than 3 meters long and weighs more than 400 kilograms. It has a big head and a small tail like a crescent moon. The most unsightly thing is its mouse-like eyes, its nostrils on its head, its ears without rims, and its two fangs exposed from its thick lips. It looks very ugly. Its skin is gray and white, and its body is covered with sparse hard thorns. It is not really beautiful, but it is called a mermaid because its living habits are similar to humans. Even the dugong grows by sucking its mother's breasts. ; The dugong's body shape is indeed a bit like a woman's. It has a pair of relatively plump breasts next to its forelimbs. The pectoral fins are very similar to humans. So when it occasionally rises from the current and appears on the sea surface with its upper body exposed, it really looks a bit like a woman.

Dugongs are not picky eaters in life. They mostly feed on succulent aquatic plants such as seaweed and aquatic plants, as well as fibrous rushes and grasses. They can basically eat any aquatic plant name, and their appetite is relatively small. It is large and consumes more than 45 kilograms of aquatic plants every day, so it spends a large part of its time feeding. The dugong's movement of foraging for seaweed is similar to that of a cow. Once chewing, it keeps shaking its head. This is why it is called "Haifeng". It moves slowly. Although it lives in the sea all year round, its underwater skills are very average. Its swimming speed is only about 2 knots per hour. Even when it is forced by the enemy, its escape speed cannot exceed 5 knots. Precisely because it can eat but is unwilling to move, it grows fat and fat, and often becomes the target of profit-seeking predators. Dugong is gray in color and fat. Its oil can be used as medicine, its meat is delicious, and its skin can be used for tanning. Because of this, they are repeatedly killed by humans. If they are not strictly protected, they will be in danger of extinction. Therefore, dugongs have been listed as national first-level protected animals.

The scientific name of mermaid is dugong. When the mermaid is breastfeeding, she hugs the child with her thick hands, and her head and chest are all exposed out of the water. She looks like a person swimming in the water, so she is known as the "mermaid". In fact, mermaids are kind to people. Although they are tall and tall, they have a very gentle temperament and get along well with any living creature, including humans.

Mermaids mainly live in tropical and subtropical waters. In North America, they mainly live along the coast of the Florida Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico. It is in this bay where mermaids have lived for generations. Due to the development of the peninsula in the past 10 years, the population has increased sharply, and industrial pollution has made mermaids face an endangered situation.

Dugongs have a quiet temperament and slow movements. They always seem to be drowsy during the day. After eating, they spend most of their time diving into the seabed 30 to 40 meters deep, lying on rocks and other places to kill time. Its pale gray color makes it difficult to spot. It likes to live in shallow waters near the coast and never ventures into the deep ocean. Every evening or dawn, they forage for food, munching on seaweed or other seaweeds. I have to eat dozens of kilograms every day, which is a lot of food. It uses molars to grind food, not a ruminant like a cow.

Dugongs cannot live without water even when they have children. Confucian gestation period may be one year. The tail of a newborn dugong is curled forward and its swimming ability is weak. The mother often lifts it out of the water to take its first breath. The dugong's mammary glands are located between the thorax flippers, similar to the position of human breasts, which is perhaps the biggest reason why it is called a mermaid. Some people even say that it uses its forelimbs to hold the baby and feed it with half of its body exposed out of the water. It looks like a human. In fact, it floats horizontally on the water surface, with its body slightly sideways, its small eyes and mother's body at an angle, and it sucks milk from the nipple.

Dugongs like to live in warm waters. When the water temperature is lower than 15°C, they are prone to pneumonia and die. Therefore, they are more common along the coasts of Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan, and Fujian in my country. Several other species of manatee also live in warmer waters.

The skin of dugongs (including other manatees) can be tanned, and the meat is delicious and nutritious, better than beef. The oil is a valuable medicinal material, similar to cod liver, and is very effective when taken by patients with lung disease or the weak. Teeth and bone can be used as substitutes for ivory carvings. Dugongs are full of treasures, so they are hunted a lot. They are on the verge of extinction and need to be protected.