Summary Of The Extinction Of Sea Cow

The article lists three main reasons, which are overhunting by native Siberian people, decreasing food source, and fur trading by Europeans, that cause the extinction of the see cow. However, the professor argues that none of these reasons are responsible for the sea cow's extinction.

First, the article mentions that native Siberian people should be responsible for sea cow's extinction, because they overhunted sea cows and used them for one of the food sources. However, the professor points out that this theory is flawed. The sea cow is extremely huge, and it weights about 10 tons. Also, the number of Siberian population was small. Killing a sea cow could feed the whole village for months. Hence, it is unlikely that native Siberian people would overhunt sea cows. …show more content…
However, the professor argues that this theory is also unlikely. If this theory were true, the number of other marines, such as whale, should also decline, too. Yet, there is no evidence to support that the number of whales has declined.

Lastly, the article suggests that the European fur trader should be responsible for the extinction of the sea cow. Again, the professor points out that this hypothesis is not supported by the fact. The number of sea cow became small 100 ago before the European fur trader came to Bering Island in 1741. Thus, the Europeans should not be blamed for the decline in the number of the sea