# What Do Dugongs Eat?

> What dugongs eat: Herbivore — seagrasses and algae, foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Shallow coastal waters, bays, and seagrass meadows of the Indo-Pacific.

- **Species:** Dugong (*Dugong dugon*)
- **Conservation status:** Vulnerable
- **Diet:** Herbivore — seagrasses and algae
- **Habitat:** Shallow coastal waters, bays, and seagrass meadows of the Indo-Pacific
- **Lifespan:** 70+ years; slow reproduction
- **Top speed:** Up to 10 km/h (6 mph) swimming
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/dugong/what-do-dugong-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/dugong/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The dugong is a large marine mammal that grazes seagrass meadows in warm coastal waters from East Africa to Australia. Adults reach 2.5–3 m (8–10 ft) and 230–400 kg (500–880 lb), surface to breathe every few minutes, and are listed Vulnerable due to boat strikes, net entanglement, and seagrass loss.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Seagrass gardener

Dugongs crop seagrass with stiff bristled lips, preferring certain species and leaving tell-tale feeding trails across meadows. Healthy dugong populations indicate productive seagrass ecosystems that also support fish, turtles, and coastal fisheries.

## Help protect the Dugong

Dugongs depend on seagrass meadows that are vanishing from coastal pollution and dredging — the same coastal network that protects nesting turtles.

[Donate to coastal wildlife rescue](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/sea-turtles/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/dugong/what-do-dugong-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.