Dugongs eating their greens

We saw Dugongs 'Pig' and 'Waru' today at Sydney Aquarium :)


Eating their cos lettuce in captivity which is the closest thing to wild sea grass in nutritional value. They are very fussy eaters and would usually graze on of sea grass in the wild by digging them up with their bristled snout.. they are sooo cute and one of my favourite animals aside from the orangutan and the rabbit lol.. We just happened to be standing directly where they were when they dropped the lettuce trays in :)

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They weigh 300kgs and it's all down to eating their greens.

Article Shared: SMH.com.au

IF YOU think your children are fussy eaters, you haven't met Pig and Waru. Sydney Aquarium's dugongs are so picky they eat only cos lettuce leaves, except on the rare occasion they can be persuaded to try a bunch of spinach.

A delivery of more than 200 kilograms of cos lettuce arrives at the aquarium every day. And they are fed only lettuce leaves good enough for human consumption.

''They're fed non-stop from 7.30am till 9pm,'' said the senior aquarist, Andrew Barnes.

With such a low-energy diet it is hard to believe both animals weigh more than 300 kilograms. The lettuce is washed, chopped and sorted before it is threaded into trays that are placed on the bottom of their enclosure.

''If they are eating quickly they can go through two trays every five minutes,'' Mr Barnes said.

Cos lettuce is the closest substitute for the sea grass dugongs consume in the wild. But despite the pair's healthy appetites, almost 70 kilograms of lettuce is wasted each day.

''Some of the leaves they don't eat because they're pretty picky,'' Mr Barnes said. ''Then some of the leaves dislodge from the trays and float to the surface.''

Sydney Aquarium has leftovers of almost 500 kilograms of the lettuce each week. But instead of throwing it away, the aquarium sends it to a Sydney electricity company which turns it into electricity and fertiliser using a process called anaerobic digestion.

Pig and Waru are among only six dugongs held in captivity. Both animals were found without their mothers in northern Queensland when they were just a few days old.

Apart from eating, the pair spend most of their day playing with the other inhabitants of their enclosure, including leopard rays, shovel-nose sharks and tropical fish.

read article:http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/they-weigh-300kg-and-its-all-down-to-eating-their-greens-20100401-ri53.html

Seaweed helps with weight loss

Researchers from Newcastle University have said that adding alginate, which is found in sea kelp, to foods can reduce fat absorption by more than 75 percent. They say could be the answer to the obesity epidemic.

Scientists have said in a statement that the fibre is more effective in blocking fat absorption than most anti-obesity treatments available over the counter. But before you go and eat a ton of sushi, scientist are working on a bread that is made with seaweed in it . It's not currently available to purchase yet. read on...

Article Shared: Research: Seaweed helps with weight loss - WFIE.com

We often hear how the refined flour in bread is the enemy in people's battle of the bulge, but new research has found that bread with seaweed in it could actually help us lose weight.

Scientists said that fiber found in sea kelp can stop our body absorbing up to 75-percent of fat and could be the answer to the obesity epidemic, but is it all too good to be true?

It's the dieter's dream food.

The more you eat, the more you lose weight, but that's exactly what scientists at Newcastle University claim to have discovered.

The secret they said is seaweed, or more specifically, a natural fiber called alginate found in some sea kelp.

In clinical tests it reduced fat absorption 75 percent, and crucially, they said it can be added to everyday foods.

"You can add it to almost anything," Newcastle University Professor Jeff Pearson said. "It doesn't taste or smell of anything, so you can add it to dairy products, yogurts, cheese, you can put it in biscuits, potentially the sky's the limit with what you can incorporate it in anything."

Tests do show that the alginate is more effective than many over the counter weight loss products, but health professionals said people shouldn't rely on a cure-all.

"It must be very tempting to, that means you can still eat the foods that you might really, really enjoy, or might not spend as much time and effort," personal trainer Harland Sinclair said. "Unfortunately, we are made for exercise, we are not made to sit around."

The bread isn't available to buy yet, and with more trials needing to be done, it's unlikely to be on the shelves for at least five years, but in the lab at least there is the hope that they may just have found the secret weapon in the fight against obesity.