Dugongs, the pudgy marine mammals that once inspired homesick sailors' fanciful tales of mythical mermaids, are now extinct in China, new research shows.
For hundreds of years, these gentle giants, commonly known as sea cows, have swum in Chinese waters, ripping up seagrasses on the ocean bottom with a flexible upper lip. But with no sea cow sightings confirmed in the region for more than two decades, an international team of scientists recently undertook an in-depth investigation, surveying local fishing communities across four Chinese provinces and searching for evidence of the missing dugongs (Dugong dugon).
Historical records of dugongs peaked around 1960 and then decreased rapidly from 1975 onward. No verified sightings by fishers, for instance, are recorded after 2008, and scientists in China haven't spotted a dugong in the wild since 2000, the researchers reported Wednesday (Aug. 24) in the journal Royal Society Open Science(opens in new tab).
