Hydrodamalis cuestae
Dugong Seacow
Dugongidae
Description
Timeline: Pliocene Epoch
Hydrodamalis cuestae is an extinct species of sea cow, distantly
related to the living dugong and manatee. It was an aquatic
herbivore and a member of the mammalian order Sirenia. It lacked
teeth, probably lacked finger bones, and was very large. Similar to
Stellar's sea cow, H. cuestae may have reached a maximum body
length of about 9 meters (30 feet) and probably weighed close to 10
metric tons.
The sirenians spread throughout the tropical and subtropical waters
of the early Eocene Epoch, from Japan to Baja California. Their
populations peaked during the Miocene Epoch. Today, the dugong
(Dugong dugon) is the only surviving member of the Dugongidae
family.
In This Region
Fossil remains of Hydrodamalis cuestae have been collected from
Pliocene-age sandstones in Chula Vista and San Diego,
California.
On 23 May 2000 Pat Sena, a field paleontologist with the San Diego
Natural History Museum, discovered a complete skull of the giant
Pliocene sirenian (sea cow) Hydrodamalis cuestae at a construction
site at Otay Ranch in Chula Vista.
