Steller's cow - the disappeared look of a detachment of sirens

Throughout the many centuries of existenceMany species of plants and animals appeared and disappeared. Some of them died out due to unfavorable habitat conditions, climate change, etc., but most perished by the hand of man. Steller's cow, or rather the history of its extermination, became a vivid example of human cruelty and short-sightedness, because at such a speed with which this mammal was destroyed, not one living creature on earth was destroyed.

It is assumed that the largest cowexisted many thousands of years ago. At one time its habitat covered much of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, the animal met near the Commander Islands and the Aleutian Islands, Japan, Sakhalin, and Kamchatka. North of Manati could not live, because it needs warmer waters, and to the south it was exterminated thousands of years ago. After the melting of glaciers, the sea level rose, and the steller cow was taken from the mainland to the islands, which allowed it to survive until the 18th century, when the Commander Islands were inhabited by people.

The animal is named in honor of the scientist-encyclopedistSteller, who discovered this species in 1741. The mammal was very calm, innocuous and friendly. Its weight was about 5 tons, and the length of the body reached 8 meters. The fat of the cow was especially valued, its thickness was the breadth of the human palm, it had a rather pleasant taste and was not spoiled even in the heat. The meat resembled beef, only a little denser, it was attributed to its healing properties. The skin was used for upholstery of boats.

Stellerova cow died because of hercredulity and excessive philanthropy. She always ate seaweed, so when swimming near the shore, she kept her head under the water, and her torso from above. Therefore, you could calmly swim to her on a boat and even pat. If they caused pain to the animal, then it sailed from the shore, but soon returned again, forgetting the past grievances.

Hunted cows at once about 30 people, becausethat the unfortunate rested, and it was difficult to pull them ashore. When injured, the mammal breathed heavily and groaned, if there were relatives next to each other, they tried to help, turned the boat over and tails struck the rope. It is sad, but the steller cow was destroyed in less than three decades from the moment the species was discovered. Already in 1768 the last representative of this good-natured marine dweller disappeared.

Between scientists and today disputes continue onthe habitats of this mammal. Some argue that Steller's cows lived only near the islands of Copper and Bering, while others tend to believe that they also met in the region of Alaska and the Far East. But there are not so many confirmations of the second assumption, either corpses thrown out by the sea or conjectures of local residents. But still the skeleton of the cow was found on the island of Attou.

Whatever it was, but the steller cow wasexterminated by man. Of the order of sirens, there are still manatees and dugongs today, but they are on the verge of extinction. Permanent poaching, water pollution, changing the natural habitat, deadly injuries from ships - all this every year reduces the number of these wonderful animals.