A Trove of Sea Cow Fossils in Qatar Reveals a New Species That Munched on Seagrass 21 Million Years Ago

As an Ancient Cow Species Foraged For Seagrass, it Shaped Its Surroundings Around 21 Million Years Ago

Meet Salwasiren qatarensis, a small, ancient sea cow species whose fossils were found in Qatar, in one of the world’s biggest marine mammal bonebeds.

Millions of Years Ago These Animals Shaped the Arabian Sea

Sea cows—including manatees and dugongs—are the only marine mammals that aren’t carnivores. In contrast to seals and whales, sea cows munch exclusively on aquatic plants. Knowing that their closest relatives are elephants puts the vegetarian diet of sea cows in context. Their prodigious appetites for sea grasses render both manatees and dugongs influential in engineering their ecosystems. Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or …

Fossils reveal sea cows have engineered Arabian Gulf's seagrass ecosystems for over 20 million years

A Lost Sea Cow World Resurfaces Beneath Qatar’s Desert

A massive fossil site in Qatar has uncovered the world’s richest sea cow bonebed and a new species, Salwasiren qatarensis.

A Trove of Sea Cow Fossils in Qatar Reveals a New Species That Munched on Seagrass 21 Million Years Ago

The findings suggest that sea cows have been engineering ecosystems in the Persian Gulf for tens of millions of years

Qatar Unearths 21-million-year-old Tiny Sea Cow Fossils

Qatar unearths 21-million-year-old tiny sea cow fossils  Scientists in a recent breakthrough have discovered 21-million-year-old tiny sea cow fossils in Qatar, dating back to the Early Miocene. The researchers in partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and Qatar Museums, have attributed the fossils to a previously unknown species of ancient sea cow named Salwasiren qatarensis. Salwasiren qatarensis was relatively sm…