Steller's Sea Cow was a large member of the Dugong Family, measuring up to 9m in length. Slow-moving and docile, she fed on kelp. Her lips were large and flexible, used to grip the vegetation. Instead of teeth, she had an array of long bristles with which to tear the kelp, and bony ridges along her jawline, which ground it to a pulp. With her large size and passive nature, Steller's Sea Cow easily attracted the attentions of sailors, sealers and fur traders. In 1768, 27 years after her being described (and named) by the European naturalist, Georg Wilhelm Steller, she was extinct.
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