Steller's Sea Cow: Difference between revisions

Georg Steller described the animal as being very social and gregarious, living in small family groups. They were noted to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monogamy_in_animals monogamous] and exhibited parental care toward the young. Mating season occurred in early spring, with gestation taking a little over a year. Since Steller observed a greater number of calves in autumn than at any other time of the year, it is likely calves were born in those months. Females had only one set of mammary glands, and as such, they likely had one calf at a time.

Steller also reported an incident where as one female was being captured, the rest of the group attacked the boat by ramming the sides with their heads. After the hunt, the mate of the captured female followed the boat to shore, even after she had passed.

The indigenous peoples of the Aleutian Islands and St. Lawrence Islands, namely the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleut Aleut people] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_Yupik_people Siberian Yupik people] respectively, heavily depended on the Steller's Sea Cow for food and hide. They frequently moved around to be able to hunt the animal. As such, many local populations were [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_extinction extirpated]. By the time Europeans discovered them in the 1740's, it is estimated there may have been only 2,000 individuals left. Records conclude that by 1768, twenty-seven years after the discovery, the Steller's Sea Cow was extinct. However in 1887, zoologist [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonhard_Hess_Stejneger Leonhard Hess Stejneger] determined there had been fewer than 1,500 individuals remaining at the time of Steller's discovery, and argued there was already an immediate danger of the sea cow's extinction.