Why are manatee's called "sea cows"?

Question

Why are manatee's called "sea cows"?

Answer 1

Supposedly the term "sea cows" comes from Georg Wilhelm Steller, a German naturalist/explorer, who named them so because they taste like beef. Which is horrible because all Sirenians (manatee and dugong family) are heavily endangered.

But I think that there are other attributes of manatees that are somewhat similar to cows -

1. they are large, round, and slow moving creatures

2. they are herbivores, constantly feeding on underwater kelp and algae (lots of it!)

3. they are very passive and gentle animals

4. they are mammals!

Save the manatees!

Answer 2

the same reason a donkey is called a "jackass"

Answer 3

They are huge (like a cow) and only eat vegetation!

Answer 4

Sirenians are named after the ancient Greek Sirens (half-woman and half-bird) that lured sailors to their deaths. These animals have also been thought of in the past as mermaids.

The Sea Cow was an actual species, but that name is somewhat like "Kleenex" and is applied to Sirenians in general.

From: http://www.manateeworld.net/index.php?op...

Steller's sea cow is named after the naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller. Steller spent the winter of 1741 on Bering Island with other survivors of the wreck of the Russian ship, the "Saint Peter." While there, he busied himself by collecting and recording detailed observations of the plants, animals and minerals he found on the island. His notes, together with the studies of bones found on Bering and Copper Island, comprise the majority of information regarding the Steller's sea cow. Sadly, Steller and his crew were also pretty much responsible for the extinction of the Steller’s sea cow. Because the animals were slow and stayed in relatively shallow water, they were easy to hunt for food. The survivors of the Saint Peter told stories of the sea cows on Bering Island after their return to Russia, and the Steller's sea cow was hunted to extinction within 27 years of its discovery.

Some additional Information on Sirenians:

http://www.sirenian.org/index.html General information about the Sirenian group.

http://www.sirenian.org/images/folkens6.... Sirenian Images - Compares varieties.

http://www.savethemanatee.org/sirenian.h...

http://www.amiq.org/galleries/seacow/sea... Sea Cow drawing and General Information

http://www.amiq.org/sirenia.html Phylogenetic Order of Sirenian Species

Answer 5

Because they are fat like cows. We have an affinity with things on the land, but not the things in the sea. We like to make comparisons so that we can relate to the unknown.

Answer 6

They are grazers and only eat vegetation.

http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.htm...

www.savethemanatee.org/faqpotpourri.ht...