CAIRO - 29 April 2023: The marine dugong, or as it is called the mermaid, is one of the peaceful marine creatures that divers love to see during diving trips.
The dugong is a marine mammal that feeds on seaweeds, and searches for them in the depths of the bays and natural marine areas. They also attract thousands of tourists who like to dive with them and watch them swimming underwater.
For his part, Abdullah Abed, an environmental researcher, said that this animal is a great wealth and its numbers are limited in the Red Sea, as it does not exceed 30 dugongs and is always present in Marsa Mubarak, Abu Dabab, and the beaches of the Wadi El-Gemal Reserve.
The pioneer of marine sciences, Hamid Gohar, called it mermaid, while the local fishermen called it "the skin". The most commonly used name for it is the "dugong".
He revealed that the female Dugong gives birth and breastfeeds, and it is possible for her to live for a period between 80 and 100 years, and she spends 16 months during the pregnancy process in her fetus, and after delivering her baby, she spends 16 months nursing and breastfeeding him, so that he can feed on seaweeds and reach a length of one and a half meters.
Abed confirmed that the Red Sea reserves have developed a specific monitoring program for the mermaid, or as it is called the dugong, as it was permanently monitored at the marinas of the city of Marsa Alam in Marsa Abu Dabab, Marsa Shuna, Mubarak, Wadi El-Gemal, Marsa Ajlah and Tandaba.
One of the most important areas inhabited by the Mermaid is a marina located south of the city of Marsa Alam, 14 km away, which was described as a region of magic and nature, and is considered the most beautiful marina in the south, and includes nearly 13 diving sites near it, which made it a starting point for all diving trips to those famous sites.
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