Why did Steller’s sea cow become extinct so soon after it was discovered?

Steller’s sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) was driven to extinction due to the unthinking exploitation and insatiable appetites of humans. Following its discovery by Arctic explorers in 1741, the species was exterminated by 1768—less than 30 years later—as a direct result of human activity.12

Several factors made these mammals particularly vulnerable to hunting:

• Physical Vulnerability: These massive, docile animals floated at the surface of coastal waters and lacked the ability to submerge, making them easy targets for harpoons.12
• Human Exploitation: Russian seal hunters prized the sea cow as a source of meat for long sea journeys.12
• Wasteful Practices: The hunting of these animals was often characterized by wasteful killing, which rapidly decimated the estimated population of 2,000 individuals.12

The rapid loss of this species serves as a tragic example of the vulnerability of small, isolated animal populations when faced with human predation. It is a moral imperative to recognize that such exploitation of natural resources is fundamentally destructive and unsustainable.1