Sirenia n. pl. (Zool.) An order of large aquatic herbivorous mammals, including the manatee, dugong, rytina, and several fossil genera. Note: The hind limbs are either rudimentary or wanting, and the front ones are changed to paddles. They have horny plates on the front part of the jaws, and usually flat-crowned molar teeth. The stomach is complex and the intestine long, as in other herbivorous mammals. See Cetacea (b).
... an oil obtained in Australia, from Halicore dugong, Gmel., by boiling the superficial fat. A substitute for cod-liver oil. The dugongs are a genus of marine mammals in the order Sirenia. H. dugong inhabits the waters of North and North-east Australia, the southern shores of Asia, and the east coast of Africa. The word ... — A Dictionary of Austral English • Edward Morris Read full book for free!
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