Steller’s sea cow is an example of :

Over - exploitation.

The correct answer is option (1) - Over-exploitation.

Steller's sea cow is an example of:

Over-exploitation.

Over-exploitation refers to the excessive and unsustainable harvesting of a species by humans. In the case of Steller's sea cow, the uncontrolled hunting by sailors and explorers led to the rapid decline and eventual extinction of this species . This serves as a historical example of the severe consequences of over-exploitation on vulnerable and slow-reproducing species.

Humans have always depended on nature for food and shelter, but when ‘need’ turns to ‘greed’, it leads to over -exploitation of natural resources. Many species extinctions in the last 500 years (Steller’s sea cow, passenger pigeon) were due to overexploitation by humans. Presently many marine fish populations around the world are over harvested, endangering the continued existence of some commercially important species.