Researchers writing in the journal Royal Society Open Science have concluded that the dugong, a mammal related to the manatee – said to have inspired ancient tales of mermaids and sirens – is now extinct in China. 

Only three people surveyed from coastal communities in China reported seeing the dugong in the past five years.

Known as the ocean’s most gentle giant, the dugong’s slow, relaxed behaviour is likely to have made it vulnerable to overfishing and shipping accidents. It still exists elsewhere in the world but is facing similar threats.

The BBC quotes Prof Samuel Turvey, from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), who co-authored the research study, saying: “The likely disappearance of the dugong in China is a devastating loss.”

Scientists at ZSL and the Chinese Academy of Science reviewed all historical data on where dugongs had previously been found in China. They found there had been no verified sightings by scientists since 2000. In addition, the researchers turned to citizen science to interview 788 community members living in those coastal regions identified, to determine when local people had last seen one.

On average, residents reported not having seen a dugong for 23 years. Only three people had seen one in the past five years. This has led the researchers to declare the dugong functionally extinct – meaning “it is no longer viable… to sustain itself”, Heidi Ma, a postdoctoral researcher at ZSL, told the BBC.

Dugongs are related to manatees and are similar in appearance and behavior— though the dugong’s tail is fluked like a whale’s. Both are related to the elephant, although the giant land animal is not at all similar in appearance or behavior.

These languid animals make an easy target for coastal hunters, and they were long sought for their meat, oil, skin, bones, and teeth. Dugongs are now legally protected throughout their range, but their populations are still in a tenuous state. The dugong’s closest modern relative, Steller’s sea cow, was hunted to extinction in the 18th century.

Some believe that dugongs were the inspiration for ancient seafaring tales of mermaids and sirens. 

Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to this post.