About This Project

Sale of material from marine mammals is generally prohibited. Many bone samples from St. Lawrence Island are sold as Steller’s sea cow, an animal driven to extinction by 1768.The sale of these bones is not prohibited. By using radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis it is hoped to determine population size, the timing of the collapse and the identity of the bones. Stable isotope analysis can be used to distinguish carnivores from herbivores and marine animals from terrestrial.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

The population discovered with the initial research was completely new to science. Data of this type proved conclusively that there had been a separate population of these animals at a great distance from the known population, which was driven to extinction by Russian fur traders by 1768. Georg Steller located and described this population in 1741, meaning that Europeans drove these animals extinct in only 27 years. There are 2 other groups of animals related to the sea cow, manatees and dugongs, which are also under extreme hunting pressure across their range. Gathering this type of data supports other researchers and gives weight to protection measures in many locations around the world.

What is the significance of this project?

Manatees and dugongs are threatened across most of their range in the world. In many areas, these animals have been driven to extinction by hunters in the same manner as Steller's sea cows were. Gathering data on Steller's sea cows can aid in the protection of other animals in this order around the world. If we can show that there was a relatively large population which was also driven to extinction on St. Lawrence Island, it may add weight to efforts to protect other animals of this type around the globe.

What are the goals of the project?

The goals of the project are to demonstrate the size and timing of the newly discovered population of sea cows at St. Lawrence Island. Using radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis, this goal can be easily achieved. The technology and methods for this analysis have been shown to work and data on the population was published in the scientific journal Biology Letters in 2014.

Another goal of this project is to involve undergraduate students in scientific research and analysis. Many undergraduates are not able to do a lot of laboratory analysis and these types of skills have been shown to be very useful for the students when they leave the university and move into the job market. This project as employed 8 students to date.