Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) is an extinct species of sirenian first discovered by Europeans in 1741. At the time of its discovery, the sea cow was found only around the Commander Islands, located in the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia, however their range was more extensive during the Pleistocene epoch. It is possible that Steller's sea cow and humans interacted before their discovery on the Commander Islands. Steller's sea cow would reach weights of 8–10 metric tons (8.8–11.0 short tons) and lengths of up to 9 metres (30 ft). The sea cow was a part of the order Sirenia, and member of the family Dugongidae, of which its closest living relative, the 3-metre (9.8 ft) long dugong (Dugong dugon), is the sole surviving member
