Dugong

Photo: Luis P. B. · CC BY-NC

Hawar hosts the most significant dugong population in the northern Arabian Gulf, with groups of 10 to 30 individuals routinely sighted grazing the extensive Halophila and Thalassia seagrass beds in the shallow inter-island channels. Mothers with calves are regularly encountered from February through May, making Hawar one of the only places in the world where in-water encounters with nursing dugongs occur under strictly managed conditions. Their foraging creates visible grazing trails through the seagrass that are visible from the surface, acting as a map to where the animals are feeding.