Kingdom: animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: placentalia
Order: Siren
Family: Dugongidae
Gender:Hydrodamalis
Species:Hydrodamalis gigas
The Steller's dugong, or Steller's sea cow, was a herbivorous mammal belonging to the Sirenia Order: the same as the manatees and dundongs. They were a kind of individuals with thick, brown-skinned bodies, with a size that reached eight meters in length and six in width, and could weigh up to eleven tons; with a crescent-shaped tail and hooklike fins; in addition to a small face, with eyes and nostrils also tiny.
Monogamous, they had only one offspring per litter, with a long gestation period. They moved around slowly, lived in large groups, and fed on seaweed.
This species was discovered in the year 1741, by a Russian naturalist and physician named Georg Wilhelm Steller. This one, a survivor of an expedition whose ship sank, was able to observe and record a lot of information about them, allowing the existence of approximately 2000 specimens to be verified, distributed in the cold and shallow waters of the sea of Bering.
Fossil records indicate that their distribution was much more extensive, reaching the coast of California (USA) and Japan, pointing to a great possibility that these had already been ardently pursued by Paleolithic hunters, reducing their population.
After their discovery, sea cows became objects of desire due to the taste of their meat and the use of their fat, milk and leather. This factor, together with the hunting of sea otters, which caused an overpopulation of sea urchins, with a consequent reduction in the number of seaweeds; they made twenty-seven years enough for all the specimens to be exterminated, ending the existence of one more species.
By Mariana Araguaia
Graduated in Biology
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/animais/vaca-marinha-hydrodamalis-gigas.htm
