Few sights in the Red Sea are as gentle as a dugong with her calf. Egyptian media have reported divers filming a dugong accompanied by her young off Marsa Alam, a scene described as rare. Here is what makes it so special — and how a mother and calf live.
Why is a dugong with her calf such a rare sight?
Dugongs breed slowly. The pregnancy lasts 13 to 14 months, the female gives birth to a single calf, and she has young only about once every 5 to 7 years. With so few animals in the Egyptian Red Sea, every calf matters to the population.
How does a dugong mother raise her calf?
The calf stays very close to its mother and is nursed for well over a year, learning from her where the best seagrass beds are. This is also the origin of the mermaid legend: sailors of the past glimpsed mothers floating at the surface nursing their young from a distance and took them for sea maidens.
Both mother and calf are slow, gentle grazers. They feed almost entirely on seagrass and surface regularly to breathe.
Where can you see a dugong and her calf?
The best-known place in Egypt is Abu Dabbab Bay in Marsa Alam, where dugongs graze the seagrass in shallow, calm water. Dugongs are also recorded at other sites along the coast, from north of Hurghada to Halayeb. A mother with a calf is a bonus, never a promise.
How many dugongs are there in Egypt?
According to figures circulated by the authorities, about 32 dugongs live around Marsa Alam and the Wadi El Gemal protectorate, and between 82 and 98 along the Egyptian west coast of the Red Sea. The dugong is on the list of the most threatened animals and hunting it is illegal, with penalties that include imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 Egyptian pounds.
How should you behave around a mother and calf?
- Stay well back. A mother with a calf should never be approached closely, chased or surrounded.
- Never come between them. Keep clear of the space separating mother and calf.
- Do not touch, feed or use flash.
- Follow your guide's briefing and leave immediately if the animals seem stressed.
Patience is rewarded: an animal left undisturbed stays longer, and an undisturbed mother is one that keeps returning to the bay.
Learn more about the dugong
Read what Egypt's Ministry of Environment reported in our dugong sightings guide, our full guide to Abu Dabbab, and browse current trips from Marsa Alam.
