On August 21st, the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced that since mid-July 2025, the environmental protection departments located on Yongshu Reef in China's Nansha Islands, together with resident researchers from the Integrated Research Center for Islands and Reefs Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences ("the Center"), have continuously monitored the presence of dugongs, a national first-class protected wildlife species in the nearshore waters of the reef.

On July 8th, island-based environmental protection staff first spotted a dugong in the southwestern waters of Yongshu Reef. From August 2nd to 3rd, they conducted close-range observations and collected images, which experts later confirmed to be a dugong—previously declared functionally extinct in the coastal waters off the Chinese mainland. On August 11th, research personnel from multiple institutions sighted it again. This marks the first continuous dugong activity recorded at Yongshu Reef in nearly six months, following the discoveries of hawksbill turtles and green sea turtles. It fills a gap in species distribution in the area and provides the first scientifically documented living dugong images in the Nansha Islands and central South China Sea in nearly 30 years. The reason for its solitary activity remains under study.

The dugong, known as the "mermaid," is an ancient marine mammal listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It can grow up to 3 meters long and plays a vital role in maintaining seagrass ecosystems. In 2022, it was declared functionally extinct along the coastal waters of the Chinese mainland. The recent sighting echoes a record from the waters off the coast of Yilan county of Chinese Taiwan in March 2025, providing critical clues for studying cross-sea migration.

Experts noted that the successive discoveries of dugongs, green sea turtles, and hawksbill turtles highlight the ecological value of Yongshu Reef and demonstrate the significant achievements of China's ecological conservation efforts in the Nansha Islands.

极度濒危的“美人鱼”儒艮现身南海

8月21日，中国科学院南海海洋研究所发布消息称，2025年7月中旬以来，南沙群岛永暑礁驻岛环保部门与中国科学院岛礁综合研究中心（简称“岛礁中心”）驻站科研人员在永暑礁近岸海域持续监测到国家一级保护动物儒艮活动。

7月8日，驻岛环保人员首次在永暑礁西南方海域发现儒艮；8月2日-3日，人员近距离观测并采集影像，经专家鉴定确认为在中国大陆沿海已功能性灭绝的儒艮；8月11日，多单位科研人员再次目击。这是永暑礁近半年来继发现玳瑁、绿海龟后，首次发现儒艮持续活动，填补该海域物种分布空白，也是近30年南沙及南海中部首获科学影像佐证的儒艮活体记录，其单独活动原因待研究。

儒艮被称“美人鱼”，是全球古老海洋哺乳动物，IUCN列为易危物种，体长可达3米，对维护海草床生态关键，2022年被宣布在中国大陆沿海功能性灭绝。此次发现与2025年3月中国台湾宜兰海域记录呼应，为研究其跨海域迁徙提供关键线索。

专家表示，儒艮与绿海龟、玳瑁的相继发现，凸显永暑礁生态系统价值，证明我国南沙岛礁生态保护成效显著。

文｜记者 许敏 实习生 郭宛欣
图｜视觉中国、中国科学院南海海洋研究所
翻译|曾敏
审校|林佳岱