Throughout the centuries-old existence of our planet, many species of plants and animals have appeared and disappeared. Some of them died out due to unfavorable living conditions, climate change, etc., but most died at the hands of man. Steller's cow, or rather the story of its extermination, has become a vivid example of human cruelty and shortsightedness, because with the speed with which this mammal was destroyed, not a single living creature on earth was destroyed.
It is assumed that the largest cow existed many millennia ago. At one time, its habitat covered most of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, the animal was found near the Commander and Aleutian Islands, Japan, Sakhalin, Kamchatka. To the north, the manati could not live, because she needed warmer waters, and to the south she was exterminated thousands of years ago. After the melting of the glaciers, the sea level rose, and the Steller's cow was transferred from the continents to the islands, which allowed it to survive until the 18th century, when the Commander Islands were inhabited by people.
The animal is named after the scientist-encyclopedistSteller, who discovered this species in 1741. The mammal was very calm, harmless and friendly. Its weight was about 5 tons, and the length of the body reached 8 m. Cow fat was especially valued, its thickness was the width of a human palm, it had a rather pleasant taste and did not deteriorate at all even in the heat. The meat resembled beef, only a little denser, and was attributed to healing properties. The hide was used to upholster boats.
Steller's cow died because of her gullibility and excessive philanthropy. She constantly ate algae, therefore, swimming near the shore, she kept her head under water, and her body on top. Therefore, it was possible to safely swim up to her on a boat and even stroke her. If the animal was hurt, then it sailed away from the shore, but soon returned again, forgetting past grievances.
Hunted for cows at once about 30 people, because the unfortunate rested, and it was difficult to pull them ashore. When wounded, the mammal breathed heavily and moaned, if relatives were nearby, they tried to help, turned the boat over and beat the rope with their tails. Sadly, the Steller's cow has been wiped out in less than three decades since the discovery of the species. Already in 1768, the last representative of this good-natured marine life disappeared.
Scientists still continue to debate about the habitats of this mammal. Some argue that Steller's cows lived only near the islands of Medny and Bering, while others are inclined to think that theyalso met in the region of Alaska and the Far East. But there is not so much confirmation of the second assumption, these are either corpses thrown out by the sea, or speculations of local residents. But still, the skeleton of a cow was discovered on the island of Attu.
Whatever it was, but Steller's cow was exterminated by man. From the detachment of sirens today there are still manatees and dugongs, but they are also on the verge of extinction. Constant poaching, water pollution, changing the natural habitat, fatal injuries from ships - all this reduces the number of these wonderful animals every year.
