Singapore's rare sea cow celebrates its 12th birthday

Gracie, a resident Sea Cow also known as Dugong, a highly endangered species similar in shape and size to the dolphin, is celebrating its twelfth birthday in conjunction with the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Ox on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009 in Singapore at the Singapore Underwater World. The dugong is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), was hunted to extinction in the 18th century.Like all modern sirenians, the dugong has a fusiform body with no dorsal fin or hindlimbs, instead possessing paddle-like forelimbs used to maneuver itself. It is easily distinguished from the manatees by its fluked, dolphin-like tail, but also possesses a unique skull and teeth.