''Neophoca palatina'', the Pleistocene New Zealand sea lion, is an extinct species of

pinniped Pinnipeds (pronounced ), commonly known as seals, are a widely distributed and diverse clade of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic, mostly marine mammals. They comprise the extant families Odobenidae (whose only living member is the walru ...

known from a nearly-complete adult male skull found at Ōhope Beach on the North Island in 1937. It was found in a stratum from the late Castlecliffian stage, suggesting an approximate age of 400,000 years. It was not recognised as representing a new species until 1983, distinguishable from the extant

Australian sea lion The Australian sea lion (''Neophoca cinerea''), also known as the Australian sea-lion or Australian sealion, is a species of sea lion that is the only endemic pinniped in Australia. It is currently monotypic in the genus ''Neophoca'', with the e ...

and

New Zealand sea lion The New Zealand sea lion (''Phocarctos hookeri''), once known as Hooker's sea lion, and as or (male) and (female) in Māori, is a species of sea lion that is endemic to New Zealand and primarily breeds on New Zealand's subantarctic Auckland a ...

by the short

palate The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly sepa ...

(leading Dr. J. A. Berry to suggest the species name), lack of processes on the

ethmoid bulla The ethmoid bulla (or ethmoidal bulla) is an elevation on the lateral wall of the middle meatus of the nose. It is produced by middle ethmoidal cells. It develops during the first trimester of gestation, and varies significantly based on the size ...

and the very wide basiocciptal. A more advanced

morphometric Morphometrics (from Greek μορϕή ''morphe'', "shape, form", and -μετρία ''metria'', "measurement") or morphometry refers to the quantitative analysis of ''form'', a concept that encompasses size and shape. Morphometric analyses are co ...

analysis in 2016 strongly confirmed that the skull represented a distinct species, closely related to the Australian sea lion. Paleoclimate reconstructions suggest that ''N. palatina'' was more tolerant of cold water temperatures than '' N. cinerea'', the only other known member of the genus.

References

Neophoca Extinct animals of New Zealand Pinnipeds of New Zealand Prehistoric mammal genera Fossil taxa described in 1983 {{paleo-carnivora-stub