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Xenorophidae
Xenorophidae is an extinct family of odontocetes currently known from the Oligocene of the southeastern US. Known genera of xenorophids include '' Albertocetus'', '' Archaeodelphis'', ''Xenorophus ''Xenorophus'' is a genus of primitive odontocete from late Oligocene ( Chattian) marine deposits in South Carolina belonging to Xenorophidae. Classification ''Xenorophus'' was originally described on the basis of a skull from the Chandler Bri ...'', '' Cotylocara'', '' Echovenator'', and '' Inermorostrum''.. References Prehistoric toothed whales Prehistoric mammal families Oligocene cetaceans {{paleo-whale-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mirocetus
''Mirocetus'' is a genus of archaic odontocete from the late Oligocene (Chattian) of Azerbaijan. Like many other primitive odontocetes, its classification has been fluid since its description. Classification ''Mirocetus riabinini'' is based on a skull from late Oligocene (Chattian) deposits in Azerbaijan. Although originally assigned to Patriocetidae in the original description, it was later assigned to the mysticete family Aetiocetidae by Mchedlidze (1976). Fordyce (1981, 2002) treated ''Mirocetus'' as Odontoceti incertae sedis in recognition of its primitiveness, and a 2015 paper by Albert Sanders and Jonathan Geisler recognized the genus as sufficiently distinct from other basal odontocete families to warrant its own family, Mirocetidae. However, a cladistic analysis of '' Olympicetus'' by Velez-Juarbe (2017) recovers ''Mirocetus'' as a member of Xenorophidae Xenorophidae is an extinct family of odontocetes currently known from the Oligocene of the southeastern US. Known g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albertocetus
''Albertocetus'' is an extinct genus of primitive odontocete cetacean from early Oligocene (Rupelian) marine deposits in North Carolina, and belonging to the family Xenorophidae. Description ''Albertocetus'' is a relatively small whale, measuring long and weighing approximately . It is distinguished from other xenorophids in having a large lacrimal bone, a steep ascending process of the maxilla, a short but present intertemporal constriction with a sagittal crest, and a tall median ridge on the premaxilla. The teeth were heterodont In anatomy, a heterodont (from Greek, meaning 'different teeth') is an animal which possesses more than a single tooth morphology. In vertebrates, heterodont pertains to animals where teeth are differentiated into different forms. For example, ..., and may have been polydont, because other xenorophids are polydont. References Oligocene cetaceans Fossil taxa described in 2008 {{paleo-whale-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inermorostrum
''Inermorostrum'' is a genus of primitive odontocete from early Oligocene (Rupelian) marine deposits in South Carolina belonging to the family Xenorophidae Xenorophidae is an extinct family of odontocetes currently known from the Oligocene of the southeastern US. Known genera of xenorophids include '' Albertocetus'', '' Archaeodelphis'', ''Xenorophus ''Xenorophus'' is a genus of primitive odonto .... Description and biology ''Inermorostrum'' is largely distinguished from other xenorophiids in having a greatly reduced rostrum devoid of functional teeth. The short, toothless rostrum is unusual for early odontocetes, showing that ''Inermorostrum'' mostly preyed on squids and other marine invertebrates by means of suction-feeding.Robert W. Boessenecker, Danielle Fraser, Morgan Churchill and Jonathan H. Geisler. 2017. A Toothless Dwarf Dolphin (Odontoceti: Xenorophidae) Points to Explosive Feeding Diversification of Modern Whales (Neoceti). Proceedings of the Royal Society ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xenorophus
''Xenorophus'' is a genus of primitive odontocete from late Oligocene ( Chattian) marine deposits in South Carolina belonging to Xenorophidae. Classification ''Xenorophus'' was originally described on the basis of a skull from the Chandler Bridge Formation of South Carolina in the collections of the USNM. Later authors, but also Remington Kellogg who described the genus, classified it in the family Agorophiidae ''Agorophius'' is an extinct genus of toothed whale that lived during the Oligocene period, approximately , in the waters off what is now South Carolina. Taxonomy The holotype of ''Agorophius pygmaeus'', MCZ 8761, was first mentioned in an 1848 ..., which eventually became a repository for primitive odontocetes. Whitmore and Sanders (1977) and Fordyce (1981), however, preferred to treat ''Xenorophus'' as Odontoceti ''incertae sedis''. A cladistic analysis by Mark Uhen published in 2008 recognized ''Xenorophus'' as belonging with '' Archaeodelphis'' and '' Albertodelp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albertocetus Reconstruction Outline
''Albertocetus'' is an extinct genus of primitive odontocete cetacean from early Oligocene (Rupelian) marine deposits in North Carolina, and belonging to the family Xenorophidae. Description ''Albertocetus'' is a relatively small whale, measuring long and weighing approximately . It is distinguished from other xenorophids in having a large lacrimal bone, a steep ascending process of the maxilla, a short but present intertemporal constriction with a sagittal crest, and a tall median ridge on the premaxilla. The teeth were heterodont In anatomy, a heterodont (from Greek, meaning 'different teeth') is an animal which possesses more than a single tooth morphology. In vertebrates, heterodont pertains to animals where teeth are differentiated into different forms. For example, ..., and may have been polydont, because other xenorophids are polydont. References Oligocene cetaceans Fossil taxa described in 2008 {{paleo-whale-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Archaeodelphis
''Archaeodelphis'' is an extinct genus of primitive odontocete cetacean from late Oligocene ( Chattian) marine deposits in South Carolina, and belonging to the family Xenorophidae Xenorophidae is an extinct family of odontocetes currently known from the Oligocene of the southeastern US. Known genera of xenorophids include '' Albertocetus'', '' Archaeodelphis'', ''Xenorophus ''Xenorophus'' is a genus of primitive odonto .... Description ''Archaeodelphis'' has polydont teeth, like other xenorophids.G. M. Allen. 1921. A new fossil cetacean. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 65(1):1-14. References Oligocene cetaceans Fossil taxa described in 1921 {{paleo-whale-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cotylocara
''Cotylocara'' is a genus of primitive odontocete from late Oligocene (Chattian) marine deposits of the Chandler Bridge Formation of South Carolina belonging to Xenorophidae Xenorophidae is an extinct family of odontocetes currently known from the Oligocene of the southeastern US. Known genera of xenorophids include '' Albertocetus'', '' Archaeodelphis'', ''Xenorophus ''Xenorophus'' is a genus of primitive odonto .... Paleobiology ''Cotylocara'' was capable of echolocation like modern dolphins, as evidenced by its dense, thick and downturned rostrum, air sac fossae, cranial asymmetry, and exceptionally broad maxillae.Jonathan H. Geisler, Matthew W. Colbert, James L. Carew., 2014: ''A new fossil species supports an early origin for toothed whale echolocation.'' ''Nature''. doi:10.1038/nature13086 References Oligocene cetaceans Fossil taxa described in 2014 {{paleo-whale-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Echovenator
''Echovenator'' ("echolocation hunter") is a genus of primitive odontocete from late Oligocene (Chattian) marine deposits in South Carolina belonging to Xenorophidae. Description and paleobiology ''Echovenator'' is distinguishable from other xenorophids in having a paranaris fossa Fossa may refer to: Animals * Fossa (animal), the common name of a carnivoran mammal of genus ''Cryptoprocta'' endemic to Madagascar * ''Fossa'', the Latin genus name of the Malagasy civet, a related but smaller mammal endemic to Madagascar Pla ... and fused fronto-nasal and maxillo-premaxillary sutures. The earbone structure shows that this odontocete was clearly capable of echolocation.. References Oligocene cetaceans Fossil taxa described in 2016 {{paleo-whale-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the epoch are slightly uncertain. The name Oligocene was coined in 1854 by the German paleontologist Heinrich Ernst Beyrich from his studies of marine beds in Belgium and Germany. The name comes from the Ancient Greek (''olígos'', "few") and (''kainós'', "new"), and refers to the sparsity of extant forms of molluscs. The Oligocene is preceded by the Eocene Epoch and is followed by the Miocene Epoch. The Oligocene is the third and final epoch of the Paleogene Period. The Oligocene is often considered an important time of transition, a link between the archaic world of the tropical Eocene and the more modern ecosystems of the Miocene. Major changes during the Oligocene included a global expansion o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Family (biology)
Family ( la, familia, plural ') is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus. The official family names are Latin in origin; however, popular names are often used: for example, walnut trees and hickory trees belong to the family Juglandaceae, but that family is commonly referred to as the "walnut family". What belongs to a family—or if a described family should be recognized at all—are proposed and determined by practicing taxonomists. There are no hard rules for describing or recognizing a family, but in plants, they can be characterized on the basis of both vegetative and reproductive features of plant species. Taxonomists often take different positions about descriptions, and there may be no broad consensus across the scientific community for some time. The publishing of new data and opini ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Odontoceti
The toothed whales (also called odontocetes, systematic name Odontoceti) are a parvorder of cetaceans that includes dolphins, porpoises, and all other whales possessing teeth, such as the beaked whales and sperm whales. Seventy-three species of toothed whales are described. They are one of two living groups of cetaceans, the other being the baleen whales (Mysticeti), which have baleen instead of teeth. The two groups are thought to have diverged around 34 million years ago (mya). Toothed whales range in size from the and vaquita to the and sperm whale. Several species of odontocetes exhibit sexual dimorphism, in that there are size or other morphological differences between females and males. They have streamlined bodies and two limbs that are modified into flippers. Some can travel at up to 20 knots. Odontocetes have conical teeth designed for catching fish or squid. They have well-developed hearing, that is well adapted for both air and water, so much so that some can sur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prehistoric Toothed Whales
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of symbols, marks, and images appears very early among humans, but the earliest known writing systems appeared 5000 years ago. It took thousands of years for writing systems to be widely adopted, with writing spreading to almost all cultures by the 19th century. The end of prehistory therefore came at very different times in different places, and the term is less often used in discussing societies where prehistory ended relatively recently. In the early Bronze Age, Sumer in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley Civilisation, and ancient Egypt were the first civilizations to develop their own scripts and to keep historical records, with their neighbors following. Most other civilizations reached the end of prehistory during the following Iron Age. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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