Steller’s sea cow
Steller’s sea cow is an extinct sirenian described by Georg Wilhelm Steller in 1741. At that time, it was found only around the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia. Lacking true teeth, it had an array of white bristles on its upper lip and two keratinous plates within its mouth for chewing. The sea cow also had a thicker layer of blubber than other members of the order, an adaptation to the cold waters of its environment.
About Steller’s sea cow in brief
Steller’s sea cow is an extinct sirenian described by Georg Wilhelm Steller in 1741. At that time, it was found only around the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia. Lacking true teeth, it had an array of white bristles on its upper lip and two keratinous plates within its mouth for chewing. It fed mainly on kelp, and communicated with sighs and snorting sounds. Within 27 years of its discovery by Europeans, the slow-moving and easily-caught mammal was hunted into extinction for its meat, fat, and hide. Steller’s sea cows grew to be 8 to 9 m long as adults, much larger than extant sirenians. The sea cow also had a thicker layer of blubber than other members of the order, an adaptation to the cold waters of its environment. In addition to the stiff bristles 1012 7 cm long protruding from its muzzle, the sea cow had small eyes located halfway between its nostrils and ears, which were not externally visible. The animal had no eyelashes, but had a nictitating membrane, which covered its eyes to prevent injury while feeding. It is believed to have had seven thoracic pads, which are thought to have been used to reach the masticatory pads of the back of the mouth, and remained in place while feeding while the tongue remained in the back. It was a monogamous and social animal, living in small family groups and raising its young, similar to modern sirenia.
In contrast to those of other sea cow species, it also had many small holes containing nerves and arteries. It also had small irises, lividalls, and canthalls, which weren’t externally visible, but like other diving creatures such as sea otters, they were not visible to the naked eye. The fore limbs were roughly 67 cm long, and the tail fluke was forked, like that of whales or dugongs. It had a thick outer skin, 2. 5 cm, to prevented injury from sharp rocks and ice and possibly to prevent unsubmerged skin from drying out. Its skin was brownish-black, with white patches on some individuals, and was smooth along its back and rough on its sides, with crater-like depressions most likely caused by parasites. Its upper lip was large and broad, extending so far beyond the lower jaw that the mouth appeared to be located underneath the skull. The fur on its flippers was sparse, but the insides of theSea cow’s flippers were covered in bristles. The Fore limbs were about 67 cm long and the Tail fluke was forking. The Sea cow’s head was small and short in comparison to its huge body. The tail was small, and its snout pointed downwards, which allowed it to better grasp. As with all sirensians, theSea Cow’s snoutpointed downwards.
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This page is based on the article Steller’s sea cow published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 07, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
