Steller’s sea cow
Steller’s sea cow in LOST ZOO
The Steller’s sea cow was a slow swimmer and was apparently unable to submerge.
It was a strict herbivorous sea mammal, which feeds on a variety of kelp.
The sea cow uses the fore limbs for swimming, for walking on the shallow parts of the shore, for supporting her on the rocks, for digging for algae and sea grass and of course also for fighting.
Today skulls and parts of the skeletons of the Steller’s sea cow can be seen quite often in Natural History Museums and also in the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, but a perfect whole skeleton is seldom to see. But in our LOST ZOO you can see the Steller’s sea cow even alive.
The Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) is a herbivorous marine mammal and the largest member of the dugong family (Dugongidae).
Whereas all the existing sea cow species prefer warm water, the Steller’s sea cow lived in the very cold Northern Pacific. But fossils indicate that in former times the species was abundant throughout the whole Northern Pacific and was widespread along the North Pacific coast, reaching south to Japan and to California in the US.
Body length: Up to about 8m
Body weight: More than 4 tons
Body shape: Compared to the huge body the head is small and short. The upper lip is so large and broad and extends so far beyond the mandible, that the mouth appears to be located underneath the skull.
Color: The hide is black, mangy, wrinkled, rough, hard, and tough. It is void of hairs.
Extinction in the Wild: In 1768, only 27 years after its discovery, the Steller's sea cow was already hunted to extinction.
