The Evolution of Sea Cows
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.พ. 2021
- Whereas whales are most closely related to hoofed animals like cows and deer and seals are most closely related to bears and weasels, The majority of DNA studies have shown that the closest relatives to the sirenians are the elephants. This is because they are a separate group of animals that evolved to an aquatic lifestyle on there own. But as the only fully aquatic herbivorous marine mammal they have had to over come challenges not faced by the whales and seals.
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Sources:
www.pnas.org/content/105/15/5786
www.americanjourneys.org/pdf/...
www.semanticscholar.org/paper...
journals.plos.org/plosone/art...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19360...
www.researchgate.net/publicat...
www.nature.com/articles/s4159...
In Florida, we have very strict laws regarding the safety of manatees so seeing one in the wild always feels like a special privilege.
When I went on holiday in Florida in 2018, I stayed for 3 weeks- and I went swimming with them!! They’re so gentle!! I freaked out a bit because in person even though they’re harmless they can be pretty intimidating. But I remember just paddling calmly along the river away from the boat we came on and this manatee literally bumped into me by accident. I was like *AHHHH* in my head but then I calmed down lol it was super cute and there was a mother with it’s baby which was probably the best part- (I can’t forget the little gift shop at the end with these huge lollipops with small manatee toys attached to them aha)
@Irish Jester eh don't speak of them as "they are still wild animals". We will kill other animals without a second thought too if our child is in danger, in that regards wild animals are no different from us.
Not to mention generalising that all animals have the same level of intellect is a PRETTY WRONG IDEA. Sea Mammals are not fishes, and consequently they have higher intelligence. Why do you think Killer Whales don't hunt Humans albeit them being larger than Great White Sharks and being Carnivores? Answer is simple: they feel remorse for us and don't hunt stuff that are not necessary for them to eat. This example alone should give you an idea that intelligence varies from animal to animal, and sea mammals in particular are much more intelligent.
A good example is the Trump thing that happened recently.
Yeah, don't feed wild animals, because it makes them less skittish around humans, and that can lead to harm. In manatees' case, they learn to hang around boats, and that can lead to them being chopped up by propellers.
(In case you didn't know, "cracker" is the word referring to someone who was born in the state of Florida, though it's used by a lot of people these days to describe white people)
Spoilers: They didn't evolve from Land Cows.
AOC: Damn!
3:21
💀 💀 😂 😭
Probably because you didn't level them up next to the Land Rock😀
More like they are real "sea elephants" than the elephant seals
Wtf bro
"a sea cow on legs" a land cow if you will
Wild
"You have land cows in the sea?"
"Yes, we call them sea land cows"
@@robertjames8183 lmao
You mean "a cow that swim".
Lol
Stellar Sea Cows: Today I learned, and today I mourned
Lmao @ spacecows
Also, don't mourn that we still don't have jet packs, be sad we still, so many years after Jurassic park, have not invented de-extinction.
@@Ekergaard i read that they made embryos of an extinct frog. But we shouldnt build to much on deextinktion: the mostly humancaused problems the gone kind had to face are still there. The saving of some kinds, like hopefully the northern white rhino, when they seem to be extinct is great, but shouldn't lead to the forgetting the meaning of this kind of death and the fear to lose species.
Has Brad Pitt said on the movie Troy men are wicked creatures!! Wiped out an entire species in 20 years that took millions of years to evolve. I don't even have a word for that.
@@BJETNT look at new zealand or the rest of the world for that matter welcome to the 6th mass extinction event
In short:
It's called Tactical Roundness.
Tactical Rotundity
@@benjaminnowack8433 marine mammals in a nutshell:
whales: 180 t of blubber, pot bellies for days, sing basso profundo style in an opera
dolphins: 300 kg of pure lean muscle, 3% body fat, IQ 260, love working out by swimming
seals: pleasantly plump, curves in all the right places, extra thin waist, buoyant bouncy bits, incredible IQ
walruses, dugongs and manatees: 70% blubber, whiskers, pleasantly plump, love to leave mess everywhere
TACTICAL CHONK
If capybaras had their way, they could become the next mammal to become fully aquatic. I wonder if the beaver or even the nutria/coypu are already on their way of getting there.
Beavers are still fairly terrestrial and I don't think they will evolve towards full aquatic as the main reason of their succes is their ability to creat dams.
I would argue that hippos would adapt to fully aquatic life first.
@@duneydan7993 additionally the beavers teeth constantly grow, meaning they would die if they don’t wear down their teeth, this isn’t possible at sea
While it could happen it would need a long transition as to loose this ability removes the ability to create dams which are essential to beavers
Some otters are very similar to seals in the water.
Jaguars would be next, they are the best swimmer among big cats as well as great hunters underwater
Columbus: “Guys, I found mermaids...”
“But..”
"What? Any better ideas?"
I guess the moral is that you shouldn't take anything literally from the guy who couldn't tell Cuba apart from India.
@@blondbraid7986 Who are you to judge? Discover any new lands recently?
@@alecfoster4413 no but at least he didnt kill and enslave people
.. i think
When you think that a sea cow is a beautiful mermaid you've been at sea too long. Weird.
Sirenians are also unique in that they are one of very few tetrapods to develop marine herbivory ever. That is such a rare occurrence that it has been inferred to have happened less than ten times throughout geological history.
What are the other (less than) nine?
And the extinct desmostylians
@@grainassault4844 There was a lineage of marine sloths
Probably because there aren't that many large marine plants, since the majority of photosynthetic organisms in marine environments are free floating single celled organisms and not the large leafy plants which colonized land. Also, while many animal lineages have made the pilgrimage back to the sea, only a small handful of true plants have adapted for a marine existence.
@Janitor Queen Herbivorous marine tetrapods: Placodonts, chelonians, desmostylians, sirenians, thalassocnus, marine iguanas, atopodentatus, and there is one more that evades my memory right now.
Aw man, I wish we still had Steller's sea cows around
From what I heard, scientists are considering gradual de-extinction by using Stellar Sea Cow DNA and putting it in a dugong embryo
Makes me wish for a Tardis and some limpet mines....
Wonder of u
@@hailghidorah2536 where would they get DNA from? there are only skeletons remaining.
@@CoolGobyFish Trust me, I'd tell you if I could, but I have no idea at the moment. I'll try to find a source, k?
(I heard it by word of mouth)
Also manatees are among the only mammals, with elephants, to have breasts on the torso, rather than on their abdomen. So, they could look like human breasts ^^
We better not let rule 34 artists learn that manatees have manatiddies
bears too
Although they breast feed from their arm pits
@@dv9239 bears got 6 boobs like those of dogs
@@sparman85 how tf they breast feed from their arm pits if they dont have arms?
It is such a pity that only 4 species have survived overhunting:(
that's not what exterminated woolly mammoths or woolly rhinos... Overhunting is just a theory that new evidence is debunking.
For example: www.sciencefocus.com/news/extinct-woolly-rhinos-were-a-victim-of-climate-change-not-overhunting/
edit: my bad, I hadn't watch the whole video yet. Your statement seems accurate now but I'll leave mine too, since it's an interesting topic although unrelated to your comment
@@Yarblocosifilitico He was talking about sea cows. not about mammoths and rhinos.
@@dibershai6009 I know. Did you read my whole comment, or did you make the same mistake I did? ;)
@@YarblocosifiliticoSteller's Sea Cows 100% went extinct due to overhunting
Except steller sea cow, other species died out naturally. Sea cows are simply very sensitive to any changes in their environment.
Sad that they should have to suffer this fate. They are such a unique and distinctive group of animals!
My favorite channel commenting on another one of my favorites!! Haha that’s so cool
@@itsuki6883 :)
WOOOOOAAAHH its me favorite polar bear with a funny accent
My man 👍
We love you Dr. Polaris, God bless your white polar bear' channel!
9:00 So sad to see that these extremely fascinating Animals have gone extinct so recently, i would have loved to see one of these enormous Creatures in their natural Habitat.
At least we still have Whales, but for how long
just come to a river in florida and u will def see one. just dont go on a boat cuz they will get cut up
Moth man here sure know how to make evloution even cooler
Espically the evolution of Sea Cows
Man moth!?
@@mikemantle Moth Man Moth?
Aquatic ancestors: "evolves from water to land"
Land mammals: "decides to go back to water"
Ancestors: *are we a joke to you?*
Land mammals: Yes.
Go back, I want to bee fish!
The grass was literally greener
There are these tiny Godzillas on this island with the same lifestyle except they live on land and go for a dive like penguins except they hunt the Wiley seagrass
Yaaaawwwn boring joke
Aquatic Mammals: *proceeds to dominate almost every niche in the ocean like a boss*
How drunk and dehydrated does one have to be to see a manatee and be like "That mermaid *isn't as beautiful* as in the paintings."
Tethy is a cradle of aquatic animals from land :
Plesiosaur
Ichthyosaur
Spinosaur
Sirenia
Whale
Desmotylus
Pinnepod
And later the same region also responsible for proliferation of various human cultures
yay!! moth light media has some of the best videos on youtube...
Yup, this is a great nature channel.
Agreed.
Hey mothlight! Im a botany student. I love all your videos but you should do another plant video soon. I know they didnt preserve as well in the fossil record but your carnivous plant video is one of my favorites. Thanks for the videos!
Oh man that one rules. I just rewatched it yesterday!
He talked about sea grass for part of the video :)
@@jamesbentonticer4706 hell yea
Question for botany student...do plants like cacti absorb light to make sugars the same way that leaves do???
I would love to see a video on primitive flowering plants myself. Magnolia trees are really interesting. For example, magnolia grandiflora has spiraled flower petals and their seed pods are similar to cones.
I’m so mad that steller’s sea cow went extinct
Indeed, and in such a short time span too.
@@blondbraid7986 No, they were nearly extinct when the west found them, they had been dying out for thousands of years, the likely would have been extinct now regardless. I would still rather they were around though.
@@asaenvolk The thing is, they might have become almost extinct due to indigenous hunters, because sea cows were slow and cold not really protect themselves from humans
@@boopsboops961 I agree, though the fact that from what we know of the records on them... they basically may have tasted delicious too. The records are from sailors that had been on the oceans for years, so are somewhat suspect, but the best description might be thought of as wagyu beef. But they were extinct almost as soon as we found them and its not like Europeans encountered them enough to wipe them out.
@@asaenvolk They did taste delicious according to Steller: he wrote tat the younger animals tasted like pork, adults like veal and old ones like beef. Also he said that the sailors recovered from scurvy easier if they ate the meat
I really love how much happier Moth Light Media sounds compared to some of his older videos. Dont get me wrong I still love alot of his older work but its just a neat to hear that difference as his work has become more and more popular
Video suggestion: Beaks, and why they evolved.
beaks are much lighter than jaws + teeth. this would have made flying much easier for early intermediate species bridging the gap between flying reptiles and birds
@@jameshays2646 Yeah, but I was thinking more "In general" like why do also non flying stuff like Oviraptors, triceratops, platypuses, etc also have them. And what even are beaks made of and how did they evolve etc.
Parrot- fish have beaks too but that's to break down and crush coral. :D
Seacows: gone through dozen of hardships and returns to the sea by themselves
Human: "floating beefsteak, yum"
Good luck surviving the Siberia without agriculture and good of fats and proteins
I'm just guessing that early legged whales and sea cows were following ancient sea currents that don't exist anymore, just like modern whales follow sea currents.
The Tethys might have had a current that ran straight into central America.
Not the only misidentification Columbus made on his journey
man could've just them if they were Indians instead of just calling them that
i feel bad for the Steller's sea cow , such an amazing animal became extinct :(
It's Steller's sea cow, or do you mean the more common spacecow?
@@RedbadofFrisia haha my bad , thanks for pointing it out
@@debildebilov7504 i liked your version better man :p
@@RedbadofFrisia i will change it once we genetically modify cows to live in space xd
if it was so amazing then it wouldnt have gone extinct. It was just like, asking to get hunted. If humans didnt do them in, they wouldve gone extinct from natural selection soon enough either way
So does this mean that millions of years from now, hippos might evolve into having a whale like or dugong like body and possible grow even larger? Imagine a huge whale that could open its mouth 180 degrees
I hope so. That would be awesome to see
If they don't go extinct before that.
Unless somehow they go extinct, we will probably evolve too unless we all get wiped out by our dumb actions
Lets hope not
Or end up like the extinct desmostylians
Which were pretty much saltwater hippos.
As for the no blubber, yes they don't like the cold. In winter they abandon the rivers and swim up the springs which are the same temperature year round. I only see them close enough to shore for viewing in winter months.
Really cool part of living in FL, is they always surprise you when they pop up to say hello. They are actually curious and gentle, people snorkle with them in the springs.
I love this so much. ❤ Now I need to learn to snorkel and plan a trip to Florida!
4:38 the hand going in for a belly rub gave me a laugh
I knew about Stellars Sea Cow, but I didnt realize how massive it was. Ive never wanted to meet an extinct animal so bad, they look like friendly giants 😔💞
Whenever people talk about Stellar's Sea Cows it makes me sad because they were such incredible giant creatures and we just barely missed them
Steller's Sea Cow: I am perfectly adapted to survive in this cold environment.
European sailors: All I see is a big yummy floaty snack!
My favorite TH-cam channel talking about some of my favorite animals! This helped turn my day around a bit. Thanks for your work, as always
Science video: [Is incredibly eloquent, calm and thorough.]
Also science video: "They made up for this by becoming INCREDIBLY ROUND."
Wow, I knew about Steller’s sea cows but I didn’t know they were so massive. What a magnificent sight they must have been.
Sea cows seem so defenseless. Sharks just have to take a bite.
Awesome, it can't be highlighted enough how unique and special these creatures are. All mammalian journeys back to the sea should be celebrated!
Anyone else find it oddly appropriate that ancient real life "mermaids" are from the Caribbean?
😂
I already know this one. Sailors brought cows along on sea voyages to be able to get fresh milk while traveling long distances. Some ships with cows on them got lost at sea. Sea cows are really just the restless spirits of dead cows haunting the oceans.
what?
8:38 "by being incredibly
R O T O U N D"
Me (reading the tittle): The Evolution...
My Brain: We already know it...
Me: of sea ...
My Brain: Mmm, may be we can give it a try...
Me: Cows.
My Brain: WE MUST SEE THIS.
This is my favourite channel at the moment. I love these evolution videos.
With grass being so abundant today, it’s crazy to think that it only started to become widespread at the end of the Cretaceous, meaning that most dinosaurs probably never lived along side it
Probably the most comprehensive and detailed video ever made by anyone concerning the evolution of sea cows. Thank you for making such informative and enlightening material about subjects that would otherwise get overlooked.
Hello Moth Light,
I'd love to see a video of yours about 'Evolutionary Oddballs and Dead ends' like Yi Qi, or even further back Sharovipterix, that don't seem to lead anywhere, have no descendens or even modern counterparts, and seem to have evolved just to test something out, only to turn out as inefficient/less adapted/quickly outcompeted.
As always a great video!
The episode on diversity after mass extinctions more or less covers this
Why, with my longstanding interest in paleontology since kindergarten, have I only heard about desmostylians only now?! They're amazing and deserve their own video!
The idea of legged seacreatures crossing a sea is wild.
These are some of my favorite animals, thank you for covering them❤️ Your content is so educational and entertaining!
this channel consistently delivers and its got the like ratio to show for it, great stuff.
Wonderful to see another video from you! :)
I love your videos. They're so well written and always have a really nice, satisfying ending. There are many little nuggets of info throughout the video that are unexpected and fun to hear, but don't derail from the main points. You're a really good storyteller.
8:16 So adorable how the pup copies the mom.
Congratulations on a great video! Sirenians are amazing animals and I am glad to see Sobrarbesiren getting its place in history. New discoveries coming soon!
Seals=sea doggos (actually sea baers, although they're both grouped in the Canimorpha branch of the Carnivora family)
Whales=sea hippers (is that the proper meme term for hippos?)
Sirenians=sea heffalumps
So funny, I was reading a lot on sirenians the last few days, and then this video pops up. Keep up the great videos
Imagine spending millions of years in evolution, then going extinct in 20 years because of humans...
Wow I never knew it took so much to make my mom
i love seeing a notification from moth light.
You’re my absolute favorite documentarian youtuber ❤️❤️❤️
9:30 Steller's sea cow was wiped out because it was found to be delicious.
Interestingly, it had no hands. It had evolved to lose every hand bone. The end bones in its front flippers were the radius and ulna.
If that's true then it's amazing!
This is great!
Ancient Sailor: bro, I saw this mermaid while boating!
Ancient Buddy: was she hot?
Ancient Sailor: nah… she was a cow!
Excellent video as always!
Loved this! I was fascinated!
drunk sailor: I came searching for copper and found gold
What a special and wonderful species. ❤
Love your videos man! Keep up the good work! I love those illustrations and your voice makes it even better!
I have a big request, could you make a video where you briefly explain all the eons? From the Hadean to the Quarternary(maybe a little bit about the future too)? It would be very fun to watch that!
Thank you for making this video! I was just wondering about this the other day
Seapugs
What about hyraxes? (Looks it up) oh they share a common ancestor with the common ancestors of sirenians and elephants, so another level back.
Great video, love that you included the bit on the Steller's Sea Cow
Fascinating stuff... and I admire the way you get your tongue round all those impossible names!! 👍🙂
killer whales: not related to whales
sea lions: not related to lions
elephant seals: not related to elephants
sea cows: not related to cows, related to elephants
who on earth is naming these water pokemons?
Imagine crossing the ocean with megaladon and giant teethed whales back 30 to 55 million years ago. Surprised they made the journey
The whales were Just evolving themselves lol sirenians arrived in North America before the whales did which still had legs themselves when they arrived
I wonder if they could have gone the long way around the northern shallows, but i guess there are no fossil evidence that shows that.
Really love the content every episode pushes me farther into getting my paleontology degree
You made me so happy just by uploading
We wiped out a creature as magnificent and awe inspiring as Steller's Sea Cow within 20 YEARS of discovering them... I hate humans so damn much sometimes...
Sometimes I wish we never evolved, I like to imagine a world without humans where all these extinct animals are still thriving and the world is full of life everywhere. I hope in some alternate universe that's the case.
Evolution from one species to the next is childish nonsense only. Everyone with a functioning brain is aware of the simple fact.
Hi from Brazil
Por que há muitos brasileiros no TH-cam
me desculpo meu português é mal
Excellent video as always, MLM!
Thank you for your videos dude it's always awesome
Cue some young Earth creationist misinterpreting 98.9% of what is stated here.
How do sea cows actually defend themselves from sharks and other predators?
Manatees don’t have any real natural predators so the instance of a shark or alligator attack is extremely rare.
Most sharks big enough to really be their predator are aren't really made for ther shallow water habitats.
Nothing really eats adults even alligators in Florida just ignore them
You make wonderful videos man!!
Been waiting for this
So in the beginning Columbus saw the mermaids. I wonder how many sailors had the unwritten rule to glamourize the sea as much as possible because the ocean kind of sucks for humans. So I bet he intentionally only mentioned mermaids because it was a pain in the ass the get anyone from Europe to the americas in the first place.
Could be, but then again cute round sea cows are pretty glamorous all by themselves.
@@quitlife9279 yeah but if someone told you there was a fish you could fuck. you would want to check that out more than some sea cow.
Here before 5 views
love your videos! so relaxing
Thanks for the video ❤
Oh cool! Thanks for doing a video on my ex, moth light :)
Was that an insult to these beautiful and wonderful animals???
Narrator: "There used to be..."
Me at that exact moment: "Stellar's Sea Cow aint it :'("
Narrator: "Stellar's Sea Cow"
Me: "FUCKKKKKK!!!! :''( "
Sirenians are by far the most underappreciated mammals.
Otter shrews are to be honest, t's even diffiult to find live images of pictures of them online.
Awesome upload.thanks
"20 years after their discovery by the europeans they were hunted into extinction."
Not surprised, but sad nonetheless.
There is a great program for manatees in the Dominican Republic now. I've been lucky enough to chill out with them when snorkeling/diving. They are tracked and travel far. They are celebrities here.
One of my favorite channels
You’re very talented at video making my friend using that mermaid story to bring up the family name is an excellent way to start the video
Columbus mistaking Manatees for Mermaids means Sea Goggles are a real thing. Happens in the Navy all the time 😂
I love sea cows! I can't believe that one species great THAT large!
From what I understand, Steller sea cows didn’t go extinct because they were over-hunted, but because the otters in their environment were (for their fur), and it lead to an population boom of sea urchins, which outcompeted the steller sea cows for food
The hunting by humans didn't help though.
@@ANTSEMUT1 sure they were killed for oil by the fur trappers that went their for the otters. that didn’t help but it wasn’t the trigger
FINALLYYYY THIS STYLE OF VIDEO IS BACK