Sperm Whales from the Miocene of the a Re-Appraisal
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Isthminia Panamensis, a New Fossil Inioid (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Chagres Formation of Panama and the Evolution of ‘River Dolphins’ in the Americas
Isthminia panamensis, a new fossil inioid (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Chagres Formation of Panama and the evolution of ‘river dolphins’ in the Americas Nicholas D. Pyenson1,2, Jorge Velez-Juarbe´ 3,4, Carolina S. Gutstein1,5, Holly Little1, Dioselina Vigil6 and Aaron O’Dea6 1 Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA 2 Departments of Mammalogy and Paleontology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA, USA 3 Department of Mammalogy, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, USA 4 Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA 5 Comision´ de Patrimonio Natural, Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales, Santiago, Chile 6 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama ABSTRACT In contrast to dominant mode of ecological transition in the evolution of marine mammals, different lineages of toothed whales (Odontoceti) have repeatedly invaded freshwater ecosystems during the Cenozoic era. The so-called ‘river dolphins’ are now recognized as independent lineages that converged on similar morphological specializations (e.g., longirostry). In South America, the two endemic ‘river dolphin’ lineages form a clade (Inioidea), with closely related fossil inioids from marine rock units in the South Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. Here we describe a new genus and species of fossil inioid, Isthminia panamensis, gen. et sp. nov. from the late Miocene of Panama. The type and only known specimen consists of a partial skull, mandibles, isolated teeth, a right scapula, and carpal elements recovered from Submitted 27 April 2015 the Pina˜ Facies of the Chagres Formation, along the Caribbean coast of Panama. -
Record of Carcharocles Megalodon in the Eastern
Estudios Geológicos julio-diciembre 2015, 71(2), e032 ISSN-L: 0367-0449 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3989/egeol.41828.342 Record of Carcharocles megalodon in the Eastern Guadalquivir Basin (Upper Miocene, South Spain) Registro de Carcharocles megalodon en el sector oriental de la Cuenca del Guadalquivir (Mioceno superior, Sur de España) M. Reolid, J.M. Molina Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas sn, 23071 Jaén, Spain. Email: [email protected] / [email protected] ABSTRACT Tortonian diatomites of the San Felix Quarry (Porcuna), in the Eastern Guadalquivir Basin, have given isolated marine vertebrate remains that include a large shark tooth (123.96 mm from apex to the baseline of the root). The large size of the crown height (92.2 mm), the triangular shape, the broad serrated crown, the convex lingual face and flat labial face, and the robust, thick angled root determine that this specimen corresponds to Carcharocles megalodon. The symmetry with low slant shows it to be an upper anterior tooth. The total length estimated from the tooth crown height is calculated by means of different methods, and comparison is made with Carcharodon carcharias. The final inferred total length of around 11 m classifies this specimen in the upper size range of the known C. megalodon specimens. The palaeogeography of the Guadalquivir Basin close to the North Betic Strait, which connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, favoured the interaction of the cold nutrient-rich Atlantic waters with warmer Mediterranean waters. The presence of diatomites indicates potential upwelling currents in this context, as well as high productivity favouring the presence of large vertebrates such as mysticetid whales, pinnipeds and small sharks (Isurus). -
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A new marine vertebrate assemblage from the Late Neogene Purisima Formation in Central California, part II: Pinnipeds and Cetaceans Robert W. BOESSENECKER Department of Geology, University of Otago, 360 Leith Walk, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054 (New Zealand) and Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University 200 Traphagen Hall, Bozeman, MT, 59715 (USA) and University of California Museum of Paleontology 1101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720 (USA) [email protected] Boessenecker R. W. 2013. — A new marine vertebrate assemblage from the Late Neogene Purisima Formation in Central California, part II: Pinnipeds and Cetaceans. Geodiversitas 35 (4): 815-940. http://dx.doi.org/g2013n4a5 ABSTRACT e newly discovered Upper Miocene to Upper Pliocene San Gregorio assem- blage of the Purisima Formation in Central California has yielded a diverse collection of 34 marine vertebrate taxa, including eight sharks, two bony fish, three marine birds (described in a previous study), and 21 marine mammals. Pinnipeds include the walrus Dusignathus sp., cf. D. seftoni, the fur seal Cal- lorhinus sp., cf. C. gilmorei, and indeterminate otariid bones. Baleen whales include dwarf mysticetes (Herpetocetus bramblei Whitmore & Barnes, 2008, Herpetocetus sp.), two right whales (cf. Eubalaena sp. 1, cf. Eubalaena sp. 2), at least three balaenopterids (“Balaenoptera” cortesi “var.” portisi Sacco, 1890, cf. Balaenoptera, Balaenopteridae gen. et sp. indet.) and a new species of rorqual (Balaenoptera bertae n. sp.) that exhibits a number of derived features that place it within the genus Balaenoptera. is new species of Balaenoptera is relatively small (estimated 61 cm bizygomatic width) and exhibits a comparatively nar- row vertex, an obliquely (but precipitously) sloping frontal adjacent to vertex, anteriorly directed and short zygomatic processes, and squamosal creases. -
Cetacea, Odontoceti, Physeteridae) Del Mioceno Superior, Sector Occidental De La Cuenca Del Guadalquivir (Sur De España)
436 RevistaToscano Mexicana et al. de Ciencias Geológicas, v. 30, núm. 2, 2013, p. 436-445 Nuevos restos de Scaldicetus (Cetacea, Odontoceti, Physeteridae) del Mioceno superior, sector occidental de la Cuenca del Guadalquivir (sur de España) Antonio Toscano1,*, Manuel Abad1, Francisco Ruiz1, Fernando Muñiz1, Genaro Álvarez2, Edith Xio-Mara García3 y José Antonio Caro2 1 Departamento Geodinámica y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Huelva, Av. 3 de Marzo s/n, 21071 Huelva, España. 2 Sociedad Espeleológica Geos (Exploraciones e Investigaciones Subterráneas), 41080 Sevilla, España. 3 Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Km. 15.5 Carretera a Nogales, Predio Las Agujas, Zapopan, Jalisco, México. *[email protected] RESUMEN La familia Physeteridae constituye una rama basal dentro de los cetáceos odontocetos. En la actualidad solo está representada por tres especies pertenecientes a los géneros Physeter y Kogia, aunque incluye numerosos géneros extintos. Scaldicetus es uno de los géneros neógenos más comunes y problemáticos desde el punto de vista taxonómico de la extinta subfamilia Hoplocetinae. Considerado un género polifilético, su uso sistemático ha quedado relegado a piezas dentales aisladas. En este trabajo se analizan dos piezas dentales atribuidas al género Scaldicetus halladas en dos formaciones del Mioceno superior de la región occidental de la Cuenca del Guadalquivir (sur de España). Los análisis sedimentológico y paleontológico de las facies indican ambientes litorales y marinos profundos, con abundantes presas potenciales para Scaldicetus. Sus características morfológicas y su distribución ecológica y paleobiogeográfica, indican que Scaldicetus ocupó un nicho ecológico similar al de Orcinus orca en la actualidad. Esta aportación constituye la primera revisión sistemática de restos fósiles de odontocetos en el sur de España, e intenta aportar información que contribuya a la comprensión de este controvertido género. -
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palevolcomptes rendus 2020 19 5 DIRECTEURS DE LA PUBLICATION / PUBLICATION DIRECTORS : Bruno David, Président du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle Étienne Ghys, Secrétaire perpétuel de l’Académie des sciences RÉDACTEURS EN CHEF / EDITORS-IN-CHIEF : Michel Laurin (CNRS), Philippe Taquet (Académie des sciences) ASSISTANTE DE RÉDACTION / ASSISTANT EDITOR : Adenise Lopes (Académie des sciences; [email protected]) MISE EN PAGE / PAGE LAYOUT : Martin Wable, Emmanuel Côtez (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle) RÉDACTEURS ASSOCIÉS / ASSOCIATE EDITORS (*, took charge of the editorial process of the article/a pris en charge le suivi éditorial de l’article) : Micropaléontologie/Micropalaeontology Maria Rose Petrizzo (Università di Milano, Milano) Paléobotanique/Palaeobotany Cyrille Prestianni (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels) Métazoaires/Metazoa Annalisa Ferretti (Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena) Paléoichthyologie/Palaeoichthyology Philippe Janvier (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Académie des sciences, Paris) Amniotes du Mésozoïque/Mesozoic amniotes Hans-Dieter Sues (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington) Tortues/Turtles Juliana Sterli (CONICET, Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, Trelew) Lépidosauromorphes/Lepidosauromorphs Hussam Zaher (Universidade de São Paulo) Oiseaux/Birds Éric Buffetaut (CNRS, École Normale Supérieure, Paris) Paléomammalogie (petits mammifères)/Palaeomammalogy (small mammals) Robert Asher (Cambridge University, Cambridge) Paléomammalogie (mammifères -
Anatomical Description and Phylogenetic Analysis of Miocene
Southern Methodist University SMU Scholar Collection of Engaged Learning Engaged Learning 4-15-2013 Anatomical description and phylogenetic analysis of Miocene beaked whale from the East African Rift Valley, Kenya Andrew Lin Southern Methodist University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.smu.edu/upjournal_research Part of the Earth Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Lin, Andrew, "Anatomical description and phylogenetic analysis of Miocene beaked whale from the East African Rift alV ley, Kenya" (2013). Collection of Engaged Learning. 10. https://scholar.smu.edu/upjournal_research/10 This document is brought to you for free and open access by the Engaged Learning at SMU Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Collection of Engaged Learning by an authorized administrator of SMU Scholar. For more information, please visit http://digitalrepository.smu.edu. 1 Anatomical description and phylogenetic analysis of Miocene beaked whale from the East African Rift Valley, Kenya by Andrew Lin Undergraduate Senior Thesis Huffington Department of Earth Sciences Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275 Abstract This study compares the anatomy of a Miocene whale fossil found in Kenya to that of modern and other fossil beaked whales in order to identify it using phylogenetic analysis. The specimen is a partial skull and lacks diagnostic features present in the posterior regions of the skull, but a parsimony analysis based on available characters determined the whale is likely linked to modern Mesoplodon and Hyperoodon. Identification of this specimen is necessary for biogeographical purposes and other investigations using the fossil as a marker for the paleocoastline. Furthermore, this whale is an important and unique tool that can be used to study the development of the East African Rift. -
New Finds of Giant Raptorial Sperm Whale Teeth (Cetacea, Physeteroidea) from the Westerschelde Estuary (Province of Zeeland, the Netherlands)
1 Online Journal of the Natural History Museum Rotterdam, with contributions on zoology, paleontology and urban ecology deinsea.nl New finds of giant raptorial sperm whale teeth (Cetacea, Physeteroidea) from the Westerschelde Estuary (province of Zeeland, the Netherlands) Jelle W.F. Reumer 1,2, Titus H. Mens 1 & Klaas Post 2 1 Utrecht University, Faculty of Geosciences, P.O. Box 80115, 3508 TC Utrecht, the Netherlands 2 Natural History Museum Rotterdam, Westzeedijk 345 (Museumpark), 3015 AA Rotterdam, the Netherlands ABSTRACT Submitted 26 June 2017 Two large sperm whale teeth were found offshore from Breskens in the Westerschelde Accepted 28 July 2017 estuary. Comparison shows they share features with the teeth of the stem physteroid Published 23 August 2017 Zygophyseter, described from the Late Miocene of southern Italy. Both teeth are however significantly larger than the teeth of theZygophyseter type material, yet still somewhat Author for correspondence smaller than the teeth of the giant raptorial sperm whale Livyatan melvillei, and confirm the Jelle W.F. Reumer: presence of so far undescribed giant macroraptorial sperm whales in the Late Miocene of [email protected] The Netherlands. Editors of this paper Keywords Cetacea, Odontoceti, Westerschelde, Zygophyseter Bram W. Langeveld C.W. (Kees) Moeliker Cite this article Reumer, J.W.F., Mens, T.H. & Post, K. 2017 - New finds of giant raptorial sperm whale teeth (Cetacea, Physeteroidea) from the Westerschelde Estuary (province of Copyright Zeeland, the Netherlands) - Deinsea 17: 32 - 38 2017 Reumer, Mens & Post Distributed under Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 DEINSEA online ISSN 2468-8983 INTRODUCTION presence of teeth in both maxilla and mandibula they are iden- Fossil Physeteroidea are not uncommon in Neogene marine tified as physeteroid teeth (Gol’din & Marareskul 2013). -
Beaked Whale Mysteries Revealed by Seafloor Fossils Trawled Off South Africa
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Open Marine Archive 140 South African Journal of Science 104, March/April 2008 Research Letters Beaked whale mysteries revealed by seafloor fossils trawled off South Africa a b Giovanni Bianucci *, Klaas Post and c Olivier Lambert An unexpectedly large number of well-preserved fossil ziphiid (beaked whale) skulls trawled from the seafloor off South Africa significantly increases our knowledge of this cetacean family. The Fig. 1. Map of the South African coast showing localities where ziphiid skulls were eight new genera and ten new species more than double the known trawled by fishing and research vessels. diversity of fossil beaked whales and represent more than one-third of this family (fossil and extant). A cladistic parsimony analysis based on 18 cranial characters suggested that some of these fossil taxa belong to the three extant ziphiid subfamilies, whereas others might represent extinct ziphiid lineages. Such high fossil ziphiid diversity might be linked to the upwelling system and the resulting high productivity of the Benguela Current, which has been in place and influenced conditions of the shallower waters along the south- west coast of South Africa and Namibia since the Middle Miocene. Both fossil and extant South African beaked whale faunas show a wide range in body size, which is probably related to different dietary niches and to wide exploration of the water column. More- over, most South African fossil ziphiids share two morphological traits with extant species, which indicates that some of the behaviours associated with these traits had likely already developed during the Neogene: 1) the absence of functional maxillary teeth—providing clear evidence of suction feeding; and 2) the heavy ossification of the rostrum in specimens assumed to represent adult males—a feature which likely helps prevent injury and damage on impact during male–male fighting. -
A Kogiid Sperm Whale from the Lower Pliocene of the Northern Apennines (Italy)
Fossilia, Volume 2018: 13-14 A kogiid sperm whale from the lower Pliocene of the Northern Apennines (Italy) Alberto Collareta1 , Franco Cigala Fulgosi2 & Giovanni Bianucci1 1 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa, via Santa Maria 53, 56126 Pisa, Italy; [email protected] 2 Strada Martinella 292, 43124 Parma, Italy BULLET-POINTS ABSTRACT • We report on a new specimen of Kogiidae from S. Andrea Bagni, a Zanclean KEYWORDS: Adriatic palaeo-area; fossiliferous site of northern Italy. Mediterranean Basin; • This specimen consists of a partially complete cranium, one vertebra, one Physeteroidea; fragment of rib, and one tooth. palaeoecology; • The S. Andrea Bagni kogiid is recognized as representative of a new taxon in psychrosphere. the subfamily Kogiinae. • Association of this specimen with teeth of deep-water squaloids provides inte- resting palaeoecological hints. INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS Among modern toothed whales (Cetacea: Odontoce- The kogiid specimen from S. Andrea Bagni, which is ti), dwarf and pygmy sperm whales [Kogia sima (Owen, currently stored at Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Uni- 1866) and Kogia breviceps (de Blainville, 1838)], re- versità di Pisa as MSNUP I-17603, consists of a par- spectively) are the only living members of the physete- tially complete cranium (lacking the basicranium and roid family Kogiidae, known as diminutive and largely the left part of the supracranial basin), one vertebra, unknown relatives of the great sperm whale (Physeter one fragment of rib, and one isolated tooth. macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758). Extant kogiids inhabit tropical to temperate open-sea environments outside DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS the Mediterranean Basin (e.g. McAlpine, 2002). -
On the Sperm Whale (Physeter Macrocephalus) Ecology, Sociality and Behavior Off Ischia Island (Italy): Patterns of Sound Production and Acoustically Measured Growth
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY “CHARLES DARWIN” SAPIENZA UNIVERSITY OF ROME PHD IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY ANIMAL BIOLOGY CURRICULUM XXVIII CYCLE On the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) ecology, sociality and behavior off Ischia Island (Italy): patterns of sound production and acoustically measured growth by Daniela Silvia Pace Tutor: Prof. Giandomenico Ardizzone, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy External Reviewer: Prof. Gianni Pavan, University of Pavia, Italy Rome, November 2016 Table of contents _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ List of Figures List of Tables Goals and thesis outline Chapter 1 – Sperm whale biology 1.1 General anatomy ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 1 1.2 Abundance, distribution and movements ………………………………………………………………………….. 2 1.3 Reproduction and social structure ……………………………………………………………………………………. 5 1.4 Feeding and main prey …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7 1.5 Diving behavior …………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………. 8 1.6 Threats and conservation ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 9 Chapter 2 – Sperm whale acoustics 2.1 The spermaceti organ …………………………………………………………………………………………….……… 12 2.2 Click structure ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 14 2.3 Type of sounds ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 16 2.3.1 Usual clicks ………………………………………………………………………….…….………………..…… 16 2.3.2 Creaks …………………………………………………..……………………………………………………..…. 17 2.3.3 Codas …………………………………………….……………………………………………………………..… 19 -
Finding Scientific Articles in a Large Digital Archive: Biostor and the Biodiversity Heritage Library
Finding scientific articles in a large digital archive: BioStor and the Biodiversity Heritage Library Roderic D M Page∗1 1Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Graham Kerr Building, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK Email: Roderic D M Page∗- [email protected]; ∗Corresponding author Abstract Background: The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is a large digital archive of legacy biological literature, comprising over 31 million pages scanned from books, monographs, and journals. During the digitisation process basic metadata about the scanned items is recorded, but not article-level metadata. Given that the article is the standard unit of citation, this makes it difficult to locate cited literature in BHL. Adding the ability to easily find articles in BHL would greatly enhance the value of the archive. Results: A service was developed to locate articles in BHL based on matching article metadata to BHL metadata using approximate string matching, regular expressions, and string alignment. This article finding service is exposed as a standard OpenURL resolver on the BioStor web site http://biostor.org/openurl/. This resolver can be used on the web, or called by bibliographic tools that support OpenURL. Conclusions: BioStor provides tools for extracting, annotating, and visualising articles from the Biodiversity Her- itage Library. BioStor is available from http://biostor.org/. Nature Precedings : hdl:10101/npre.2010.4928.1 Posted 21 Sep 2010 Background synonym of Mammut Blummenbach) its existence meant the newly discovered whale had to be re- In July 2010 Lambert et al. -
The Evolutionary History of Cetacean Brain and Body Size
WellBeing International WBI Studies Repository 11-2013 The Evolutionary History of Cetacean Brain and Body Size Stephen H. Montgomery University of Cambridge Jonathan H. Geisler New York Institute of Technology - Old Westbury Michael R. McGowen Wayne State University Charlotte Fox University of Cambridge Lori Marino Emory University See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/acwp_vsm Part of the Animal Structures Commons, Animal Studies Commons, and the Veterinary Anatomy Commons Recommended Citation Montgomery, S. H., Geisler, J. H., McGowen, M. R., Fox, C., Marino, L., & Gatesy, J. (2013). The evolutionary history of cetacean brain and body size. Evolution, 67(11), 3339-3353. This material is brought to you for free and open access by WellBeing International. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of the WBI Studies Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Authors Stephen H. Montgomery, Jonathan H. Geisler, Michael R. McGowen, Charlotte Fox, Lori Marino, and John Gatesy This article is available at WBI Studies Repository: https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/acwp_vsm/14 The Evolutionary History of Cetacean Brain and Body Size Stephen H. Montgomery University of Cambridge Jonathan H. Geisler New York Institute of Technology Michael R. McGowen Wayne State University School of Medicine Charlotte Fox University of Cambridge Lori Marino Emory University John Gatesy University of California – Riverside KEYWORDS brain size, body size, cetaceans, dolphins, encephalization, evolution, macroevolution, whales ABSTRACT Cetaceans rival primates in brain size relative to body size and include species with the largest brains and biggest bodies to have ever evolved.