It has been argued that the sea cow's decline may have also been an indirect response to the harvest of sea otters by aboriginal people from the inland areas. With the otters reduced, the population of sea urchins would have increased and reduced availability of kelp, the sea cow's primary source of food. Thus, aboriginal hunting of both species may have contributed to the sea cow's disappearance from continental shorelines.[12] In historic times, though, aboriginal hunting had depleted sea otter populations only in localized areas.[12] The sea cow would have been easy prey for aboriginal hunters, who would likely have exterminated accessible populations with or without simultaneous otter hunting. In any event, the sea cow was limited to coastal areas off islands without a human population by the time Bering arrived, and was already endangered.[13] It has been demonstrated[14] that the extinction of the sea cow could have been effected solely by the hunting of the sea cow for meat by fur-trading mariners of the time, and no other factors needed to have contributed.
It has been argued that the sea cow's decline may have also been an indirect response to the harvest of sea otters by aboriginal people from the inland areas. With the otters reduced, the population of sea urchins would have increased and reduced availability of kelp, the sea cow's primary source of food. Thus, aboriginal hunting of both species may have contributed to the sea cow's disappearance from continental shorelines.[12] In historic times, though, aboriginal hunting had depleted sea otter populations only in localized areas.[12] The sea cow would have been easy prey for aboriginal hunters, who would likely have exterminated accessible populations with or without simultaneous otter hunting. In any event, the sea cow was limited to coastal areas off islands without a human population by the time Bering arrived, and was already endangered.[13] It has been demonstrated[14] that the extinction of the sea cow could have been effected solely by the hunting of the sea cow for meat by fur-trading mariners of the time, and no other factors needed to have contributed.
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