Sea-Cow !!

In Triplicane, Cows roam on the street !  - ever seen a Sea Cow – no, nothing to do with sighting a Cow near the Sea – which this photo depicts

 

Once mistaken for mermaids by weary sailors, the dugong — shy, slow-moving marine mammals — now face a very real threat of extinction.  Their closest relative, Steller’s sea cow, vanished in the 18th century after relentless hunting.  Touching a manatee is illegal in the United States. The ban’s aim is to protect these vulnerable marine mammals from harm and stress caused by human interaction. 

The "sea cow" is a common name that refers to marine mammals called manatees and dugongs. The now extinct Steller's Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) was also a sea cow, the largest of the group. These herbivorous aquatic animals are named for their gentle nature.  The Sirenia,  commonly referred to as sea cows or sirenians, are an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit swamps, rivers, estuaries, marine wetlands, and coastal marine waters. The extant Sirenia comprise two distinct families: Dugongidae (the dugong and the now extinct Steller's sea cow) and Trichechidae (manatees, namely the Amazonian manatee, West Indian manatee, and West African manatee) with a total of four species.

 
Interesting !
 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
25.8.2025