Discovery on Bering Island, 1741

Georg Wilhelm Steller described Hydrodamalis gigas in 1741, having first encountered the animal during Vitus Bering's Great Northern Expedition when the crew became shipwrecked on Bering Island. While stranded there for about a year, Steller researched the island's wildlife, which included relict populations of sea cows, sea otters, Steller sea lions, and northern fur seals. At the time of discovery the species' range was apparently restricted to the shallow seas around the Commander Islands, including Bering and Copper Islands.