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Hydrodamalis
''Hydrodamalis'' is a genus of extinct herbivorous sirenian marine mammals, and included the Steller's sea cow (''Hydrodamalis gigas''), the Cuesta sea cow (''Hydrodamalis cuestae''), and the Takikawa sea cow (''Hydrodamalis spissa''). The fossil genus ''Dusisiren'' is regarded as the sister taxon of ''Hydrodamalis'': together, the two genera form the dugong subfamily Hydrodamalinae. They were the largest member of the order Sirenia, whose only extant members are the dugong (''Dugong dugon'') and the manatees (''Trichechus'' spp.). They reached up to in length, making the Steller's sea cow among the largest mammals other than whales to have existed in the Holocene epoch. Steller's sea cow was first described by Georg Wilhelm Steller, Cuesta by Daryl Domning, and Takikawa by Hitoshi Furusawa. The Steller's sea cow was the only member of the genus to survive into modern times, and, although had formerly been abundant throughout the North Pacific, by the mid 1700s, its range had b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steller's Sea Cow
Steller's sea cow (''Hydrodamalis gigas'') is an extinct sirenian described by Georg Wilhelm Steller in 1741. At that time, it was found only around the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia; its range extended across the North Pacific during the Pleistocene epoch, and likely contracted to such an extreme degree due to the glacial cycle. It is possible indigenous populations interacted with the animal before Europeans. Steller first encountered it on Vitus Bering's Great Northern Expedition when the crew became shipwrecked on Bering Island. Much of what is known about its behavior comes from Steller's observations on the island, documented in his posthumous publication ''On the Beasts of the Sea''. Within 27 years of its discovery by Europeans, the slow-moving and easily-caught mammal was hunted into extinction for its meat, fat, and hide. Some 18th-century adults would have reached weights of and lengths up to . It was a member of the family Dugongida ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hydrodamalis Gigas
Steller's sea cow (''Hydrodamalis gigas'') is an extinct sirenian described by Georg Wilhelm Steller in 1741. At that time, it was found only around the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia; its range extended across the North Pacific during the Pleistocene epoch, and likely contracted to such an extreme degree due to the glacial cycle. It is possible indigenous populations interacted with the animal before Europeans. Steller first encountered it on Vitus Bering's Great Northern Expedition when the crew became shipwrecked on Bering Island. Much of what is known about its behavior comes from Steller's observations on the island, documented in his posthumous publication ''On the Beasts of the Sea''. Within 27 years of its discovery by Europeans, the slow-moving and easily-caught mammal was hunted into extinction for its meat, fat, and hide. Some 18th-century adults would have reached weights of and lengths up to . It was a member of the family Dugongida ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cuesta Sea Cow
The Cuesta sea cow (''Hydrodamalis cuestae'') is an extinct herbivorous marine mammal and is the direct ancestor of the Steller's sea cow (''Hydrodamalis gigas''). They reached up to in length, making them among the biggest sirenians to have ever lived. They were first described in 1978 by Daryl Domning when fossils in California were unearthed. Its appearance and behavior are largely based on that of the well-documented Steller's sea cow, which, unlike the Cuesta sea cow, lived into modern times and was well-described. Taxonomy and extinction The fossils of the Cuesta sea cow were first discovered in the Late Pliocene sediment formations of Pismo Beach, California in 1978, and successive finds of the species were unearthed elsewhere in California. In 1988, fossils of sea cows were discovered in Hokkaido that were originally assigned to the Takikawa sea cow (''H. spissa''), a newly described species, but this is thought of by some scientists as a synonym of ''H. cuestae''. It ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hydrodamalis Cuestae
The Cuesta sea cow (''Hydrodamalis cuestae'') is an extinct herbivorous marine mammal and is the direct ancestor of the Steller's sea cow (''Hydrodamalis gigas''). They reached up to in length, making them among the biggest sirenians to have ever lived. They were first described in 1978 by Daryl Domning when fossils in California were unearthed. Its appearance and behavior are largely based on that of the well-documented Steller's sea cow, which, unlike the Cuesta sea cow, lived into modern times and was well-described. Taxonomy and extinction The fossils of the Cuesta sea cow were first discovered in the Late Pliocene sediment formations of Pismo Beach, California in 1978, and successive finds of the species were unearthed elsewhere in California. In 1988, fossils of sea cows were discovered in Hokkaido that were originally assigned to the Takikawa sea cow (''H. spissa''), a newly described species, but this is thought of by some scientists as a synonym of ''H. cuestae''. It ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hydrodamalis Spissa
The Takikawa sea cow (''Hydrodamalis spissa'') is an extinct herbivorous marine mammal of the Late Pliocene which was closely related to the recently extinct Steller's sea cow (''H. gigas''). In 1988, fossils of sea cows were discovered in Hokkaido and were originally assigned to the Takikawa sea cow, a newly described species, even though this taxon is thought of by some scientists as a synonym of the Cuesta sea cow (''H. cuestae''). It is uncertain whether or not the Takikawa sea cow was simply a local variant Variant may refer to: In arts and entertainment * ''Variant'' (magazine), a former British cultural magazine * Variant cover, an issue of comic books with varying cover art * ''Variant'' (novel), a novel by Robison Wells * " The Variant", 2021 e ... of the Cuesta sea cow or a completely separate lineage. However, the Steller's sea cow and Takikawa sea cow share more morphological similarities than the Takikawa sea cow and Cuesta sea cow. References Pliocene si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takikawa Sea Cow
The Takikawa sea cow (''Hydrodamalis spissa'') is an extinct herbivorous marine mammal of the Late Pliocene which was closely related to the recently extinct Steller's sea cow (''H. gigas''). In 1988, fossils of sea cows were discovered in Hokkaido and were originally assigned to the Takikawa sea cow, a newly described species, even though this taxon is thought of by some scientists as a synonym of the Cuesta sea cow (''H. cuestae''). It is uncertain whether or not the Takikawa sea cow was simply a local variant Variant may refer to: In arts and entertainment * ''Variant'' (magazine), a former British cultural magazine * Variant cover, an issue of comic books with varying cover art * ''Variant'' (novel), a novel by Robison Wells * " The Variant", 2021 e ... of the Cuesta sea cow or a completely separate lineage. However, the Steller's sea cow and Takikawa sea cow share more morphological similarities than the Takikawa sea cow and Cuesta sea cow. References Pliocene si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dugongidae
Dugongidae is a family in the order of Sirenia. The family has one surviving species, the dugong (''Dugong dugon''), one recently extinct species, Steller's sea cow (''Hydrodamalis gigas''), and a number of extinct genera known from fossil records. Dugongidae's body weight ranges from 217 to 307 kg for juveniles, 334 to 424 kg for subadults, and 435 to 568.5 kg for adults. Oral temperatures for individual dugongs is determined from 24° to 34.2 °C. Heart rate readings are from 40 to 96 bpm and vary between individual dugongs. Respiration rate during the out-of-water phase is from 1 to 33. Taxonomy * Family DUGONGIDAE ** Genus †''Anisosiren'' ** Genus †''Caribosiren'' ** Genus †'' Indosiren'' ** Genus †''Lentiarenium'' ** Genus †''Kaupitherium'' ** Genus †'' Paralitherium'' ** Genus †''Priscosiren'' ** Genus †'' Prohalicore'' ** Genus †''Sirenavus'' ** Subfamily †Halitheriinae *** Genus †''Halitherium'' (''nomen dubium'') ** Subfamily ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hydrodamalinae
Hydrodamalinae is a recently extinct subfamily of the sirenian family Dugongidae. The Steller's sea cow (''Hydrodamalis gigas'') was hunted to extinction by 1768, while the genus ''Dusisiren'' is known from fossils dating from the middle Miocene to early Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58 References Notes Sources * ** *** * ** Sirenians [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sirenia
The Sirenia (), commonly referred to as sea-cows or sirenians, are an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit swamps, rivers, estuaries, marine wetlands, and coastal marine waters. The Sirenia currently comprise two distinct families: Dugongidae (the dugong and the now extinct Steller's sea cow) and Trichechidae (manatees, namely the Amazonian manatee, West Indian manatee, and West African manatee) with a total of four species. The Protosirenidae (Eocene sirenians) and Prorastomidae (terrestrial sirenians) families are extinct. Sirenians are classified in the clade Paenungulata, alongside the elephants and the hyraxes, and evolved in the Eocene 50 million years ago (mya). The Dugongidae diverged from the Trichechidae in the late Eocene or early Oligocene (30–35 mya). Sirenians grow to between in length and in weight. The historic Steller's sea cow was the largest known sirenian to have lived, and could reach lengths of and weights of . Sirenians have a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Georg Wilhelm Steller
Georg Wilhelm Steller (10 March 1709 – 14 November 1746) was a German botanist, zoologist, physician and explorer, who worked in Russia and is considered a pioneer of Alaskan natural history.Evans, Howard Ensign. Edward Osborne Wilson (col.) ''The Man who Loved Wasps: A Howard Ensign Evans Reader''. in: Evans, Mary Alice. Big Earth Publishing, 2005. pp. 169. Nuttall, Mark. ''Encyclopedia of the Arctic''. Routledge, 2012. pp. 1953. Biography Steller was born in Windsheim, near Nuremberg in Germany, son to a Lutheran cantor named Johann Jakob Stöhler (after 1715, Stöller), and studied at the University of Wittenberg. He then traveled to Russia as a physician on a troop ship returning home with the wounded. He arrived in Russia in November 1734. He met the naturalist Daniel Gottlieb Messerschmidt (1685–1735) at the Imperial Academy of Sciences. Two years after Messerschmidt's death, Steller married his widow and acquired notes from his travels in Siberia not handed over to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dusisiren
''Dusisiren'' is an extinct genus of dugong related to the Steller's sea cow that lived in the North Pacific during the Neogene. Paleobiology ''Dusisiren'' is a sirenian exemplar of the evolutionary theory of punctuated equilibrium. It evolved from a mangrove-eating ancestor to adapt to cold climates in the North Pacific by developing the capability to feed on kelp beds out on the open coast. The incipient modifications to the cervicals suggest that it was capable of maneuvering and feeding in high-energy environments of surf-swept coasts with deep, cold water.D. P. Domning. 1978. Sirenian evolution in the North Pacific Ocean. University of California Publications in Geological Sciences 118:1-176 Species There are four recognized species of ''Dusisiren'': *''Dusisiren jordani'' (Kellogg, 1925) ( type) *''Dusisiren reinharti'' Domning, 1978 *''Dusisiren dewana'' Takahashi, Domning, and Saito, 1986 *''Dusisiren takasatensis'' Kobayashi, Horikawa, & Miyazaki, 1995S. Kobayashi, H. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dugong
The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow (''Hydrodamalis gigas''), was hunted to extinction in the 18th century. The dugong is the only sirenian in its range, which spans the waters of some 40 countries and territories throughout the Indo-West Pacific. The dugong is largely dependent on seagrass communities for subsistence and is thus restricted to the coastal habitats which support seagrass meadows, with the largest dugong concentrations typically occurring in wide, shallow, protected areas such as bays, mangrove channels, the waters of large inshore islands and inter-reefal waters. The northern waters of Australia between Shark Bay and Moreton Bay are believed to be the dugong's contemporary stronghold. Like all modern sirenians, the dugong ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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