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Steller's Sea Cow: Difference between revisions
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Her bikini bottom has the same color scheme as the top. A little orange yellow ring is connecting the forth and back. She wears thigh high socks, which share the same features as her gloves: orange-yellow cuffs, greenish gray colored with several white spots and around her feet they fade into a white color. Also, noticeable are the yellow bracelets she wears on her left arm and her right foot. | Her bikini bottom has the same color scheme as the top. A little orange yellow ring is connecting the forth and back. She wears thigh high socks, which share the same features as her gloves: orange-yellow cuffs, greenish gray colored with several white spots and around her feet they fade into a white color. Also, noticeable are the yellow bracelets she wears on her left arm and her right foot. | ||
|reallife=The Steller's sea cow ''(Hydrodamalis gigas)'' is an extinct sirenian. During its time, it was found only around the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia. First described by German zoologist and explorer Georg Wilhelm Steller in 1741, most of what is known about the creature is through his observations and notes, found in his book ''On the Beasts of the Sea''. | |reallife=[[File:stellersseacow.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|left|A depiction of the now extinct Steller's Sea Cow.]] | ||
The Steller's sea cow ''(Hydrodamalis gigas)'' is an extinct sirenian. During its time, it was found only around the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia. First described by German zoologist and explorer Georg Wilhelm Steller in 1741, most of what is known about the creature is through his observations and notes, found in his book ''On the Beasts of the Sea''. | |||
They were incredibly large animals, reported to have grown to 8 to 9 m (26 to 30 ft) long as adults. Based on recent skeletal findings, the estimated weight is around 8–10 t (8.8–11.0 short tons, or 17,600-22,000 lbs.). This size made the sea cow one of the largest mammals of the Holocene epoch, alongside baleen whales and some tooth whales. It was also most likely an adaptation to preserve body heat in the colder climates it lived in. | They were incredibly large animals, reported to have grown to 8 to 9 m (26 to 30 ft) long as adults. Based on recent skeletal findings, the estimated weight is around 8–10 t (8.8–11.0 short tons, or 17,600-22,000 lbs.). This size made the sea cow one of the largest mammals of the Holocene epoch, alongside baleen whales and some tooth whales. It was also most likely an adaptation to preserve body heat in the colder climates it lived in. | ||
Unlike modern sirenians, the Steller's Sea Cow was completely buoyant, meaning it could not fully submerge itself. Their thick outer skin (around 1 in. thick) helped protect them from the cold as well as sharp rocks and ice. A dense layer of blubber, as thick as 3-4 inches, also helped protect them from the frigid waters of the Bering Sea. The skin was described as brownish-black, with white patches on some individuals. It was smooth along its back and rough on its sides. This rough texture lead to the nickname of "bark animal". | Unlike modern sirenians, the Steller's Sea Cow was completely buoyant, meaning it could not fully submerge itself. Their thick outer skin (around 1 in. thick) helped protect them from the cold as well as sharp rocks and ice. A dense layer of blubber, as thick as 3-4 inches, also helped protect them from the frigid waters of the Bering Sea. The skin was described as brownish-black, with white patches on some individuals. It was smooth along its back and rough on its sides. This rough texture lead to the nickname of "bark animal". | ||