My third once in a lifetime sight was a mermaid! Can you see her?

I can totally understand how lonely sailors dreamt up the Mermaid myth after spotting Dugongs.

I’ve long been fascinated by Dugongs (sometimes called Sea Cows, or even the unflattering Sea Pig), so as soon as we knew we were going to Shark Bay I booked tickets on the eco-friendly 'Shotover' in the hope that I got to see a Dugong.

We were so lucky - we saw dozens of Dugongs!

Dugongs are listed globally as vulnerable to extinction  and are also protected in Australia.

The Sea Grass Meadows of Shark Bay provide an important refuge for these Sea Cows.

Dugongs are just like big marine cows (hence their common name), spending all their time grazing on sea grass. Sea grass is declining globally, and its loss is one of the main threats to Dugongs. 

The vast Sea Grass meadows (the dark bits in the above photo) were one of the values taken into account when Shark Bay was listed on the World Heritage list. Shark Bay is one of the few places on Earth to satisfy all four of the natural criteria for World Heritage listing (others include the Great Barrier Reef, Galápagos Islands, and Grand Canyon), ranking it as one of our planet’s most important wilderness regions. 

It's one very special place.

Thanks for sharing my once-in-a-lifetime sights. If you missed them, check out Parts 1 and 2.

A few links worth sharing

Great fact sheets for kids on the wildlife of Shark Bay
Shark Bay kids games and colouring sheets.
An interesting article on Dugongs.