Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have discovered new fossils showing the existence of a variety of sea cows or dugongs in India millions of years ago.
Dugongs are an endangered species of herbivorous marine mammals that feed on seagrass in shallow coastal waters.
Despite being protected by the Wild (Life) Protection Act, 1972, dugongs are currently facing extinction and rarely found in Indian waters, including the Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Mannar, Pal Bay and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Every year, May 28 is celebrated as World Dugong Day to create awareness of the threat to these endangered species due to human activities like destruction and modification of their habitat, illegal fishing, pollution, vessel strikes, unsustainable hunting and unplanned tourism.
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