Steller's sea cow was discovered in 1741 by Georg Wilhelm Steller, and was named after him.
Steller researched the wildlife of Bering Island while he was shipwrecked there for about a year; the animals on the island included relict populations of sea cows, sea otters, Steller sea lions, and northern fur seals.
As the crew hunted the animals to survive, Steller described them in detail.
Steller's account was included in his posthumous publication De bestiis marinis, or The Beasts of the Sea, which was published in 1751 by the Russian Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg.
Zoologist Eberhard von Zimmermann formally described Steller's sea cow in 1780 as Manati gigas.
Biologist Anders Jahan Retzius in 1794 put the sea cow in the new genus Hydrodamalis, with the specific name of stelleri, in honor of Steller.
In 1811, naturalist Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger reclassified Steller's sea cow into the genus Rytina, which many writers at the time adopted.
The name Hydrodamalis gigas, the correct combinatio nova if a separate genus is recognised, was first used in 1895 by Theodore Sherman Palmer.

 
For decades after its discovery, no skeletal remains of a Steller's sea cow were discovered.
This may have been due to rising and falling sea levels over the course of the Quaternary period, which could have left many sea cow bones hidden.
The first bones of a Steller's sea cow were unearthed in about 1840, over 70 years after it was presumed extinct.
The first partial sea cow skull was discovered in 1844 by Ilya Voznesensky while on the Commander Islands, and the first skeleton was discovered in 1855 on northern Bering Island.
These specimens were sent to Saint Petersburg in 1857, and another nearly complete skeleton arrived in Moscow around 1860.
Until recently, all the full skeletons were found during the 19th century, being the most productive period in terms of unearthed skeletal remains, from 1878 to 1883.
During this time, 12 of the 22 skeletons having known dates of collection were discovered.
Some authors did not believe possible the recovery of further significant skeletal material from the Commander Islands after this period, but a skeleton was found in 1983, and two zoologists collected about 90 bones in 1991.
Only two to four skeletons of the sea cow exhibited in different museums of the world originate from a single individual.
It is known that Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, Benedykt Dybowski, and Leonhard Hess Stejneger unearthed many skeletal remains from different individuals in the late 1800s, from which composite skeletons were assembled.
As of 2006, 27 nearly complete skeletons and 62 complete skulls have been found, but most of them are assemblages of bones from two to 16 different individuals.

Sea cow bones are found regularly on the Commander Islands, but to find a full skeleton of the Steller's sea cow is an extremely rare event.
However, in November 2017, during regular monitoring of the coastal line Marina Shitova, researchers of the Commander Islands Nature and Biosphere Reserve found a new skeleton of this animal.
The skeleton was at a depth of 70 centimeters (28 in) and consisted of 45 spinal bones, 27 ribs, a left shoulder blade, shoulder and forearm bones and several wrist bones.
There was no skull, cervical spine, first and second dorsal vertebrae, several caudal vertebrae, the right part of the pectoral arch, or metacarpus and phalangeal bones of the left limb.
The total length of the skeleton was 5.2 meters (17 ft).
Taking into account the length of the absent part of the spine and the head it was assumed that the animal was about 6 meters (20 ft) long.
The last full skeleton of this animal (about 3 meters i.e. 9.8 ft long), was also found on Bering Island in 1987 and is now in the Aleutian Museum of Natural History at Nikolskoye.
Steller's sea cow was discovered in 1741 by Georg Wilhelm Steller, and was named after him. Steller researched the wildlife of Bering Island while he was shipwrecked there for about a year; the animals on the island included relict populations of sea cows, sea otters, Steller sea lions, and northern fur seals. As the crew hunted the animals to survive, Steller described them in detail. Steller's account was included in his posthumous publication De bestiis marinis, or The Beasts of the Sea, which was published in 1751 by the Russian Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg. Zoologist Eberhard von Zimmermann formally described Steller's sea cow in 1780 as Manati gigas. Biologist Anders Jahan Retzius in 1794 put the sea cow in the new genus Hydrodamalis, with the specific name of stelleri, in honor of Steller. In 1811, naturalist Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger reclassified Steller's sea cow into the genus Rytina, which many writers at the time adopted. The name Hydrodamalis gigas, the correct combinatio nova if a separate genus is recognised, was first used in 1895 by Theodore Sherman Palmer.
 
For decades after its discovery, no skeletal remains of a Steller's sea cow were discovered. This may have been due to rising and falling sea levels over the course of the Quaternary period, which could have left many sea cow bones hidden. The first bones of a Steller's sea cow were unearthed in about 1840, over 70 years after it was presumed extinct. The first partial sea cow skull was discovered in 1844 by Ilya Voznesensky while on the Commander Islands, and the first skeleton was discovered in 1855 on northern Bering Island. These specimens were sent to Saint Petersburg in 1857, and another nearly complete skeleton arrived in Moscow around 1860. Until recently, all the full skeletons were found during the 19th century, being the most productive period in terms of unearthed skeletal remains, from 1878 to 1883. During this time, 12 of the 22 skeletons having known dates of collection were discovered. Some authors did not believe possible the recovery of further significant skeletal material from the Commander Islands after this period, but a skeleton was found in 1983, and two zoologists collected about 90 bones in 1991. Only two to four skeletons of the sea cow exhibited in different museums of the world originate from a single individual. It is known that Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, Benedykt Dybowski, and Leonhard Hess Stejneger unearthed many skeletal remains from different individuals in the late 1800s, from which composite skeletons were assembled. As of 2006, 27 nearly complete skeletons and 62 complete skulls have been found, but most of them are assemblages of bones from two to 16 different individuals.
Sea cow bones are found regularly on the Commander Islands, but to find a full skeleton of the Steller's sea cow is an extremely rare event. However, in November 2017, during regular monitoring of the coastal line Marina Shitova, researchers of the Commander Islands Nature and Biosphere Reserve found a new skeleton of this animal. The skeleton was at a depth of 70 centimeters (28 in) and consisted of 45 spinal bones, 27 ribs, a left shoulder blade, shoulder and forearm bones and several wrist bones. There was no skull, cervical spine, first and second dorsal vertebrae, several caudal vertebrae, the right part of the pectoral arch, or metacarpus and phalangeal bones of the left limb. The total length of the skeleton was 5.2 meters (17 ft). Taking into account the length of the absent part of the spine and the head it was assumed that the animal was about 6 meters (20 ft) long. The last full skeleton of this animal (about 3 meters i.e. 9.8 ft long), was also found on Bering Island in 1987 and is now in the Aleutian Museum of Natural History at Nikolskoye.
Steller's sea cow