Q. The marine animal called dugong which is vulnerable to extinction is a/an (UPSC Prelims 2009)
Answer: Mammal
Notes: The dugong is a large marine mammal belonging to the family Dugongidae, closely related to manatees. It is a fully aquatic herbivorous mammal found in warm coastal waters from East Africa to Australia. Dugongs are not amphibians, fish, or sharks; they breathe air through lungs, have a streamlined body for ocean life, and nurse their young with milk. They are vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss, hunting, and accidental entanglement in fishing nets. Their mammalian classification is confirmed by biological traits like mammary glands and live birth.