Ancient sea monster reappears on remote Russian island

The headless remains of the beast at first appeared like a 'fence' but local officials on a nature reserve survey soon realised they had made a remarkable find - the ribs of this ancient creature. 

Digging down 70 centimetres below the surface uncovered the headless skeleton of the Steller's sea cow, a mammal endemic to this region which became extinct in the 18th century. 

As the pictures show, they found 45 vertebrae, 27 ribs, a left scapula and other bones. 

Sightings of the sea cows were recorded by Arctic explorers before it died out. 

The Steller's Sea Cow bones, the first and only every drawing believed to be done by Steller, and an artistic impression of the Steller's Sea Cow 

The species is named after German explorer Georg Steller who first documented its  existence during voyage in 1741.

The animals were easy prey for hunters using harpoons, with no fear of humans. 

The first sighting of the new discovery was by Commander Islands nature reserve inspector Maria Shitova.

After she spotted the protruding ribs, an eight hour dig was organised to retrieve the remains. 

The islands lie in the Bering Sea between Russia and Alaska.

The remarkable find, and GVs of the Commanders (Komandory) Islands in the Bering Sea