A team of Russian researchers has discovered the remnants of a gigantic sea mammal, possibly of an ancient relative of dugong extinct sea cow buried in the grounds of the country's eastern coastline. The remains discovered from the grounds in Komandorsky Nature Reserve, Kamchatka are still intact, with its 45 vertebrae, 27 ribs, a left scapula and other bones practically untouched under the sand covering.
Extinct sea cows?
Measuring more than 20 feet in length, these monster sea creatures have been living in the sea since the Pleistocene, until the end of the 18th century. During the 18th century, these monster sea cows were the targets among harpoon hunters who navigated the waters between Russia and Alaska. The estimated weight of these creatures named Stellar's sea cow was 10 tonnes.
Soon after the discovery, the Natural Resources Ministry of Russia issued a statement and made it clear that the remnants of the animal were unearthed near the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea. The statement also added that the bones were in excellent condition as if they were buried yesterday.
"According to the fossil record, animals in the genus Hydrodamalis inhabited coastal waterways from Japan through the Aleutian Island chain to Baja California during the Late Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene," said the researchers from George Mason University who took part in the study.
The Stellar sea cows belonged to a group of mammals known as Sirenia. The relatives of Stellar cows which still live in the seas are dugong and the manatee. These creatures lacked teeth, and it made use of its white bristles on the upper lip and two keratinous plates within its mouth for chewing. Sighs and snorting sounds were used by stellar cows to communicate with each other.
Scientists are yet to conduct an age estimation of these remnants. However, they believe that it is not very ancient as the bones are preserved well under the sand.
Are mermaids not far?
With this new discovery, it has been once again proved that sea is the storehouse of surprises, and there are a lot more unexplored living beings ruling the depth of the Waterworld. In the wake of this discovery, conspiracy theorists believe that researchers will soon find the proofs of mermaids which are believed to be living in deeper depths of oceans.
Even though a mythical creature, video streaming websites like YouTube are loaded with numerous clips claiming to be the real-life sightings of these half-woman half-fish creatures.
