Head-tail 1-4 m; weight 230-900 kg.
An aquatic non-ruminant herbivore of the coastal shallows. Body dull
brownish grey with short sensory bristles at the intervals of 2-3 cm. Front
limbs modified into paddle-like flippers. Head large with a pair of valued
nostrils on the top of the head; below equipped with numerous long
whiskers. Tail flattened, fluke-like with a concave trailing edge. This animal
is evolutionarily related to elephants and ungulates.