REMEMBRANCE DAY FOR LOST SPECIES
As well as reflecting on the millions of lives lost in human conflict, this November marks the 250th anniversary of the extinction of Steller’s sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), a relative of the dugong, which lived in the Bering Sea and reached up to 9 metres in length. It is believed to have been hunted out of existence within just 27 years of its ‘discovery’ by Europeans in 1741.
The demise of the species – and its “great cautionary extinction tale” are the focus of this year’s Remembrance of Lost Species Day (30 November). Persephone Pearl, director of ...
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