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Movements and distribution of dugongs (Dugong dugon) in a macro-tidal environment in northern Australia
Scott D.
Whiting
Faculty of Education, Health and Science, Charles Darwin University, NT 0909, Australia. Current address: Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts, PO Box 496, Palmerston, NT 0830, Australia. Email: scott.whiting@nt.gov.au
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Australian Journal of Zoology 56(4) 215–222 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ZO08033
Submitted: 26 March 2008
Accepted: 2 October 2008
Published online: 22 December 2008
Abstract
A combination of aerial surveys, community sightings and satellite tracking revealed distribution, habitat, relative densities and spatial use of individual dugongs in the Darwin region of the Northern Territory. Aerial surveys in both the wet and dry seasons estimated relatively low densities of dugongs. Most group sightings (73% of all sightings) and densities up to 0.54 dugongs km-2 occurred in one of the four blocks surveyed. This block contained the Vernon Islands and large macro-tidal algal rocky reefs. Two dugongs tracked using satellite transmitters were captured above these reefs and kept a close association with similar reef types during most of their tracking periods of 53 and 154 days. Tracking revealed that dugongs used multiple and distinct areas for periods of several days to over 80 days and utilised coastal sections of up to 300 km in length. This indicates that dugong management in the Darwin region requires the consideration of large spatial scales, multiple habitat types and rocky reef habitat. Community sightings were an important information source and revealed locations of dugongs not identified with either the aerial surveys or satellite tracking.
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