Steller's Sea Cow (Extinct Dugong)

27 x 19 cm (10.6 x 7.4 inches)
Stellersche Seekuh
An extinct herbivorous dugong (marine mammal) of the North Pacific Ocean. Within 27 years of discovery by Europeans, the slow-moving and easily captured Steller's sea cow was hunted to extinction. Steller's sea cow was named after Georg Wilhelm Steller, a naturalist who discovered the species in 1741 on Vitus Bering's Great Northern Expedition when the crew became shipwrecked on Bering Island. Much of what is known about its behavior comes from Steller's observations on the island, documented in his posthumous publication On the Beasts of the Sea. Within 27 years of discovery by Europeans, the slow-moving and easily caught mammal was hunted into extinction for its meat, fat, and hide.

This antique lithograph was made in about 1910 and is in excellent condition. It is from a rare set of collecting cards about dinosaurs, prehistoric animals and strange animals, Tiere der Urwelt (animals of the prehistoric world) by Heinrich Harder. On the back is text about the animal by the naturalist Wilhelm Bölsche. They remain some of the most intriguing images of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals and are still referred to. Harder is well known for his murals of extinct creatures at Berlin Zoo, and was art professor at Berlin University.