DIGESTA PASSAGE TIMES IN THE DUGONG

The retention times of particulate digesta were measured in two captiv e dugongs, Dugong dugon (Muller 1776) using inert plastic markers. The mouth-to-anus retention times (146-166 h) were similar to those of th e West Indian manatee, and much longer than those of most other herbiv orous mammals. This slow gut passage rate may be explained by the dugo ng's long digestive tract, the low fibre level of the diet and the low food intake. Like the manatee, the dugong appears to have a digestive strategy that is atypical of hindgut fermenters: low-fibre material i s retained for extended periods within the long hindgut and almost com pletely digested.