SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – The U.S. Department of Defense must reassess the impacts of a controversial new military base on Okinawa in order to protect the endangered Okinawa dugong, a manatee-like marine .

Dugongs, a member of the same animal order as three species of manatees, are a vulnerable species, most commonly found throughout Indonesia and Malaysia and along the northern coast of Australia ...

DESCRIPTION: The dugong is a marine mammal related to the manatee. It averages nine feet in length and weighs 550 to 1,000 pounds. The Okinawa dugong is slate gray to gray bronze in color and its tail ...