In China, scientists have concluded that the dugong marine mammals, which supposedly inspired sailors to tell tales of mermaids, are extinct.
Such conclusions were made by scientists of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, reports Eko.Rayon on Facebook.
They analyzed historical data in places where dugongs used to be found in China. However, scientists have not observed them since 2000.
As you know, currently largest population dugongs, or sea cows, (more than 10,000 individuals) lives in the Great Barrier Reef and in the Torres Strait. Near the coast Tanzania the last specimen of dugong was observed January 22 2003, after a 70-year break.
The animal weighs about 500-600 kg, and the length of its body reaches 2.5-4 m. The basis of their diet is aquatic plants.
Dugongs are exterminated for their meat and fat, skin and bones, which are used for ivory products. In some Asian cultures, dugong body parts are used in traditional medicine.
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that Norwegian wolf disappeared forever from wild nature.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, a study published in the journal Science showed that limiting temperature rise to 2° Celsius will reduce the risk of mass extinction marine biota by more than 70%.
