Stellers Sea Cow Skull
$1,400.00
Much of what is known about its behavior comes from Steller’s observations on the island. 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.
- Description
- Additional information
Description
Stellers Sea Cow Skull Replica measures 24 inches. Stellers Sea Cow Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. Made in the USA. Cast of UCB specimen. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, or office décor skull. **Restricted Sale to Museums Only**
Stellers Sea Cow or Hydrodamalis gigas grew to be 26 to 30 ft. long as adults. This size made the sea cow one of the largest mammals of the Holocene epoch, along with whales, and was likely an adaptation to reduce its surface area-to-volume ratio and conserve heat.
Stellers Sea Cow or Hydrodamalis gigas was positively buoyant, meaning that it was unable to completely submerge. It had a very thick outer skin, 1 in., to prevent injury from sharp rocks.
The sea cow’s blubber was 3 to 4 in. thick, another adaptation to the frigid climate of the Bering Sea. Stellers Sea Cow or Hydrodamalis gigas skin was brownish black, with white patches on some individuals.
It was smooth along its back and rough on its sides, with crater like depressions. This rough texture led to the animal being nicknamed the bark animal.
Hair on its body was sparse, and the insides of the sea cow’s flippers were covered in bristles. The fore limbs were roughly 26 in. long, and the tail fluke was forked.
Stellers Sea Cow or Hydrodamalis gigas head was small and short in comparison to its huge body. The animal’s upper lip was large and broad, extending so far beyond the lower jaw that the mouth appeared to be located underneath the skull.
Stellers Sea Cow or Hydrodamalis gigas was toothless and instead had a dense array of interlacing white bristles on its upper lip. The bristles were about 1.5 in. in length and were used to tear seaweed stalks and hold food.
The sea cow also had two keratinous plates located on its palate and mandible, used for chewing.
Stellers Sea Cow Facts:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Sirenia
Family: Dugongidae
Genus: †Hydrodamalis
Species: †H. gigas
Binomial name: †Hydrodamalis gigas
Conservation Status: Extinct
Shop More Museum Quality Seal Skulls in Seal Skull Store
Additional information
| Weight | 19 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 24 in |
| Manatee Appreciation Day - Last Wednesday in Marchst | Manatee Appreciation Day on the Last Wednesday in March focuses the world's attention on an herbivore with no known natural enemy. Also known as the sea cow, manatees are a vulnerable species due to their contact with humans. Boating and pollution, as well as other external forces, threaten the manatee. |
