Steller's sea cow

noun

: an extinct very large sirenian (Hydrodamalis gigas) formerly common near the Asian coast of the Bering Sea

Examples of Steller's sea cow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This family also included the dugong's closest-modern relative, the Steller's sea cow, which was rapidly hunted to extinction by the mid-18th century. Wyatte Grantham-Philips, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2022 Overharvesting has disrupted food chains and directly pushed many ocean species into the critically endangered category—and has driven some animals, including Steller's sea cow, into total extinction. David Shiffman, Scientific American, 13 July 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Steller's sea cow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Steller's sea cow was in 1814

Dictionary Entries Near Steller's sea cow

Cite this Entry

“Steller's sea cow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Steller%27s%20sea%20cow. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on Steller's sea cow

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!