7 FACTS ABOUT DUGONGS!

URGENT: Over 2,000 Aussie animals and plants are at risk of extinction. Send a message to your local member of parliament, calling for stronger nature laws and adequate funding to protect threatened wildlife and the places they call home.

The Great Barrier Reef is home to countless unique animals, but we'd argue the cutest is the dugong!

These gentle creatures spend their days floating in warm shallow waters, grazing on seagrass. Find out more about these adorable animals in this video:

1. Australia's Great Barrier Reef is home to one of the largest populations of dugongs in the world.
2. These rare marine mammals can be found grazing on seagrass in shallow coastal waters.
3. The name 'dugong' derives from the Malay word 'duyung', meaning 'lady of the sea'.
4. These gentle giants grow up to 3m in length and weigh up to 420kg.
5. A dugong calf stays with its mother for about 18 months.
6. They can stay underwater for up to six minutes before having to surface for air.
7. Sadly, they're highly vulnerable to entanglement in commercial fishing nets. They can drown within minutes.

Sadly, these beautiful and rare marine mammals need your help. Dugongs that call the Great Barrier Reef home are at risk from being entangled and killed by huge gill nets. Will you help us create a Net-Free Reef and a safe haven for dugongs?