Dugong vs Manatee: What's the Difference?
Dugongs and manatees are the four living sirenians; the dugong lives in the Indo-West Pacific. The dugong is the manatee’s only living relative, found in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Quick answers
They give the same 8 quick answers, so in the game it comes down to the clues above.
| Question | Dugong | Manatee |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Mammal | Mammal |
| Carnivore? | No, herbivore | No, herbivore |
| Dangerous? | No | No |
| Domesticated? | No | No |
| Awake when? | Day & night | Day & night |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? | No | No |
| Do people eat it? | In places | In places |
At a glance
| Question | Dugong | Manatee |
|---|---|---|
| Found in differs | Oceans | Oceans, Rivers |
| Habitat differs | Coast, Open ocean | Coast, Rivers & lakes, Wetland |
| Size | Huge | Huge |
| Length differs | – | Up to 4 m |
| Weight differs | – | Up to 590 kg |
| Legs | None | None |
| Covered in | Skin | Skin |
| Lives | Alone | Alone |
| Lives for differs | 70 years | 40–60 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims | Yes | Yes |
| Lays eggs | No | No |
About each
Dugong
A seagrass-eating marine mammal of the Indo-West Pacific, the manatee’s relative and the only living member of its family. Its closest relative, Steller’s sea cow, was hunted to extinction in the 1700s.
Manatee
Three species of large, slow, fully aquatic plant-eating mammals, sometimes called sea cows, with paddle-shaped tails. They live in shallow coastal waters and rivers of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Amazon and West Africa.
Everything on the manatee page
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Commonly confused animals.