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MESEKIU – PALAU’S DUGONGS

The dugong (Dugong dugon) is one of only four fully aquatic herbivorous mammals and is found in coastal waters of the tropics and subtropics. Known in the Palau Islands as Mesekiu, the dugong is a cultural icon with a substantial history regarding its hunting and value in the social hierarchy of traditional life. The Palau population of dugongs is unique in several ways. First, it forms the only known dugong population in Micronesia. Second, although no systematic population estimates have been conducted to date, the population is thought to be small – likely less thana few hundred individuals. Third, given Palau’s geographic remoteness from other land masses, its dugongs are thought to form the most isolated and possibly the most critically endangered dugong population in the world.

https://coralreefpalau.org/projects/dugongs/