Steller’s Sea Cow – Sirenians Largest!
Greetings to you! Did you know the Steller’s Sea Cow was the largest sirenian that ever lived? It’s true! Of all sirenians (manatees and dugongs), the Steller’s Sea Cow was the biggest.
It was also the only sirenian which lived in cold water! In 1741the sea cow was discovered by the German naturalist Georg W. Steller, who “accompanied Vitus Bering on his voyage of discovery in the North Pacific.” The Steller’s Sea Cow’s habitat was along nearshore areas of the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea.
Unfortunately, no preserved specimens of this marine mammal exist today. The Steller’s Sea Cow had an approximate weight of 10 metric tons (22,000 pounds), much larger than today’s manatees and dugongs.
Much like the dugong, the sea cow had a relatively small head and a rather broad, horizontal forked tail fluke. Small stumpy flippers near the front of the body were used for moving over rocky areas and for holding fast to rocks in rough seas. The Sea Cow’s bark like skin was dark brown, sometimes streaked or spotted with white. Sea cows had no teeth; instead, they relied on horny plates in the mouth to compact their soft food, which consisted of kelp and seaweed near the ocean’s surface along the shore.
They floated at the surface but had little ability to submerge and thus were easy targets for harpooning by hunters. The sea cow was used to supply Russian seal hunters with prized meat on long sea journeys, and killing was often wasteful. The total population in 1741 has been estimated at about 2,000, but by 1768 it had been exterminated. The extinction of Steller’s sea cow is a dramatic example of the vulnerability of small isolated animal populations.
Here’s an Awesome Tool Teaching Kids about Manatees!
Read the award-winning title, Kobee Manatee® Heading Home to Florida. It’s all about manatees, their habitat and their behavior.
When you read this award-winning educational picture book to children, you’ll discover it’s a fun and fictional adventure loaded with weaved in facts on the extraordinary manatee. Here’s a brief synopsis …
Packed with exciting illustrations and interesting facts, this adventure story will enchant as it creates awareness for the endangered Florida manatee. In late September, Kobee Manatee® is on a twelve-hundred-mile mission to get back home to Florida from Cape Cod, Massachusetts before the impending cold threatens his life. On his journey, he meets two new friends: Tess the seahorse, who loves to learn, and Pablo the hermit crab, who is in search for a new shell. Will Kobee and his friends make it to Florida in time?
Each page includes in-depth, fun facts on manatees with Dr. Katie Tripp, from Jimmy Buffett’s Save the Manatee Club.
We have Fantastic Reviews with this Title!
“A swimmingly fun, educational trip sure to be enjoyed by young friends of the manatee.” —Kirkus Reviews
“This luxuriously illustrated, infectiously charming story makes us want to save the manatee and have a plush version to hug.” – ForeWord Clarion Reviews
“Kobee Manatee: Heading Home to Florida is a recipient of the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award. The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) evaluates products and services created for parents and educators and is globally recognized for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. Using a rigorous evaluation process, entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal and cost. Around the world, parents, educators, retailers and members of the media trust the MCA Honoring Excellence seal when selecting quality products and services for families and children.” – Mom’s Choice Awards
If you see any sick or injured manatees, please call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at: 1-888-404-3922 (FWCC). They are the folks who are responsible for rescuing us in Florida.
Here’s the Save the Manatee Club link to learn more about manatees …
Here’s a cool link for you to learn more about how manatees are rescued and brought into rehabilitation …
~ Robert Scott Thayer
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