Steller's classic work, published in Latin in 1751 and in German in
1753, contains the only scientific description from life of the
Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), as well as the first scientific
descriptions of the fur seal or "sea bear" (Callorhinus ursinus),
Steller's sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), and the sea otter (Enhydra
lutris). Steller's sea cow was a sirenian, or manatee, inhabiting the
North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. It was first discovered by Europeans
in 1741 and rendered extinct by 1768. It was a 30-foot long,
plant-eating aquatic mammal, weighing up to 12 tons, that lived in large
herds on the coasts of Alaska and Kamchatka. Steller made his
observations as part of Vitus Bering's second voyage, during which the
crew was shipwrecked for 9 months on Bering Island, from November 1741
to August 1742.