KOTA KINABALU: Social media has been buzzing with news of a dugong sighting off Tanjung Aru beach here.
The rare species was spotted by Lisa Poroting while she was stand-up paddleboarding yesterday morning.
On her Facebook page ([Lisa Poroting](https://www.facebook.com/share/p/m9SJZf5QjpNYGm3W/?mibextid=oFDknk)), she expressed her excitement at encountering the dugong and lamented not having brought her mask and snorkel.
"It was not far from Tanjung Aru beach, just 100 metres from Second beach.
"I forgot to bring my snorkel mask. Tomorrow, I will find it and snorkel with the dugong."
Marine Research Foundation's researcher Dr Nicolas Pilcher has confirmed that the species is a dugong.
"It can be differentiated based on its snout, the lack of dorsal fins, and body shape."
Rajit Serong, 64, who has been going to the sea since he was 12 years old, said back then dugong was in abundance in Kota Kinabalu waters.
"They were often sighted together with dolphins. They looked alike but can be differentiated based on their 'tails'.
"However, fishermen at the time bombed those dugong as bait for sharks, probably that has caused significant decrease to the extent that the species is probably extinct?"
A 2010 study by Universiti Malaysia Sabah revealed that 53 dugongs were observed at Mantanani Island and Banggi Island, with sightings concentrated around Labuan Island-Brunei Bay and Sandakan Bay.