Metaxytherium (SciiFii)

The communal dugong (Metaxytherium vulgaris) is a species of dugong that originally lived in Africa, Europe, North America, and South America during the Oligocene until the end of the Pliocene as an extinct species of Metaxytherium and the genus itself was once extinct, but has since been brought back extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the tropical, subtropical, and temperate seas across the world to help boost biodiversity. The communal dugong is a rather large dugong, growing to between 3 and 5 meters (9.8 to 16.4 feet) long, depending on the population and climate. Like other modern-styled sirenians, the dugong has a fusiform body with no dorsal fin or hind limbs. The forelimbs or flippers are paddle-like. The communal dugong is easily distinguished from (most of) the manatees by its fluked, dolphin-like tail. The communal dugong is a herbivore and eat over 130 saltwater plants, using its divided upper lip, an adult communal dugong will commonly eat up to 10%–15% of their body weight (about 50 kg) per day. Consuming such an amount requires the communal dugong to graze for up to seven hours a day. Although the communal dugongs are social animals, they are usually solitary or found in pairs due to the inability of seagrass beds to support large populations. Gatherings of hundreds of communal dugongs sometimes happen, but they last only for a short time. Because they are shy, and do not approach humans, little is known about dugong behavior. They can go six minutes without breathing (though about two and a half minutes is more typical), and have been known to rest on their tail to breathe with their heads above water. They can dive to a maximum depth of 39 metres (128 ft); they spend most of their lives no deeper than 10 metres (33 ft). Communication between individuals is through chirps, whistles, barks, and other sounds that echo underwater. Different sounds have been observed with different amplitudes and frequencies, implying different purposes. Visual communication is limited due to poor eyesight, and is mainly used for activities such as lekking for courtship purposes. Mothers and calves are in almost constant physical contact, and calves have been known to reach out and touch their mothers with their flippers for reassurance. A communal dugong reaches sexual maturity between the ages of eight and fourteen, older than in most other mammals. The way that females know how a male has reached sexual maturity is by the eruption of tusks in the male since tusks erupt in males when testosterone levels reach a high enough level. The females first gives birth at between six and ten years. There is evidence that male communal dugongs lose fertility at older ages. Despite the longevity of the communal dugong, which may live for 50 years or more, females give birth only a couple or several times during their life, and invest considerable parental care in their young. The time between births is unclear, with estimates ranging from 2.4 to 6 years. Mating behaviour varies between populations located in different areas. In some populations, males will establish a territory which females in estrus will visit. In these areas a male will try to impress the females while defending the area from other males, a practice known as lekking. In other areas many males will attempt to mate with the same female, sometimes inflicting injuries to the female or each other. During this the female will have copulated with multiple males, who will have fought to mount her from below. This greatly increases the chances of conception. Females give birth after a 13 to 15 month gestation, usually to just one calf. Birth occurs in very shallow water, with occasions known where the mothers were almost on the shore. As soon as the young is born the mother pushes it to the surface to take a breath. Newborns are already 1.2 metres (4 feet) long and weigh around 30 kilograms (65 lbs). Once born, they stay close to their mothers, possibly to make swimming easier. The calf nurses for 14–18 months, although it begins to eat seagrasses soon after birth. A calf will only leave its mother once it has matured. When need to be nursed, calves would suck their flippers in a 'thumb sucking' fashion as observed in calves under human care. The conservation status of the communal dugong is Near Threatened due to some poaching, however, thanks to the conservationists, the communal dugong is a protected species.