They live in sheltered areas such as seagrass beds, estuaries, coral reefs, and mangroves. Coral reefs and seagrass beds are deteriorating, reducing viable habitats for seahorses. They are often found in areas with mangrove or seagrass. They are often found in areas with seagrass or mangrove. It frequents shallow estuaries and bays over seagrass, mud, and sandy bottoms. These include tidal marshes and seagrass meadows. Dugongs are marine mammals that feed entirely on vegetation such as seagrass. Offshore ecosystems include the Tampa Bay estuary and numerous gulf seagrass beds. Adults frequent inshore bays, lagoons, and shoals with lush seagrass meadows. Its snout is sharply downturned, an adaptation for feeding in benthic seagrass communities. Dugongs are threatened by the loss of seagrass beds from coastal development. Charismatic fauna can also be seen visiting the seagrass habitats. Aquatic plants are represented by red algae, "Halimeda", seagrass, and plant plankton. Mature turtles spend most of their time in shallow, coastal waters with lush seagrass beds. There is evidence that dugongs actively alter seagrass species compositions at local levels.