Status of Sea Cow, Dugong (Dugong dugon) in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Sea cow (Dugong dugon) is the only extant species in the Family Dugongidae and true herbivorous marine mammal. It is listed as vulnerable to extinction at a global scale by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The present paper documents the status of dugong in Andaman and Nicobar Islands by collating the published data as well as investigation through undersea surveys in selected places of this archipelago. Based on the existing data on dugong in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, it is observed that over the period of 51 years since 1959, a total of 76 dugongs were recorded either in the form of live or dead. Among them 47 dugongs were from Andaman Islands, whereas 29 encountered from Nicobar Islands. The distribution of this mammal is comparatively high in north Andaman, Ritchie's Archipelago and Great Nicobar Island. Potential threats and managerial strategies for the effective conservation of dugongs in Andaman and Nicobar Islands have also been discussed in the paper.