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Sitsqwayk
''Sitsqwayk'' is a genus of baleen whale from Late Oligocene (Chattian) marine deposits in Washington (state), Washington state. The generic name refers to a powerful water spirit in the folklore of the Klallam that is said to bring wealth. Description ''Sitsqwayk'' is distinguished from other early chaeomysticetes by the features of the rostrum and skull roof, especially in the premaxillae. It differs from members of Eomysticetidae in that the dorsal edge of the skull ascends steeply towards the palate, and that the longitudinal keel on the palate is sharp and narrow, constituting 75 percent of the rostrum. Phylogeny Within Chaeomysticeti, ''Sitsqwayk'' is recovered as the most basal chaeomysticete, more primitive than eomysticetids and ''Horopeta''. Paleobiology ''Sitsqwayk'' is coeval with another Oligocene mysticete from the Pysht Formation, the Aetiocetidae, aetiocetid ''Fucaia, Fucaia goedertorum''. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q48965310 Oligocene cetaceans Extinct ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baleen Whale
Baleen whales (systematic name Mysticeti), also known as whalebone whales, are a parvorder of carnivorous marine mammals of the infraorder Cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoises) which use keratinaceous baleen plates (or "whalebone") in their mouths to sieve planktonic creatures from the water. Mysticeti comprises the families Balaenidae (right and bowhead whales), Balaenopteridae (rorquals and the gray whale), and Cetotheriidae (the pygmy right whale). There are currently 16 species of baleen whales. While cetaceans were historically thought to have descended from mesonychids, molecular evidence instead supports them as a clade of even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla). Baleen whales split from toothed whales (Odontoceti) around 34 million years ago. Baleen whales range in size from the and pygmy right whale to the and blue whale, the largest known animal to have ever existed. They are sexually dimorphic. Baleen whales can have streamlined or large bodies, depending on th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
