Skeleton of extinct sea cow unearthed on remote Russian Island

Siberian Times
Sat, 17 Nov 2018 12:00 UTC

© Evgeny Mamaev

A precious find at the Commanders (Komandory) islands just off Kamchatka peninsula.

Skeleton of extinct 6 metre-long sea cow spotted and dug up on seashore of Commander Islands in Kamchatka region.

The headless remains of the beast at first appeared like a 'fence' but local officials on a nature reserve survey soon realised they had made a remarkable find - the ribs of this ancient creature.

Digging down 70 centimetres below the surface uncovered the headless skeleton of the Steller's sea cow, a mammal endemic to this region which became extinct in the 18th century.

As the pictures show, they found 45 vertebrae, 27 ribs, a left scapula and other bones.

Sightings of the sea cows were recorded by Arctic explorers before it died out.

The species is named after German explorer Georg Steller who first documented its existence during voyage in 1741.

The animals were easy prey for hunters using harpoons, with no fear of humans.

The Steller's Sea Cow bones, the first and only ever drawing believed to be done by Steller, and an artistic impression of the Steller's Sea Cow

The first sighting of the new discovery was by Commander Islands nature reserve inspector Maria Shitova.

After she spotted the protruding ribs, an eight hour dig was organised to retrieve the remains.

The islands lie in the Bering Sea between Russia and Alaska.

The remarkable find, and GVs of the Commanders (Komandory) Islands in the Bering Sea

Comment: Siberia is proving to be a treasure trove for archaeological finds:

• 2,000-year-old dog graveyard discovered near the Arctic Circle in Siberia
• 5,000 year old rock art discovered on cliff face in Siberia intrigues archaeologists
• Siberia was a major centre of early skull surgery in ancient times
• Siberian statue carries secret code 7,000yr before writing began
• Siberian 'unicorn' lived at time of modern humans, wiped out by climate change
• Siberia: 50,000 year old bones may be the oldest Homo sapiens outside Africa and Middle East