Dugongs can grow up to three metres long and weigh as much as 400 kilograms — about the size of a large horse. Their bodies are grey and rounded, and they have a broad, flat tail shaped like a crescent moon (a bit like a whale's tail). Their front flippers help them steer while they cruise slowly along the sea floor, using their flexible upper lip to uproot sea grass.
Sea grass meadows are the dugong's entire world. They eat the grass, rest among it, and do almost everything within reach of a sea grass bed. A single dugong can eat up to 40 kilograms of sea grass per day! When they feed, they leave long winding trails on the sandy sea floor where the grass has been pulled up — almost like someone has mown a curvy lawn underwater.
Dugongs are thought to have inspired mermaid legends among ancient sailors. From a distance, a dugong holding a pup upright to breathe at the surface might look a little like a figure with a tail. They are gentle, slow-moving animals and can live for 70 years or more. The Red Sea dugong population makes Sudan's coastline an important place for their survival.