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Saturday, 24 February 2024 06:56 pm
Dugongs and Manatees
Dugongs and manatees both are called sea cows.
They’re slow-moving, mostly herbivorous beasts
Belonging to order Sirenia, named
For mythology’s sirens (a stretch at the least).
The manatee comes in three species: West Indian,
African, and Amazonian sorts.
The dugong’s just one now; the past Steller’s sea cow
Died out due to hunting—for fat, not for sport.
The dugongs live only in saltwater regions,
Preferring the shallow and sheltered, like bays.
Two manatee species will migrate to freshwater;
There Amazonians spend all their days.
One obvious difference: A manatee ends
In a paddle-shaped, one-lobed, and beaverlike tail.
A dugong’s is fluked, made of two separate lobes
That combine in the middle, a lot like a whale.
The snout of a dugong is broader and trunk-like.
It points itself down with a mouth that’s a slit
To eat off the sea floor. Adult males and some
Older females have tusks that they fight with a bit.
A manatee’s muzzle is shorter and features
A cleft upper lip meant for feeding on plants
That grow near the surface. It also has whiskers
Instead of mere bristles, not clear at a glance.
A manatee’s teeth have hind molar progression:
As front teeth grind down and fall out over time,
The molars that grow in the back can emerge
And push forward the other teeth. That’s just sublime.
A dugong is born a pale cream and attains
A slate gray as it lives about 70 years.
A manatee’s typically gray-brown and dies
Around 40. Both hear well for no outer ears.
The dugongs are lifelong monogamists. Manatee
Females will hardly mind sharing their men.
They start giving birth at age three, while the dugongs
Spend more time between births and start at age ten.
Although all sirenians mostly are noticed
Alone or in pairs, only dugongs are seen
In gatherings greater than six—sometimes more
Than a hundred together. That sight must be keen!
A manatee sees well despite tiny eyeballs.
By contrast, a dugong has eyesight that’s poor….
Good heavens, I’ve talked a blue streak on these mammals.
Go look somewhere else if you really want more.
They’re slow-moving, mostly herbivorous beasts
Belonging to order Sirenia, named
For mythology’s sirens (a stretch at the least).
The manatee comes in three species: West Indian,
African, and Amazonian sorts.
The dugong’s just one now; the past Steller’s sea cow
Died out due to hunting—for fat, not for sport.
The dugongs live only in saltwater regions,
Preferring the shallow and sheltered, like bays.
Two manatee species will migrate to freshwater;
There Amazonians spend all their days.
One obvious difference: A manatee ends
In a paddle-shaped, one-lobed, and beaverlike tail.
A dugong’s is fluked, made of two separate lobes
That combine in the middle, a lot like a whale.
The snout of a dugong is broader and trunk-like.
It points itself down with a mouth that’s a slit
To eat off the sea floor. Adult males and some
Older females have tusks that they fight with a bit.
A manatee’s muzzle is shorter and features
A cleft upper lip meant for feeding on plants
That grow near the surface. It also has whiskers
Instead of mere bristles, not clear at a glance.
A manatee’s teeth have hind molar progression:
As front teeth grind down and fall out over time,
The molars that grow in the back can emerge
And push forward the other teeth. That’s just sublime.
A dugong is born a pale cream and attains
A slate gray as it lives about 70 years.
A manatee’s typically gray-brown and dies
Around 40. Both hear well for no outer ears.
The dugongs are lifelong monogamists. Manatee
Females will hardly mind sharing their men.
They start giving birth at age three, while the dugongs
Spend more time between births and start at age ten.
Although all sirenians mostly are noticed
Alone or in pairs, only dugongs are seen
In gatherings greater than six—sometimes more
Than a hundred together. That sight must be keen!
A manatee sees well despite tiny eyeballs.
By contrast, a dugong has eyesight that’s poor….
Good heavens, I’ve talked a blue streak on these mammals.
Go look somewhere else if you really want more.