Dugong
January 16, 2023
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 700 new species including several marine species face the risk of extinction. The list includes populations of the dugong, multiple species of abalone and the pillar coral.
According to the organisation, collisions with boats, loss of food, poaching and accidental capture in fishing equipment are threatening dugongs in East Africa and New Caledonia. Pollution, climate change, poaching and unsustainable extraction have led to 20 abalone species being threatened with extinction. The pillar coral, faced with a tissue loss disease, has also been added to the ‘critically endangered’ list while multiple other coral species are threatened by climate change.
Did You Know?
Dugongs sometimes stand on their tail and keep their head above water to breathe.
REFLECTION: Save Our Animals
List 5 ways in which you would work to protect species that are on the Red List of Threatened Species.
