Dugong

Photo: Luis P. B. · CC BY-NC

Dugongs graze the seagrass meadows adjacent to Hon Tai's coral reef, using their downward-angled snout to uproot entire seagrass plants and leaving distinctive feeding trails visible as bare furrows in the meadow floor. As the only fully marine herbivorous mammal, they are critical to seagrass ecosystem health — their grazing stimulates new growth and prevents any single seagrass species from dominating, maintaining habitat diversity for fish, invertebrates, and sea turtles. Con Dao National Park harbors Vietnam's last viable dugong population, and sightings on morning dives near Hon Tai represent one of the most significant marine wildlife encounters in Southeast Asia.