Why did the sea cow become extinct? Sea cows. Ecological connections of the Steller's cow

In the legends and stories of sailors, there are often references to mermaids and mysterious sirens. Maybe there is some truth in their words. After all, many contemporaries believe that the amazing animals of the Siren detachment, including dugongs, manatees and sea cows, served as their prototype.

Genus Sea cows

Their second name is hydrodamalis. The genus includes only two species of very large mammals, which are characterized by an aquatic lifestyle. The habitat was limited to the northern part Pacific Ocean. Animals preferred quiet and calm waters, where they would be provided with a sufficient amount of plant food, and a lot of it was required.

The sea cow is a herbivore whose main diet was algae. Actually, for a similar way of life and peaceful disposition, they received such a name by analogy with their land namesakes.

The genus includes two species: Cuesta hydrodamalis and Steller's cow. Moreover, the first, according to scientists, is the historical ancestor of the second. For the first time, hydrodamalis Cuesta was described in 1978 based on the remains found in California (USA). This species became extinct approximately 2 million years ago. The exact reasons are not named, from the hypothetical - cooling and the beginning of the Ice Age, which led to a change in habitat, a decrease in food supply, etc. However, according to scientists, before the complete disappearance, this sea cow gave rise to a new and more adapted species.

Sea, or Steller's, cow

In fact, the first name is generic, and the second is specific. Also this species sometimes called cabbage, which is associated with the type of food. As already mentioned, the ancestors of the described animals are Cuesta hydrodamalis. Steller's cow was first discovered and described during the expedition of V. Bering. On board the ship was the only specialist with a natural science education - Georg Steller. Actually, this animal was later named after him. Once, being on the shore after a shipwreck, he noticed large objects swaying in the waves, having an oblong shape and resembling boats turned upside down. But it soon became clear that they were animals. Cabbage (sea cow) was described by G. Steller in sufficient detail, he did it on the example of a large female, sketches were drawn up, observations regarding nutrition and lifestyle were recorded. Therefore, most of the later work is based on his research. The photo shows the skeleton of a sea cow.

The external structure and appearance of the cabbage are characteristic of all representatives of the Siren squad. The only significant difference is that it greatly exceeded its contemporaries in size. The body of the animals was valky and thick, and the head, relative to its proportions, was small, but mobile. The pair of limbs were flippers, short and rounded, with a horny outgrowth at the end, often compared to a hoof. The body ended with a wide tail blade, which has a notch in the middle and is located in a horizontal plane.

It is noteworthy what integuments the animal possessed. The sea cow, according to G. Steller, had a skin resembling oak bark, it was so strong, thick and all in folds. Later, studies of the surviving remains made it possible to establish that, in terms of its performance, it resembled modern rubber. This quality was clearly protective.

The jaw apparatus had a rather primitive structure, the sea cow ground the food with the help of two horny plates (on the upper and lower jaws), and there were no teeth. The animal had an impressive size, which was one of the main factors in active fishing for it. The maximum recorded body length is 7.88 meters. It is worth noting that in a medium-sized female (about 7 m), the body circumference at the widest point was about 6 meters. Accordingly, the body weight was huge - several tons (from 4 to 10). This is the second largest (after whales) marine animal.

Behavioral features

Animals were inactive and clumsy. They spent most of their lives in the process of eating food. They swam slowly, preferred shallow water, with the help of large fins they leaned on the ground. It is believed that sea cows are monogamous and lived in families that gathered in large herds. Their diet consisted exclusively of coastal algae, namely, sea kale, hence the name.

The animals were characterized by a fairly high life expectancy (up to 90 years). There is no information about natural enemies. G. Steller in his descriptions mentioned the death of animals in the winter period under the ice, as well as during a strong storm from hitting stones. Many zoologists say that, having such a "compliant" disposition, cabbage could become the first aquatic pet.

The animal is officially considered extinct and is listed in the Black Book. The main reason is the active extermination of Steller's cows by humans. By the time this species was discovered, it was already small in number. Scientists suggest that at that time the number of cabbage was about 2-3 thousand. In this state of affairs, it was permissible to slaughter no more than 15-17 individuals per year. In reality, this figure was exceeded by almost 10 times. As a result, around 1768, disappeared from the face of the earth last representatives of this type. The task was also simplified by the fact that the Steller's cow led a sedentary lifestyle, did not know how to dive and was not at all afraid of the approach of people. The main purpose of cabbage hunting is the extraction of meat and fat, which had high palatability, and the skins were used in the manufacture of boats.

In the media and on television, the topic is periodically raised that sometimes a sea cow is found in remote corners of the ocean. Is cabbage dead or not? Scientists will definitely answer this question in the affirmative. Is it worth believing the "eyewitnesses", this is a big question, because for some reason no one provided photos and video materials.

Related species

According to many scientists, the closest relative of cabbage from mammals living in sea waters is the dugong. Sea cow and he belong to the same family. The dugong is its only representative in the modern period. It is much smaller in size, the maximum recorded body length is about 5.8 meters, and the weight is up to 600 kg. The thickness of his skin is 2.5-3 cm. large population dugongs (about 10 thousand individuals) now live in the Torres Strait and off the coast of the Great Barrier Reef.

Possessing a structure and lifestyle similar to cabbage, this animal also became an object of fishing. And now the dugong is also listed in the Red Book under the status of a vulnerable species. The sea cow was, unfortunately, eaten in the truest sense of the word. I would like to believe that at least one representative of the Dyugoniyev family will still be preserved.

Hydrodamalis gigas) - a mammal of the order of sirens exterminated by man. Discovered in 1741 by the expedition of Vitus Bering. The Russian name was given in honor of the naturalist Georg Steller, the expedition doctor, on whose descriptions a significant part of the information about this animal is based.

Steller's cow lived only off the coast of the Commander Islands, although modern paleontological evidence suggests that in the prehistoric era its range was noticeably wider. The predatory extermination that followed the discovery for the sake of tasty meat led to complete disappearance this animal by 1768.

Steller's cow was an animal of very large size. In terms of length and body weight, she probably surpassed all the others. aquatic mammals, except for cetaceans (reaching 7-8 m in length, five or more tons of weight) and its closest relative and probable ancestor - hydrodamalis Cuesta (body length over 9 m with a probable mass of up to 10 tons). Cabbage led a sedentary lifestyle, keeping mostly near the shore; apparently she was not capable of diving. Steller's cows were fed exclusively with seaweed, primarily seaweed. The behavior of this animal was characterized by slowness, apathy and lack of fear of humans. These factors, which facilitated the production of cows by people, contributed to its rapid disappearance. The low total number of cows at the time of opening - about two thousand - also played a role.

Rare reports of sightings of sea cows in a number of areas of the Kamchatka Territory have not been confirmed. Museums all over the world preserve a significant number of skeletal remains of cabbages, including several complete skeletons, as well as pieces of their skin.

Discovery history

Sketch of a female Steller's cow, described and measured by G. Steller. It is considered the only image of a cow made from life.

For the first time people saw sea cows in November 1741 (except for hypothetical contacts with them prehistoric inhabitants Asia and North America and / or later aboriginal tribes of Siberia), when the ship of Commander Vitus Bering "Saint Peter", making an expeditionary voyage, crashed while trying to anchor off the island, later named after Bering.

Georg Steller, naturalist and physician of the expedition, was the only specialist with a natural science education who personally saw and described this species. After the shipwreck, he noticed several large oblong objects from the shore in the sea, similar from a distance to the bottoms of overturned boats, and soon realized that he had seen the backs of large aquatic animals. However, the first cow was obtained by people from this expedition only at the end of their ten-month stay on the island, six weeks before sailing. Eating the meat of sea cows helped travelers a lot, supporting their strength during the time-consuming construction of a new ship.

Most of the later reports are based on Steller's work "On the Beasts of the Sea" (lat. De bestiis marinis), first published in 1751. Steller believed that he was dealing with a manatee (lat. Trichechus manatus), and in his notes he identified a sea cow with him, arguing that this is the same animal that is called "manat" in Spanish possessions in America (Spanish. manati) . The famous German zoologist E. Zimmerman described the sea cow as a new species in 1780. The now generally accepted binomial name Hydrodamalis gigas(the generic name literally means “water cow”, the specific name means “giant”) the Swedish biologist A. Ya. Retzius gave the species in 1794.

An important contribution to the study of the sea cow was made by an American zoologist of Norwegian origin, Steller's biographer Leonard Steineger, who conducted research on the Commanders in 1882-1883 and collected a large number of bones of this animal.

Appearance and structure

Appearance and structural features

Steller cow skull

The appearance of the cabbage was characteristic of all lilacs, with the exception that the Steller's cow was much larger than its relatives. The body of the animal was thick and valky. The head was very small in comparison with the size of the body, and the cow could freely move its head both sideways and up and down. The limbs were relatively short rounded flippers with a joint in the middle, ending in a horny outgrowth, which was compared with a horse's hoof. The body ended in a wide horizontal tail blade with a notch in the middle.

The skin of the Steller's cow was naked, folded and extremely thick and, according to Steller, resembled the bark of an old oak tree. Its color was from gray to dark brown, sometimes with whitish spots and stripes. One of the German researchers, who studied a preserved piece of Steller's cow skin, found that in terms of strength and elasticity it is close to the rubber of modern car tires. Perhaps this property of the skin was a protective device that saved the animal from injury from stones in the coastal zone.

The ear holes were so small that they were almost lost in the folds of the skin. The eyes were also very small, according to the descriptions of eyewitnesses - no more than those of a sheep. Soft and mobile lips were covered with vibrissae as thick as a chicken feather shaft. Upper lip was undivided. Steller's cow had no teeth at all. Cabbage grinded food with the help of two horn plates white color(one for each jaw). There were, according to various sources, 6 or 7 cervical vertebrae. Judging by the skeletons found, there were about 50 vertebrae in the spine (not counting the chest).

The presence of pronounced sexual dimorphism in the Steller's cow remains unclear. However, the males were apparently somewhat larger than the females.

Steller's cow practically did not give sound signals. She usually only snorted, exhaling air, and only when injured could she make loud moaning sounds. Apparently, this animal had good hearing, as evidenced by the significant development of the inner ear. However, the cows hardly reacted at all to the noise of the boats approaching them.

The size

Steller's cow was a very large animal. Steller himself, who described the female cow in detail, estimated her body length at 295 inches (about 7.5 m). The largest documented length of a sea cow is 7.88 m. The female, 7.42 m long, had a neck and nape circumference of 204 cm, a trunk circumference at shoulder level of 3.67 m, and the largest trunk circumference in the middle at the back of the abdomen was 6.22 m , the length of the tail from the anus to the caudal lobes is 192.5 cm, the circumference of the caudal peduncle at the point of departure of the lobes is 143 cm, the distance between the ends of the caudal lobes is 199 cm. It has been suggested that the length of sea cows could have been noticeably longer, but some scientists believe that 7.9 m was already the upper limit; nevertheless, the length is also called 9-10 m. In girth, the female, measured by Steller, measured 22 feet (6.6 m).

As for the body weight, it was very significant - on the order of several tons. Different sources give varying figures: about 4 tons, 4.5-5.9 tons, up to 10 tons or from 5.4 to 11.2 tons, that is, a Steller's cow could be even heavier than an African elephant. The weight of the female, measured by Steller, was about 3.5 tons. In any case, the Steller's cow was apparently in first place in terms of weight among all mammals that led an aquatic lifestyle, with the exception of cetaceans (surpassing even such a giant as the southern elephant seal in average weight).

Behavioral features

Most of the time, Steller's cows foraged by swimming slowly in shallow water, often using their forelimbs to support themselves on the ground. They did not dive, and their backs were constantly sticking out of the water. Seabirds often sat on the backs of cows, pecking out crustaceans (whale lice) that were attached there from the folds of skin. The cows came so close to the shore that sometimes you could reach them with your hands. Usually, the female and the male kept together with the young of the year and the young of the last year, in general, the cows usually kept in numerous herds. In the herd, the young were in the middle. The attachment of animals to each other was very strong. Described as male during three days sailed to the dead female lying on the shore. The cub of another female, slaughtered by industrialists, behaved in the same way. Little is known about the reproduction of cabbages. Steller wrote that sea cows are monogamous, mating apparently took place in the spring.

Steller's cows fed exclusively on seaweed, which grew in abundance in coastal waters, primarily seaweed (hence the name "cabbage"). Feeding cows, plucking algae, kept their heads under water. Every 4-5 minutes they raised their heads for a new portion of air, making a sound somewhat reminiscent of a horse's snort. In places where the cows were feeding, the waves washed ashore in large quantities the lower parts of the thalli ("roots" and "stems") of the algae they eat, as well as litter similar to horse manure. When resting, the cows lay on their backs, slowly drifting in the quiet bays. In general, the behavior of the cabbage girls was distinguished by exceptional slowness and apathy. In winter, the cows became very thin, so that the observer could count their ribs.

Grazing Steller's cows as imagined by the artist

The life expectancy of a Steller's cow, like that of its closest relative dugong, could reach ninety years. The natural enemies of this animal are not described, but Steller spoke of cases of cows dying under the ice in winter. He also said that in a storm cabbage, if they did not have time to move away from the coast, often died from hitting stones during heavy seas.

The state of the livestock at the time of opening

area

According to some studies, the range of the Steller's cow expanded significantly during the peak of the last glaciation (about 20 thousand years ago), when the Arctic Ocean was separated from the Pacific by land located on the site of the modern Bering Strait, the so-called Beringia. The climate in the Pacific Northwest was milder than today, allowing the Steller's cow to disperse far north along the coast of Asia.

Fossil finds dating back to the late Pleistoceneconfirm the fact of the wide distribution of sirenaceae in this geographical area. The habitation of the Steller's cow in a limited area near the Commander Islands already dates back to the onset of the Holocene. Researchers do not exclude that in other places the cow disappeared in prehistoric times due to persecution by local hunting tribes. However, some American researchers believed that the range of the cow could have been reduced even without the participation of primitive hunters. In their opinion, the Steller's cow was already on the verge of extinction by the time of its discovery. natural causes.

Data cited by specialists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) argue that in the 18th century the Steller's cow most likely also lived near the western Aleutian Islands, although Soviet sources are more early years pointed out that data on the habitation of cows in places outside their known range are based only on finds of their corpses thrown out by the sea. In the 1960s and 70s, individual bones of the Steller cow were also found in Japan and California. The only known find of relatively complete cabbage skeletons outside its known range was made in 1969 on Amchitka Island (Aleutian Ridge); the age of the three skeletons found there was estimated at 125-130 thousand years. In 1971, information appeared about the discovery of the left rib of a sea cow during excavations of an Eskimo camp of the 17th century in Alaska in the Noatak River basin. It was concluded that in the late Pleistocene, the Steller's cow was widespread around the Aleutian Islands and the coast of Alaska, while the climate of this area was quite warm. It is noteworthy that the cow, the skeleton of which was found on the island of Amchitka, despite its young age, was not inferior in size to adult specimens from the Commander Islands.

Ecological connections of the Steller's cow

The role of the Steller's cow in the ecological balance was significant, primarily due to the consumption of a significant amount of algae by this animal. In places where sea cows ate algae, the number of sea urchins, which form the basis of the diet of sea otters, increased. It is possible that due to the decrease in the number of algae, underwater hunting for Steller's cormorant fish was also facilitated (therefore, it is possible that the disappearance of the Steller's cow indirectly served as one of the main reasons for the extinction of this bird). It is noted that the prehistoric range of the Steller's cow coincided with the range of the sea otter. In general, experts believe that the ecological relationship between the Steller's cow and the sea otter was significant. The extermination of sea otters by industrialists at the Commander could become additional factor the extinction of cabbages.

When the sea cows disappeared, large algae formed continuous thickets in the coastal strip of the Commander Islands. The result of this was the stagnation of coastal waters, their rapid "bloom" and the so-called red tides, named because of the red color of the water due to the intensive reproduction of unicellular algae - dinoflagellates. toxins (some of which stronger than poison curare), produced certain types dinoflagellates, can accumulate in the body of mollusks and other invertebrates, reaching fish, sea otters and sea ​​birds and lead to their death.

Relationship with other siren

Steller's cow is a typical representative of the siren. Its earliest known ancestor was apparently a dugong-like Miocene sea cow. Dusisiren jordani, whose fossil remains are described in California. The study of mitochondrial DNA showed that the evolutionary divergence of sea cows and dugongs occurred no later than 22 million years ago. The sea cow can be considered the direct ancestor of the cabbage Hydrodamalis cuestae, which lived in the late Miocene, about 5 million years ago.

The closest living relative of the Steller cow is most likely the dugong. Steller's cow is assigned to the same family dugong, however, it stands out in a separate genus Hydrodamalis.

extermination

Slaughter of Steller cows by humans

Industrialists who came to the Commander Islands, who hunted sea otters there, and researchers hunted Steller cows for their meat. Slaughtering cabbage was a simple matter - these lethargic and inactive, unable to dive, animals could not get away from the people chasing them on boats. A harpooned cow, however, often showed such fury and strength that hunters sought to swim away from her. According to Steller,

In the usual way catching Steller cows was prey with a hand harpoon. Sometimes they were killed with the use of firearms. The method of catching Steller cows was described in great detail by Steller:

We caught them using a large iron hook, the tip of which resembled the arm of an anchor; we attached its other end with an iron ring to a very long and strong rope, which was dragged from the shore by thirty people ... Having harpooned a sea cow, the sailors tried to immediately sail to the side so that the wounded animal would not overturn or break their boat with the blows of a powerful tail . After that, the people who remained on the shore began to pull the rope and persistently drag the desperately resisting animal to the shore. The people in the boat, meanwhile, drove the animal with another rope and exhausted it with constant blows, until, exhausted and completely motionless, it was pulled ashore, where it was already struck with bayonets, knives and other weapons. Sometimes large pieces were cut off from a living animal, and, resisting, it hit the ground with such force with its tail and fins that pieces of skin even fell off the body ... From the wounds inflicted in the back of the body, blood flowed in a stream. When the wounded animal was under water, the blood did not gush out, but as soon as he stuck his head out to grab a breath of air, the flow of blood resumed with the same force ...

With this method of fishing, only a part of the cows fell into the hands of people, the rest died in the sea from wounds - according to some estimates, the hunters received only one out of five harpooned cabbages.

From 1743 to 1763, several parties of fur manufacturers wintered on the Commander Islands. total strength up to fifty people. They all hunted sea cows for meat. By 1754, sea cows were completely exterminated off Copper Island. It is believed that the last cow off Bering Island was killed by an industrialist named Popov in 1768. In the same year, the explorer Martin Sauer made an entry in his journal about their complete absence from this island.

There is information that one of the members of the Bering expedition, a certain Yakovlev, claimed that in 1755 the leadership of the settlement on about. Bering issued a decree banning the hunting of sea cows. However, by that time, the local population was already, obviously, almost completely destroyed.

Eating

The main purpose of hunting the Steller's cow was the extraction of meat. One of the members of the Bering expedition said that up to three tons of meat could be obtained from a slaughtered cow. It is known that the meat of one cow was enough to feed thirty three people within a month. Slaughtered cows were consumed not only by wintering parties, they were also usually taken with them as provisions by sailing ships. The meat of sea cows was, according to the reviews of those who tried it, of excellent taste. Steller wrote:

Fat is not oily, but harsh, white as snow; if it lies for a few days in the sun, it becomes pleasantly yellow, like the best Dutch butter. Ghee, it tastes better than the best beef tallow; ... exceptionally pleasant smelling and highly nutritious, so that we drank it in cups without feeling any revulsion. The tail is composed almost exclusively of fat. The meat of the cubs resembles a pig, the meat of adults resembles veal; it is cooked for half an hour and at the same time it swells so much that it almost doubles in volume. The meat of old animals is indistinguishable from beef ... How healthy it is for nutrition, we soon experienced, especially those who suffered from the effects of scurvy.

The entrails of the Steller's cow (heart, liver, kidneys) were not good. palatability, were tough and, as Steller wrote, were usually thrown away. The fat rendered from subcutaneous fat was not only used for food, but was also used for lighting. Poured into a lamp, it burned without odor or soot. The strong and thick skin of the cabbage was used to make boats.

Preserved skeletons and bones

The bone remains of Steller's cows have been studied quite fully. Their bones are not uncommon, since people still come across on the Commander Islands. Museums around the world have a significant number of bones and skeletons of this animal - according to some reports, fifty-nine world museums have such exhibits. Several remnants of the skin of a sea cow are also preserved. Models of a Steller's cow, reconstructed from a high degree accuracy, are available in many museums. Among this number of exhibits there are several well-preserved skeletons:

Samples were taken from bones stored in museums for sequencing of the Steller's cow genome.

former USSR

• Zoological Museum of Moscow University - skeleton collected in 1837.
• in St. Petersburg - an incomplete skeleton of an individual 6.87 m long (found in 1855).
• Paleontological Museum in Kyiv - complete skeleton (-1882).
• Zoological Museum at the National Science and Natural History Museum of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv - a complete skeleton (1879-1882).
• The Khabarovsk Museum of Local Lore - an almost complete skeleton of one specimen, to which are added several bones of another specimen (1897-1898).
• Kharkov Museum of Nature - a complete composite skeleton (1879-1882, some elements added in the 1970s).
• Zoological Museum named after Benedikt Dybowski in Lviv - complete skeleton (1879-1882).
• The Aleutian Museum of Local Lore in the village of Nikolsky on Bering Island - an almost complete skeleton of a cub (discovered in 1986).
• Irkutsk Regional Museum of Local Lore - two incomplete skeletons, totaling fifty-six bones (1879).

USA

• Washington, National Museum of Natural History - composite skeleton. Collected in 1883 by Steineger.
• UC Berkeley - Nearly complete skeleton composed of the bones of several individuals (acquired in 1904).
• Museum of Comparative Zoology (part of the Harvard Museum of Natural History at Harvard University in Massachusetts - an almost complete composite skeleton (probably from bones collected by Steineger).

Europe

• London Natural History Museum - a complete skeleton composed of the bones of two individuals (acquired in 1882).
• The Edinburgh Museum is an almost complete composite skeleton (found on Medny Island by the Russian scientist D.F. Sinitsyn, brought to the UK in 1897).
• National Museum of Natural History in Paris - two almost complete composite skeletons (acquired in 1898).
• The Natural History Museum in Vienna - an almost complete composite skeleton (1897).
• The Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm - an incomplete skeleton (from bones collected in 1879 by the expedition of A. Nordenskiöld on the barque Vega).
• The Natural History Museum at the University of Helsinki is a complete skeleton of a 5.3 m long juvenile that died of natural causes. Compiled from bones collected in 1861 by the Chief Ruler of the Russian-American Company (actually the governor of Russian Alaska) I. V. Furugelm.

The possibility of preservation to the present day

Steller's cow is declared extinct; the status of its population according to the International Red Book is an extinct species (eng. Extinct). However, sometimes there is an opinion that for some time after the 1760s, sea cows occasionally came across natives of the Russian Far East. So, in 1834, two Russian-Aleut Creoles claimed that on the coast of Bering Island they saw “a skinny animal with a cone-shaped body, small forelimbs, which breathed through the mouth and had no hind fins.” Such reports, according to some researchers, were quite frequent in the 19th century.

Several testimonies that have remained unconfirmed even date back to the 20th century. In 1962, members of a Soviet whaler's team allegedly observed a group of six animals in the Gulf of Anadyr, the description of which was similar to that of a Steller's cow. In 1966, a note on the observation of cabbage was published in the newspaper Kamchatsky Komsomolets. In 1976, the editors of the magazine "Around the World" received a letter from the Kamchatka meteorologist Yu. V. Koev, who said that he had seen cabbage at Cape Lopatka:

I can say that in August 1976 I saw a Steller's cow near Cape Lopatka. What allows me to make such a statement? Whales, killer whales, seals, sea lions, fur seals, sea otters and walruses have been seen many times. This animal is not like any of the above. The length is about five meters. It swam very slowly in shallow water. As if rolling like a wave. First, a head with a characteristic growth appeared, then a massive body and then a tail. Yes, yes, which attracted my attention (by the way, there is a witness). Because when a seal or a walrus swims like this, their hind legs are pressed to each other, and it is clear that these are flippers, and this one had a tail like a whale's. It seems ... that each time she emerged with her stomach up, slowly rolling her body. And she put her tail like a whale "butterfly" when the whale goes into the depths ...

None of these observations have been confirmed. However, some enthusiasts and cryptozoologists even now believe that the existence of a small population of Steller cows in remote and inaccessible areas of the Kamchatka Territory is likely. There is a discussion among amateurs about the possibility of cloning cabbage using biological material obtained from preserved skin and bone samples. If Steller's cow survived to modern era, then, as many zoologists write, with her harmless disposition, she could become the first marine pet.

Steller's cow in culture

Probably the most famous instance of the Steller's cow being mentioned in classical literature is its image in Rudyard Kipling's The White Cat. In this work the protagonist, a white fur seal, meets with a herd of sea cows that survived in the bay of the Bering Sea, inaccessible to people:

The creatures really had a strange appearance and did not look like a whale, or a shark, or a walrus, or a seal, or a beluga whale, or a seal, or a stingray, or an octopus, or a cuttlefish. They had a fusiform body, twenty or thirty feet long, and instead of hind flippers, a flat tail, like a shovel of wet skin. They had the most ridiculously shaped head imaginable, and when they broke away from eating, they began to swing on their tail, bowing ceremoniously in all directions and waving their front flippers, like a fat man in a restaurant calling a waiter.

see also

Notes

1. Life of animals. Volume 7. Mammals / ed. Sokolova V. E. (chief ed.), Gilyarov M. S., Polyansky Yu. I. and others - 2nd ed. - M.: Enlightenment, 1989. - S. 403. - 558 p. - ISBN 5-09-001434-5
2. Sokolov V. E. Systematics of mammals. Volume 3 - M.: graduate School, 1979. - S. 332. - 528 p.
3. Sokolov V. E. Five-language dictionary of animal names. Mammals. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / under the general editorship of acad. V. E. Sokolova. - M.: Rus. yaz., 1984. - S. 121. - 10,000 copies.
4. Animal life / ed. S. P. Naumov and A. P. Kuzyakin.. - M.: "Enlightenment", 1971. - V. 6 (mammals). - S. 409-410. - 628 p. - 300,000 copies.

What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase "extinct animals"? The first one is definitely dinosaurs. But, unfortunately, there are many species that were destroyed by man not so long ago. One of these was the sea cow.

Sea (steller's) cow or cabbage

Herbivorous mammal, which is characterized by an aquatic lifestyle. Hydrodamalis gigas belongs to the siren order. In another way, they are also called Steller's cow, or also cabbage.

The genus consists of only two species: Cuesta hydrodamalis and Steller's cow. The first - hydrodamalis - according to scientists, is the ancestor of the second.

Hydrodamalis Cuesta

Hydrodamalis Cuesta was discovered and described in 1978, thanks to the remains found in California. It is believed that this species became extinct about 2 million years ago. The exact reasons are not known, but, most likely, their disappearance provoked a cooling and the beginning of the ice age, which changed the habitat and reduced the food supply.

However, it is likely that it was the extinction of hydrodamalis that contributed to the appearance of Steller cows.

The northern part of the Pacific Ocean is considered their habitat, as the animals preferred calm waters.

There they were provided with vegetable food in the right amount. And given the size of the animals, it took a lot of it.

Steller's cow is a calm and peaceful animal. By the way, it is for their way of life and peaceful disposition that they got their name: an analogy with land namesakes.

In the name "sea, or Steller's, cow" the first word is a generic designation, the second is a specific one. Sometimes this species is called "cabbage", based on the type of food.

Discovery history

Sea cows were first seen in 1741.

The ship "Saint Peter" under the command of Vitus Bering was wrecked while making an expedition.

This happened when trying to anchor off the island, which was later named after Bering. On the ship was a naturalist and expedition doctor - Georg Steller.

At that moment he was the only person who had a background in natural sciences. It was he who saw and described this species in detail.

After the shipwreck, while on the shore, he noticed several large oblong objects in the sea.

From a distance, Steller mistook them for the bottoms of overturned boats. However, he then realized that they were the backs of large aquatic animals.

On the example of a female cabbage, Steller designed sketches, observations on nutrition and lifestyle.

The first sea cow was caught on this expedition, but not immediately, but only after ten months of their stay on the island - 6 weeks before sailing.

It is possible that it was the meat of this animal that helped and saved travelers during the construction of a new ship.

Later reports of other scientists, one way or another, are based on the work of G. Steller "On the animals of the sea."

The German zoologist, E. Zimmermann, described the sea cow in 1780 as a new species.

A. Ya. Retzius, a Swedish biologist, in 1794 gave the binomial name, which has become generally recognized - Hydrodamalis gigas. It literally means "water cow".

Appearance

The body dimensions of Steller cows were large: length - 7-10 meters, weight - 4-10 tons. The massive body was spindle-shaped, and against its background the head looked small. However, she was mobile.

The limbs are short with rounded ends: they resembled flippers. The hands were reduced, as the phalanges of the fingers were mostly atrophied. The front paws had a horny outgrowth, similar to a hoof.

Such a structure helped sea cows move along the bottom, cutting off algae.

The body ended in a tail with a two-lobed fin, like in cetaceans.

Surprisingly, the clumsy Steller's cows, if necessary, could move very quickly with the help of vertical strokes of the tail.

The lips of marine herbivores were soft and mobile. They were covered with so-called vibrissae, which were as thick as a chicken feather shaft.

The upper lip was undivided. The sea cow had no teeth. But this did not prevent them from eating in huge quantities. With the help of two horn plates, they ground food.

The tiny ear holes were small and inconspicuous among the folds of thick skin.

According to G. Steller, cabbage girls had skin as thick as oak bark. Later studies have established that the body cover of cows resembled modern rubber. Surely, such a skin performed a protective function.

The eyes were also small - no more than a sheep's, according to some eyewitnesses.

An interesting but unexplained fact remains sexual dimorphism in sea cows. Most likely, the males were slightly larger than the females.

Animals did not give sound signals. They could only snort when they exhaled air, or moan when they were wounded. A developed inner ear speaks of excellent hearing. But, according to available information, marine herbivores did not react to the noise of approaching boats.

Behavior

Sedentary and clumsy animals most spent their lives eating food.

They swam slowly, and preferred shallow water in order to be able to lean on the ground with the help of large fins.

Research scientists have shown that Steller's cows were monogamous, living in families in large herds.

The diet consisted of coastal algae and sea ​​kale. The life expectancy of cows was high - about 90 years. This is due to the fact that herbivores did not have natural enemies.

Steller in his work pointed out that the only causes of death could be the winter period, when the cows were under the ice, or severe storms during which the animals hit the rocks.

Zoologists believe that the docile nature of sea cows could make it possible to tame them, to make them the first aquatic pets.

Cabbage hunting

Of course main reason the disappearance of Steller's cows as a species - man.

Hunting them, people destroyed beautiful animals.

The main reason for hunting is for meat.

Even during the Bering expedition, people noticed that up to 3 tons of meat can be obtained from one individual.

This amount was enough to feed more than 30 people for a whole month.

The melted fat from the subcutaneous fat of marine animals was used for lighting: poured into a lamp, it burned without smell and soot.

The skin of cabbages, strong and thick, was used in the manufacture of boats.

Related species

Despite the fact that sea cows are considered completely extinct, there is a related species that, according to scientists, is as close as possible to them. This is a dugong.

Both species belong to the same family, but the dugong is the only extant member of the this moment.

The dugong is smaller: body length - up to 6 m, weight - up to 600 kg, skin thickness - about 3 cm.

The largest population of dugongs - 10 thousand individuals - lives in the Torres Strait and off the coast of the Great barrier reef.

Surely, you will not be surprised by the fact that the dugong is now listed in the Red Book as a vulnerable species.

A person does not miss the opportunity to turn a wonderful animal into an object of fishing, since it has a structure and lifestyle similar to sea cows.

Steller's cow is an extinct animal

Officially, cabbage is considered an extinct animal, listed in the Black Book, due to active extermination.

At the time when the species was just discovered, it already had a small number. According to some reports, the number of cabbages at the time of discovery was about 3 thousand individuals.

Given these circumstances, the allowable slaughter rate should have been 15 individuals per year. But in reality this figure was exceeded 10 times.

As a result, in 1768 the last representatives of this species disappeared from the face of the earth.

Unfortunately, sea cows themselves have made things easier for humans. The fact is that they did not know how to dive, moved little and were not afraid of people.

Periodically, of course, there are reports that Steller cows have been noticed in some remote corners of the ocean. But, nevertheless, scientists will answer the question “whether the sea cow died out” in the affirmative, since there is not a single evidence to the contrary.

Of course, enthusiasts and some cryptozoologists believe in the existence of a small population at the moment. They even suggested their habitat: remote areas of the Kamchatka Territory. But this information is not confirmed.

And recently there was information that it is possible to clone cabbage using biological material obtained from discovered skin and bone samples.

A prominent representative of mammals that have large size, from the genus of sirens is the manatee. As a habitat, he chooses shallow water, eats exclusively plant foods. Approximately thirty kilograms of algae the animal eats during the day. Apparently this feature was the reason for the appearance of its second name - sea cow.
According to unofficial information, in the old days, the genus of sirenaceae consisted of more than twenty species. Unfortunately, modern man only three are known: the manatee, the dugong, and the Steller's cow. The last of these representatives was completely destroyed in the 18th century. Dugongs are vulnerable creatures, manatees are included in the category of an endangered species.
A large manatee animal can weigh more than 400 kilograms, sometimes reaching four meters in length. And this is not the limit, since the female is heavier and larger than the male. Whatever the size of the animal, it is completely harmless. It is distinguished by a meek, trusting character, easily tamed in captivity. In nature, there are American, Amazonian, and African manatees.

- on average, the animal lives 60 years,
- a sea cow moves at a speed of 5-7 kilometers per hour, in conditions of a short distance it is able to develop 30 kilometers,
- according to researchers, the progenitor of manatees is a four-legged land mammal that lived about 50 million years ago,
- close relatives of the animal are elephants, since there is a change of molars,
- despite the peculiarity that manatees feed under water (about 12 minutes they are able to stay in marine environment), they breathe oxygen.
Animals are well adapted to fresh water and also salty. A sea cow feels comfortable at a depth of one or two meters. Deeper than six the animal does not fall.
The habitat of the American manatee is considered to be the shallow waters of the Atlantic off the coast of the South, North, Central America. AT cold period it can be found near Florida, in warm time in the Louisiana, Virginia area. Also, the animal chooses for itself southern waters USA, sails next to the islands of the Caribbean.

If manatees do not pose any danger to human life, then a rational being is capable of causing irreparable harm to this good-natured creature. Many years ago, man hunted the manatee for fat, tasty meat. Hunting is currently prohibited. However, fishing nets often become the cause of animal death. For example, as shown in the photo, the manatee eats parts of the nets, there may also be garbage, as a result - these fragments accumulate in its intestines, which leads to a slow death.
The main threat is borne by boats, boats, or rather their propellers. The manatee is unable to recognize low frequency sounds. He only hears high frequencies.
In addition to manatees, the dugong is commonly called a sea cow. It can be found in the waters of the Indian Ocean. This is the smallest representative of the genus of sirens. They are not good swimmers. They usually move near the bottom. Their movements are cautious, measured, during which time vegetation is eaten. The dugong is able to lift the bottom soil, sand, to find roots rich in vitamins and nutrients. Adults have upper teeth that develop into tusks (up to seven centimeters). So it is possible to facilitate the extraction of tasty grass. Characteristic traces remain at the bottom, which indicate that a sea cow has visited this place and found its delicacy.

Marine mammal of the siren order. Length up to 10 meters, weighed up to 4 tons. Habitat - Commander Islands (however, there is evidence of habitation off the coast of Kamchatka and the Northern Kuriles). This sedentary, toothless, dark brown animal, mostly 6-8 meters long with a forked tail, lived in small bays, practically did not know how to dive, and fed on algae.

Story

Hope for the preservation of the species

I can say that in August of the year in the area of ​​​​Cape Lopatka I saw a Steller's cow. What allows me to make such a statement? Whales, killer whales, seals, sea lions, fur seals, sea otters and walruses have been seen repeatedly. This animal is not like any of the above. The length is about five meters. It swam very slowly in shallow water. As if rolling like a wave. First, a head with a characteristic growth appeared, then a massive body and then a tail. Yes, yes, which attracted my attention (by the way, there is a witness). Because when a seal or a walrus swims like this, their hind legs are pressed to each other, and it is clear that these are flippers, and this one had a whale-like tail. It seems that each time she emerged with her stomach up, slowly rolling her body.

Written by one of the expedition members. There were other similar messages. However, the animals were not caught, and there were no photographs or videos left.

Discoveries of unknown animals on the planet are still ongoing, and old, already buried species, it happens, are being rediscovered (for example, kehou or takahe). Found in sea ​​depths prehistoric coelacanth fish … Although unlikely, it is possible that at least a few dozen animals survived in quiet bays.

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Synonyms:

See what "Sea cow" is in other dictionaries:

- (steller's cow), marine mammal (siren detachment). It was discovered in 1741 by the German biologist G. Steller near the Commander Islands. Length up to 10 m, weight up to 4 tons. As a result of predatory fishing in 1768, … Modern Encyclopedia

- (steller's cow) marine mammal of the siren squad. Discovered in 1741 by G. Steller (companion of V. I. Bering). Length up to 10 m, weight up to 4 tons. Lived near the Commander Islands. As a result of predatory fishing, by 1768 ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Steller's cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), a mammal of the family. dugong. Discovered in 1741 and described by G. Steller (companion of V. I. Bering). Exterminated by 1768. Long. 7.5 10 m, weight up to 4 tons. The body is massive, the skin is rough, folded. Tail fin…… Biological encyclopedic dictionary

Exist., number of synonyms: 7 dugong (1) dugong (4) manatee (7) ... Synonym dictionary

Sea cow- (steller's cow), marine mammal (siren detachment). It was discovered in 1741 by the German biologist G. Steller near the Commander Islands. Length up to 10 m, weight up to 4 tons. As a result of predatory fishing in 1768, it was completely exterminated. … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (steller's cow), a marine mammal of the siren order. Discovered in 1741 by G. Steller (companion of V. I. Bering). Length up to 10 m, weight up to 4 tons. Lived near the Commander Islands. As a result of predatory fishing, by 1768 it was completely exterminated. * * *… … encyclopedic Dictionary

Steller's cow (Hydrodamalis stelleri, or N. gigas), a marine mammal of the siren order (See Sirens). M. to. was discovered and described by G. Steller (companion of V. I. Bering (See Bering Island)) in 1741. The length of the body reached 8 m; M. k. ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

sea ​​cow- jūrų karvė statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis apibrėžtis Išnykusi. atitikmenys: lot. Hydrodamalis gigas engl. great northern sea cow; Steller's sea cow vok. stellersche Seekuh rus. cabbage butterfly; sea ​​cow; Steller's ... ... Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

Cabbage (Rhytina gigas Zimm. s. Stelleri Fischer) discovered in 1741 by the crew of the ship St. Peter of the second Bering expedition off the coast of the island, later named. about Bering's wom, a marine mammal from the order of sirens (Sirenia), which shortly after ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron