Two dead dugongs were found on or near the beaches of Thailand’s southern coastal province of Krabi on Sunday.

The two mammals, one a female weighing about 400kgs and two metres long and the other weighing about 600kgs and about three metres, the gender of which cannot be determined due to decomposition, are believed to have died about three days ago.

The first was found floating in the Andaman Sea, between Nui and Por islands, by a fisherman who alerted the chief district officer of Lanta Island. It was later found on a Lanta Island beach.

The second was found on a beach on Kwang Island, in Nong Thalay sub-district of Muang district, at about 4pm. It was badly decomposed.

The animals were taken to the research centre in the province to determine the exact cause of their deaths.

Dugongs are a rare and endangered species. In Thailand they are found in the Andaman Sea, from the southern provinces of Ranong to Satun, with most of them concentrated in the seas off Trang province. Their staple food is sea grass.