Dead dugong found off Phang Nga

A 250 kilogram dugong, found dead off Phang Nga over the weekend, has been brought to Phuket for further examination.

Officials from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC) were notified on Sunday that the body of the dugong was found by local fishermen in Phang Nga.

The dugong has been brought back to Phuket for a full autopsy. It was a mature male measuring 246 centimetres long (2.46 metres) and weight 250 kilograms. Its body had already started to decompose.

An autopsy has been conducted immediately after it arrived at the PMBC. They say that initial investigations cannot clearly determine the cause of death as the creature’s organs have started to rot.

However it is believed that the dugong died quite suddenly as food was still found in its digestive system. A large bruise, measuring 25 centimetres, was found on its skin. The dugong’s DNA is yet to be tested.

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