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Sea creature that inspired mermaid tales declared extinct in China
The dugong, a gentle marine mammal that has frequented China’s southern waters for hundreds of years, has become functionally extinct in the country, a new study said on Wednesday.
Research by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences said fishing, ship strikes and human-caused habitat loss have seen the number of dugongs in Chinese waters decrease rapidly from the 1970s onwards.
With no evidence of their presence in China since 2008, the research shows that “this is the first functional extinction of a large mammal in China’s coastal waters,” the report said.
The dugong, whose diet is highly dependent on seagrass, has been classified as a Grade 1 National Key Protected Animal since 1988 by China’s State Council.
Their marine habitats have been rapidly degraded by humans and although restoration and recovery efforts are a key priority in China, “restoration takes time that dugongs may no longer have,” the report said.
Snip
Research by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences said fishing, ship strikes and human-caused habitat loss have seen the number of dugongs in Chinese waters decrease rapidly from the 1970s onwards.
With no evidence of their presence in China since 2008, the research shows that “this is the first functional extinction of a large mammal in China’s coastal waters,” the report said.
The dugong, whose diet is highly dependent on seagrass, has been classified as a Grade 1 National Key Protected Animal since 1988 by China’s State Council.
Their marine habitats have been rapidly degraded by humans and although restoration and recovery efforts are a key priority in China, “restoration takes time that dugongs may no longer have,” the report said.
Snip
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/dugong-animal-mermaid-tales-extinct-china-sea-creature-rcna44553