tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19534052797363370892024-03-18T19:43:58.193-06:00The Coastal Paleontologistperspectives on marine vertebrate paleontologyRobert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.comBlogger338125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-72167075842890281852024-03-13T15:33:00.010-06:002024-03-14T08:19:20.402-06:00Nudibranch hunting in northern California: snapshots from winter tidepooling in Half Moon Bay, CA<div style="text-align: left;"><i>This post has more to do with the coastal part of the title and less to do with the paleo part - I'll be doing more of these, since I figure there's probably some interest from readers regarding live, rather than dead, marine critters.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaF7kii0XjGrKs5z44sjdaBiXiTYSA11Tey_DwjUYLiFmdw5y0tshLNSsXVFHYMsNECgkuDbbbHtZKqP131UOFoQ_7UD2xNuQj-Ukh2jvP2bTDOIIvGlz97_8EXVChBEciq7m-pcSdnxdRNQIEqbwA6YRonKEYGxg12Jd7c3ad-G8-WkyBVGraWSMtLI/s4000/PC130216-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaF7kii0XjGrKs5z44sjdaBiXiTYSA11Tey_DwjUYLiFmdw5y0tshLNSsXVFHYMsNECgkuDbbbHtZKqP131UOFoQ_7UD2xNuQj-Ukh2jvP2bTDOIIvGlz97_8EXVChBEciq7m-pcSdnxdRNQIEqbwA6YRonKEYGxg12Jd7c3ad-G8-WkyBVGraWSMtLI/w400-h300/PC130216-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></i><div style="text-align: center;"><i> I found Opalescent nudibranchs like this one on my own for the first time.</i><br /></div></div><p style="text-align: left;">I've always enjoyed tidepooling since I was a young kid - and once I left foggy northern California to go to Montana, an <i>extremely</i> land-locked state, I realized how lucky I was to have world-class tidepools just a half hour drive from my parent's house. I didn't have the opportunity in New Zealand (tidepools, yes, but no car) and here in South Carolina, we don't have any water clarity - and, to be honest, a pretty depauperate marine invertebrate fauna in comparison to the Pacific coast. Since our very belated honeymoon a few years ago to the Bahamas and our subsequent Caribbean Spring Break snorkeling trips, I've gotten more and more interested in it, and in 2022 Sarah and I bought Olympus TG6 cameras, recommended to me by Dr. Maureen Berg, a biologist at UC Berkeley who spends a bit of time tidepooling at some of my favorite spots - but with much higher success at finding nudibranchs. Until about three years ago, I had only ever seen one or two nudibranchs in the wild - I was thoroughly unimpressed when I was a kid, seeing a couple of yellow gelatinous blobs. While paddling a canoe in Drake's Estero with Dick Hilton in 2011 (just a month after Sarah and I got married, and a few months before we left for NZ), Dick noticed an opalescent nudibranch on a frond of giant kelp - and I was mesmerized. I had seen photographs, but never one in person - I couldn't believe how beautiful the little creature was. I really got hooked only a few years ago: on a visit to Fitzgerald Marine Preserve (Moss Beach, CA) on a good minus tide with Sarah (and about 200 of our closest friends - new years, 2022), we found about a dozen nudibranchs - all of them some of the 'boring' ones - sea lemons, Monterey dorids, an orange peel dorid, and a few San Diego dorids. That visit was the one where I decided I needed an underwater camera. In December 2022 and 2023 I visited a spot in Half Moon Bay a friend of mine recommended - I'll keep the location a secret for the time being (sorry!) since it's much less frequented. But, it's a good one: tons and tons of nudibranchs.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquTBovN1sfNTlFPDoaC5ImlcUekTKDQeMhcbc_N57elnrTiWpVTThqjmaPxU9bSzSNETPXm5MWSNJX6ChE2o8ggDU13BFntcCs0AlfSHv8klZXqLwx6zTR7gkFzqoaGowrDe998UQ6E390BMFH3NXX_auDdNGfSdXfA04_0wRoFRsz1JOJugPJapHZ5I/s1258/PXL_20231214_012138303.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquTBovN1sfNTlFPDoaC5ImlcUekTKDQeMhcbc_N57elnrTiWpVTThqjmaPxU9bSzSNETPXm5MWSNJX6ChE2o8ggDU13BFntcCs0AlfSHv8klZXqLwx6zTR7gkFzqoaGowrDe998UQ6E390BMFH3NXX_auDdNGfSdXfA04_0wRoFRsz1JOJugPJapHZ5I/w400-h301/PXL_20231214_012138303.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Winter solstice sunset in Halfmoon Bay, California.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Why nudibranchs, by the way? I've never fully understood what the obsession is among tidepoolers with finding nudibranchs. And, I say this while admitting that I've totally gotten obsessed with nudibranchs as well, without really understanding why. I have some hypotheses, however. For starters, most of them are really quite beautiful - whereas others are more modest blobs of color. Some are rather cute - some of the dorids resemble the "sea bunny" nudibranchs of the Indo-Pacific. They're highly diverse: we've got 180 species along the California coast*, so there's many to go out and find. They're also challenging to find - many folks get out and expect them to just be coming out of the woodwork, and many get bored and impatient. You need to really relax, use your eyes, and look for little tiny blobs of color (for the colorful ones anyway). When you do find one, it's a huge rush! They are, in my opinion, some of the tiniest but most satisfying critters to find. There are many more cryptically colored species that are far more common (and larger) than nudibranchs that I've never seen before in person - and honestly, I've probably passed over a bunch of live baby abalones in search of nudibranchs.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>*For comparison, there are a few dozen species in the Humann et al. Reef Invertebrates guide for the Caribbean, and only about two dozen here in South Carolina. For an apples:apples comparison, Inaturalist.org has about 100 species even for Florida and the northern Caribbean and Bahamas, 17 for the Georgia Bight (northern Florida through the Outer Banks of NC), and 144 for the California coast. I've intuitively known that the California coast is exceptional in terms of nudibranch diversity - but most marine species have a diversity hotspot in the Indo-Pacific (the Caribbean, for a number of reasons, has high diversity for many groups, but is a fraction of the Indo-Pacific). In the Phillipines, there are over double the species versus the California coastline. I suspect the unusually high species diversity is driven by the highly productive kelp forest and rocky shore habitats - and there's probably a bunch of ecological and phylogenetic papers out there on the subject that I haven't read.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImV0orv3RKsHOOvakzeL2tAlJHiEQPFBnpmAXj7f0LXblNAkjO7btdKiPLl_JJjXM7i9butkLP65nkawKsu8ZhDCSKQ69DmsAqE1YKF1oL7canpgQWOVXuOKy2wp6x17_6cD9hSW7me5zCBSclZLcI2r36ncdjvIday9uI6YDKXA0Zf92cZr-ab0S0fY/s4000/P5180038.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImV0orv3RKsHOOvakzeL2tAlJHiEQPFBnpmAXj7f0LXblNAkjO7btdKiPLl_JJjXM7i9butkLP65nkawKsu8ZhDCSKQ69DmsAqE1YKF1oL7canpgQWOVXuOKy2wp6x17_6cD9hSW7me5zCBSclZLcI2r36ncdjvIday9uI6YDKXA0Zf92cZr-ab0S0fY/w400-h300/P5180038.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i>Giant kelp, </i>Macrocystis pyrifera<i>. This is not from tidepooling, but is from a rather brave attempt at snorkeling in Monterey Bay in a wetsuit that was way too thin (I made it 45 minutes before I started shivering uncontrollably) - the water was a balmy 54 degrees F, about 10 degrees colder than what I'm used to in the summer at Lake Tahoe.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><p>One last note before we dive in: I may be labeled as a marine mammal paleontologist, and it may be the majority of what I study, but I am really a marine vertebrate paleontologist and I try to keep myself well-rounded by collecting and identifying some of the more humble fossils which can round-out the ecological context of the 'giants' that I study - from little tiny shark and ray teeth to fish bones, clams, and even shrimp claws. We have a rather unique and iconic ecosystem on the Pacific coast, beautifully showcased by exhibits at the Monterey Bay Aquarium - which captivated me as a young kid. At some point in the past ten years it clicked that I was studying organic detritus of an ancestral version of this ecosystem. During the pandemic, Sarah surprised me with an early Christmas gift, knowing I couldn't fly home to California, and bought for me a Third Edition copy of Ed "Doc" Rickett's famous book "Between Pacific Tides". So for me, tidepooling - and future snorkeling in the kelp forests of San Diego (later this year, stay tuned!) - is a way for me to connect with this same ecosystem.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorHFgBCh6fh8vNz54MECUrU7G1qL3DOO07BQff3_fw35znFSPxn2N7FzcE6V3iA1eJEScULiYJWs6CXLbtI2Tmw3vQTL6jFt3l019QPixBIsjueZuLdc1ec47u9ZOi-e_S5-5aDucF8CW4f0JTJk8QzRWRB-xmT3SUtj1wf-gtku_dGXge7anlMjI_2c/s4000/PC120657.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorHFgBCh6fh8vNz54MECUrU7G1qL3DOO07BQff3_fw35znFSPxn2N7FzcE6V3iA1eJEScULiYJWs6CXLbtI2Tmw3vQTL6jFt3l019QPixBIsjueZuLdc1ec47u9ZOi-e_S5-5aDucF8CW4f0JTJk8QzRWRB-xmT3SUtj1wf-gtku_dGXge7anlMjI_2c/w300-h400/PC120657.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>I don't always get good results shooting horizontally, but I do love trying to get "landscape" shots - or should I say, "tidepoolscape" shots. Here we see some sunburst anemones (Anthopleura sola), coralline algae, ?eelgrass, and brown tegula snails (Tegula brunnea).</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zhoSgD5U6qSUt86xXuA889nQwxQFtrPeKoOYOuiWP3Y7naWbAuv26lx71IWOHnjTNYKZ9LVwfX6aXlbYT4mV9K75RC9IH3HKLpSqxnf8YdMhQ4EFyyunETOqBSAqpHTXlOhfSs5Of6NqfdslFuzbuEe7zJUqsF58VrSGyaazUck9XErOinM8XnnnrFc/s4000/PC140235-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zhoSgD5U6qSUt86xXuA889nQwxQFtrPeKoOYOuiWP3Y7naWbAuv26lx71IWOHnjTNYKZ9LVwfX6aXlbYT4mV9K75RC9IH3HKLpSqxnf8YdMhQ4EFyyunETOqBSAqpHTXlOhfSs5Of6NqfdslFuzbuEe7zJUqsF58VrSGyaazUck9XErOinM8XnnnrFc/w400-h300/PC140235-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i> A bank of aggregating anemones (</i>Anthopleura elegantissima<i>) in one of my favorite individual tidepools. Each of these is about the size of a US quarter (~2.5 cm). This is actually at a completely different spot, if I'm being honest - but the same day. </i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>These
anemones are smaller relatives of the famous giant green anemone (</i>A.
xanthogrammica<i>) and also live a little higher in the intertidal zone.
Because they reproduce rapidly and clonally they produce enormous
colonies like this. They get up to 8 cm wide and
live from 0-20 meters from Alaska to Baja California. </i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76hS1vKkCp_wtZQeK9fYyx0W2hm04PfcwJLO9_-Mme0g-jR2eA175zmvswTW0sqa2jS-fervOYNuI4EkuwU_ONHg_kStaPkKReaAFoshv6qhV_1tyG3eeVNyWv-OZbKb8m5cOBqXjADeK9hnhBE4Rx86bBm_aOVthvY9gvVVp8Yx4DIr3_8SZMnKO8NI/s3324/PC140227-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3324" data-original-width="2720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76hS1vKkCp_wtZQeK9fYyx0W2hm04PfcwJLO9_-Mme0g-jR2eA175zmvswTW0sqa2jS-fervOYNuI4EkuwU_ONHg_kStaPkKReaAFoshv6qhV_1tyG3eeVNyWv-OZbKb8m5cOBqXjADeK9hnhBE4Rx86bBm_aOVthvY9gvVVp8Yx4DIr3_8SZMnKO8NI/w328-h400/PC140227-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i>My only successful "over/under" shot as a photographer with my Olympus TG6 - chiefly because this camera doesn't have a big bubble lens for shooting this sort of photo. This one is taken in a tidepool that at low tide is perfectly still. More aggregating anemones, </i>Anthopleura elegantissima<i>.</i><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck5bWhqs5hlto-7S8Jv2jPiiGs1FOrEIoEdzGG98mKkYYc_NHR8lXI8F31YeomdGN8GqTUfyTJawBc8pFdlTEEnIyyPxAHDz3ZTMT7GgU_41W64oxDRJJbmqkufPqcjWmgfft7NxnaIwHMqIeEqg4In6XGWBBZwnb0qs6e0CsbC6mQoB1N7WLVw20UwM/s4000/PC130011-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck5bWhqs5hlto-7S8Jv2jPiiGs1FOrEIoEdzGG98mKkYYc_NHR8lXI8F31YeomdGN8GqTUfyTJawBc8pFdlTEEnIyyPxAHDz3ZTMT7GgU_41W64oxDRJJbmqkufPqcjWmgfft7NxnaIwHMqIeEqg4In6XGWBBZwnb0qs6e0CsbC6mQoB1N7WLVw20UwM/w400-h300/PC130011-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Actually since we're on the topic of other spots, I a<span style="font-size: small;">lso tried dock fouling in Princeton harbor in Half Moon Bay - I saw tons of these incredible tube worms. These are Giant Feather Duster worms, </span></i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Eudistylia polymorpha</span><i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">. </span></i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>This species is a large polychaete that lives from Alaska to California from the
intertidal zone down to about 400 meters. It's a large filter feeder,
constructing a tube up to about 25 cm long and with a filter feeding
apparatus up to about 5-6 cm wide.</i></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMxEToBd_eToIFJ8msQt4SICpXhjAXiXSILK1vpWPt3PGsQz-8sqXeTEHiCfcFCtOiS8AudAqXq4kBa2q0j0s0sBcN_HvUHhtppqs7WUZVMjWZL3H-WiHhZ8bmuBexcekmaitzewrcR-3TXlxdCzu-J2BC0HrrDXgkxwJbvTnkLGCEklTo7dt2i4dnlk/s4000/PC130003-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMxEToBd_eToIFJ8msQt4SICpXhjAXiXSILK1vpWPt3PGsQz-8sqXeTEHiCfcFCtOiS8AudAqXq4kBa2q0j0s0sBcN_HvUHhtppqs7WUZVMjWZL3H-WiHhZ8bmuBexcekmaitzewrcR-3TXlxdCzu-J2BC0HrrDXgkxwJbvTnkLGCEklTo7dt2i4dnlk/w400-h300/PC130003-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> Some more giant feather dusters, </span></i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Eudistylia polymporpha</span><i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">.</span></i><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fySdMft64XyHHbKtzM6WfFyRPmf8iOwV_BfWZLJManRUaJbtf7HS-ARzwjWV299wtMvwyPwPFLYxEUewCt8cLgccTgUmz7Sv5cc9UWkXH-AnGylDOUvPlIFGlQVnv2l3d6QKZLjG4ozAlNoJjOIwwk1S2AViP4a_45n7eVrsz2eNTbQ0vYgsbNPKEiE/s4000/PC130023-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fySdMft64XyHHbKtzM6WfFyRPmf8iOwV_BfWZLJManRUaJbtf7HS-ARzwjWV299wtMvwyPwPFLYxEUewCt8cLgccTgUmz7Sv5cc9UWkXH-AnGylDOUvPlIFGlQVnv2l3d6QKZLjG4ozAlNoJjOIwwk1S2AViP4a_45n7eVrsz2eNTbQ0vYgsbNPKEiE/w400-h300/PC130023-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i> </i><i></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>OK, now onto the photos from the tidepooling spot. Here's a six-armed sea star, </i>Leptasterias aequalis<i>. </i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>These sea stars only get to 5 cm in diameter (2"), and each of these were only about 2-3cm wide. This sea star lives from Washington state to southern California within the mid-intertidal zone.<br /></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMspmO8XmTnQFlx0vzRW2cBFJ0PK6hBS26qc5ghvZ1AvPAVHdPQxjHG55vqIf0TPVb3tBjS4JD21JTrNKHMAZfjJp21DSvclg2Xr_3rVchXEaOO7Vm246R2E2sfByJi0MPT1utc6DnU4iu3YdfYIxLxGYhkHiXcTpzfQLWNaxaNTYPIYd-shy91V-XVF0/s4000/PC120704%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMspmO8XmTnQFlx0vzRW2cBFJ0PK6hBS26qc5ghvZ1AvPAVHdPQxjHG55vqIf0TPVb3tBjS4JD21JTrNKHMAZfjJp21DSvclg2Xr_3rVchXEaOO7Vm246R2E2sfByJi0MPT1utc6DnU4iu3YdfYIxLxGYhkHiXcTpzfQLWNaxaNTYPIYd-shy91V-XVF0/w400-h300/PC120704%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>First nudibranch: a pink champagne colored shag rug nudibranch, </i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Aeolidia </span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">papillosa</span><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">. These</span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"> live from the low tide line down to
(apparently) 900 meters; they feed on anemones, and at least in shallow
water, prefer aggregating anemones (</span></i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Anthopleura </span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">elegantissima</span><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">), a couple
of other species of </span></i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Anthopleura</span><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">, </span></i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Metridium</span><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">, and </span></i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Epiactis</span><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">, and </span></i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Urticina</span><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">. I've
read that this nudibranch can take on the color of its prey - so
perhaps it feeds on reddish proliferating anemones (</span></i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Epiactis </span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">prolifera</span><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">),
which were somewhat common at this location.</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXl2TQggRgvgY6NjLkLHiw9fSHcTVAIHZcoJ5pPI893Nl4hkuHkr5TKuDnTHhXRlJ8olODkBRXeooe69p4_mC1929Opec8er2S1mUNQfHeNX7iWvqzRrsEi3nk377WF3nBs8-m-j1atlnVTY3oKQ1c2fm6a5nYl0ZzMmZ5YeHnOspBp1NTpVQPxWSE908/s4000/PC130035-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXl2TQggRgvgY6NjLkLHiw9fSHcTVAIHZcoJ5pPI893Nl4hkuHkr5TKuDnTHhXRlJ8olODkBRXeooe69p4_mC1929Opec8er2S1mUNQfHeNX7iWvqzRrsEi3nk377WF3nBs8-m-j1atlnVTY3oKQ1c2fm6a5nYl0ZzMmZ5YeHnOspBp1NTpVQPxWSE908/w400-h300/PC130035-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"> </span></i><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><br /></span>A rather large (~3-4 cm) Hilton's Aeolid (</i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Phidiana
hiltoni</span><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">).</span> <span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">These
nudibranchs are less flamboyant than the opalescent nudibranchs, but are still stunning in their
own right. I saw several such examples for the first time in my life on
this one evening - including this individual. This is an aggressive nudibranch that has routinely been observed
attacking other nudibranchs - it feeds on other nudibranchs and also
hydroids. This species ranges from southern California to Marin County,
which is the northernmost limit of its range, and from the intertidal
zone down to about 60-70 meters.</span></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_LauHLKOTM4RLC0yhiOrRkKHI3vksV7Fqxzv2hFiYcwEO0tFXHPQLZKOKhwxftwlVqwXJ9BBCcEkUNOzVZVSexd8b7hvcFxhlrcPia3kShlyuvXVsrJHNrK9RVB9fCBYOLEGvw93293Jifw0Fg02LZtmd2g2ibYyCJhFHtSAH3Qa68hQclvbcedUNIE/s4000/PC120718.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_LauHLKOTM4RLC0yhiOrRkKHI3vksV7Fqxzv2hFiYcwEO0tFXHPQLZKOKhwxftwlVqwXJ9BBCcEkUNOzVZVSexd8b7hvcFxhlrcPia3kShlyuvXVsrJHNrK9RVB9fCBYOLEGvw93293Jifw0Fg02LZtmd2g2ibYyCJhFHtSAH3Qa68hQclvbcedUNIE/w400-h300/PC120718.JPG" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> A tiny little baby </i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>blue
topsnail,</i> Calliostoma ligatum! <i>These are arguably beautiful snails as
adults, but the juveniles are really quite vividly colored. These
'archaeogastropods' are in the family Trochidae and are just one of the
highly diverse fauna of herbivorous gastropods on the Pacific coast
(contrasting with virtually none here on the South Carolina coast). </i>C.
ligatum <i>feeds predominantly on kelp but also opportunistically on
microfauna (bryozoans, hydroids) and diatoms, inhabits rocky shores and
kelp from 0-30 meters along the Pacific coast from Prince William Sound,
Alaska, to San Diego.</i></span><i><br /></i><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTK8Egnzjd20tSVOOcGSrkLOVyXNk5iLLy2UHYErRaOWIB1_VGLFeF8Y95BozKX7-R73FBv1jV5J3uAxZo3czZ4lSPIy94Dh92ZQXajrHNrDXiza7qqtk545vQbWOdfVpxwUhM6M1XP-Ifk5JgNaWT-ndIt1L3GSyi61Uyc_fbR34i8ZGnVA-H2hqmoc/s4000/PC130059-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTK8Egnzjd20tSVOOcGSrkLOVyXNk5iLLy2UHYErRaOWIB1_VGLFeF8Y95BozKX7-R73FBv1jV5J3uAxZo3czZ4lSPIy94Dh92ZQXajrHNrDXiza7qqtk545vQbWOdfVpxwUhM6M1XP-Ifk5JgNaWT-ndIt1L3GSyi61Uyc_fbR34i8ZGnVA-H2hqmoc/w400-h300/PC130059-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>An orange
peel dorid,</i> Acanthodoris lutea. <i>This species feeds chiefly on one
species of bryozoan! Its' bright orange coloration is a warning to
predators against its toxicity from feeding on bryozoans. This species
lives from Cape Arago, OR, down to northern Baja California, from the
intertidal zone down to depths of 50 meters.</i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibq94ABzN6_3tADNemmtgKNZgADG7GuNQhkHxEqW7222apeliNcYvUl7ByQFGN06qahbMhlik4NTZBlL5NhNJSwIrVoo8PIpA_x2DYiSExRJ9JFGwoLzNloSP0nEEI5LLtqC1CGFOPuQFi2hxYV7xZh9zhkYJTVjL6h0GhRQEdZs4xx_O4pNYpOOjB6kQ/s4000/PC130044-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibq94ABzN6_3tADNemmtgKNZgADG7GuNQhkHxEqW7222apeliNcYvUl7ByQFGN06qahbMhlik4NTZBlL5NhNJSwIrVoo8PIpA_x2DYiSExRJ9JFGwoLzNloSP0nEEI5LLtqC1CGFOPuQFi2hxYV7xZh9zhkYJTVjL6h0GhRQEdZs4xx_O4pNYpOOjB6kQ/w400-h300/PC130044-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>A
tiny opalescent nudibranch, </i>Hermissenda opalescens<i>! These are my single
favorite nudibranch species. I saw a bunch of these on my own on this tidepooling visit - and
this little one was the first I ever found by myself. This individual
measured about 15 mm long, but the species can get up to 50 mm (2"). This
species lives from northern California to the Vizcaino Peninsula of
Baja CA; at the northern part of its range it overlaps with a similar
species, Hermissenda crassicornis, the range of which extends up to
Alaska - they are hard to distinguish and were formerly considered one
species. This species feeds predominantly on cnidarians,
including hydroids and anemones, but also feeds on tunicates; it lives
from the low tide line to about 30 meters.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxv3k5zd1LVQfibO35IdAOfCRolfTtCQZg5mp5I87HT5orjI-Oo7g4_bv7v2Sh_XxsfgCTSIB6z2jTY6HI3IwRd-ukSzQ5AjohLHRMP2yP0q6vai8gsUmxchMcEZtI342aPrt-q6SXBl5NLZH1k0Uhrx-Xz2USa331KMIVpuk85TwmLn-8gMD5_TwJf8/s4000/PC130068-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxv3k5zd1LVQfibO35IdAOfCRolfTtCQZg5mp5I87HT5orjI-Oo7g4_bv7v2Sh_XxsfgCTSIB6z2jTY6HI3IwRd-ukSzQ5AjohLHRMP2yP0q6vai8gsUmxchMcEZtI342aPrt-q6SXBl5NLZH1k0Uhrx-Xz2USa331KMIVpuk85TwmLn-8gMD5_TwJf8/w400-h300/PC130068-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i> </i></span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i></i></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>Sea
lemon butt! The gills (branchial plumes) of a noble dorid sea lemon
(</i>Peltodoris nobilis<i>). These are some of the larger true nudibranchs from
the Pacific coast, attaining incredible sizes of about 20 cm; they eat
sponges, and live from Alaska to Baja California along rocky shores from
0-230 meters. Half Moon Bay, CA.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2362tcZWtfy1kiV1-a0D_bXCoMOTqZWiUj_968mmMBoaQf6lPjOr9ae9wzsxGIoB2iQJEDvBrzLHzcbdW1Bm3m5xRN7AqCQ3iZU2pUJ6W5LE_JEou92nHUy4RhlCWhTmj6Owv5BfYm9dQx3JSiMbYGxFbVbEmcsdNG8hBciXp0n_xVOhQRpvR_uaZ7Wo/s4000/PC130077%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2362tcZWtfy1kiV1-a0D_bXCoMOTqZWiUj_968mmMBoaQf6lPjOr9ae9wzsxGIoB2iQJEDvBrzLHzcbdW1Bm3m5xRN7AqCQ3iZU2pUJ6W5LE_JEou92nHUy4RhlCWhTmj6Owv5BfYm9dQx3JSiMbYGxFbVbEmcsdNG8hBciXp0n_xVOhQRpvR_uaZ7Wo/w400-h300/PC130077%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>A
tiny brittle star! This was my first time ever seeing a brittle star on
the west coast. I saw them as a little kid in Hawaii, and I've seen
several in the Caribbean more recently, but not at 'home'. This
one is the western spiny brittle star, </i>Ophiothrix spiculata<i>. This is a
juvenile - the disk can get to 2cm across with arms up to 15 cm long
(actually, shockingly large - ~1' diameter!). Like other brittle stars,
this species is a detritivore inhabiting rocky shores and hard
substrates from the low tide line to 2000 meters and ranging from Half
Moon Bay to Peru - meaning that this was found at the very extreme limit
of its range.</i></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgib_h4pf8L5yUXF-KBkZHzAVGyZ0rupg-L63yjqC9PP3D9AORzIUcTeGnd_X6hNWvkhTgrFXJzA9YYUj1x7y0rduBOnTuKirBuVWaBBOaT2sEyEYcaFDo1cZaoqLo3BQEb7_BExawJpHTfG05afrMtCfbGaKeW0EE75ak7AeG_GC3c8EgAN6QEIJgrymA/s2896/PC130087-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2328" data-original-width="2896" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgib_h4pf8L5yUXF-KBkZHzAVGyZ0rupg-L63yjqC9PP3D9AORzIUcTeGnd_X6hNWvkhTgrFXJzA9YYUj1x7y0rduBOnTuKirBuVWaBBOaT2sEyEYcaFDo1cZaoqLo3BQEb7_BExawJpHTfG05afrMtCfbGaKeW0EE75ak7AeG_GC3c8EgAN6QEIJgrymA/w400-h321/PC130087-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i>A rather fat and self-satisfied looking </i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>San Diego dorid </i>(Diaulula sandiegensis). <i>These
large dorids can grow to 4" (~100mm) and feed on just a few species of
sponges; while first described from San Diego, they range from British
Columbia to Baja California. They live on rocky shores from 0-35 meters
depth.</i></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybIw5gxqz-mUMdZyF4DUkf7opECzPuEAy6X5bGrEWBKDKVzdph7W-Wv9q2Hv8N54xUnMEDxMWfoDmM62MgSPuaKW2TpIMtXvii7HegY4h1tgsAnaJJ6Fa8qvphv_b3SobU5j4DyaFado7_PzZ-gOY7O8ByUB1v5agCnZDpD6BUERl4ANro6vwMLWN95g/s4000/PC130104-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybIw5gxqz-mUMdZyF4DUkf7opECzPuEAy6X5bGrEWBKDKVzdph7W-Wv9q2Hv8N54xUnMEDxMWfoDmM62MgSPuaKW2TpIMtXvii7HegY4h1tgsAnaJJ6Fa8qvphv_b3SobU5j4DyaFado7_PzZ-gOY7O8ByUB1v5agCnZDpD6BUERl4ANro6vwMLWN95g/w300-h400/PC130104-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="300" /></a></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>My first ever Hopkin's Rose nudibranch, </i>Okenia rosacea<i>! Also, the only one I've ever seen in person. It was very, very easy to spot.</i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hq7YfEWB_MFs5UNoRVN5cAPBg-_9b_E_ePiSM6GxUVLJEN7AZKRDwIxkIudipIGn1E1Nz6TjHNJ6Vq70c282LXF8iuBfQPGnyfVp_ZAbtjMgw-Lhd5Sq-zLr2kYW0AkUKsSchyphenhyphenrUomTlQSaR5w0VV69Wyi0UmKCGMt0RyXqF1lwpABJGqUvSPqdjJeQ/s4000/PC130094-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hq7YfEWB_MFs5UNoRVN5cAPBg-_9b_E_ePiSM6GxUVLJEN7AZKRDwIxkIudipIGn1E1Nz6TjHNJ6Vq70c282LXF8iuBfQPGnyfVp_ZAbtjMgw-Lhd5Sq-zLr2kYW0AkUKsSchyphenhyphenrUomTlQSaR5w0VV69Wyi0UmKCGMt0RyXqF1lwpABJGqUvSPqdjJeQ/w400-h300/PC130094-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Okenia rosacea<span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"> <i>are dorid nudibranchs that get to 3 cm in length. They feed
predominantly on one species of bryozoan, Integripelta bilabiata - which
also gives them their brilliant pink color! They're hard to miss, to be
honest. This species inhabits rocky shorelines from 0-10 meters and
lives along the Pacific coast from Oregon to Baja California.</i></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzo7ppf-0LR3CsMHEkzdYL-zo4v-pfE1FT75KfKO5aijU0WCGFn_mYl0j4X00OFTaH76qP5EnHK5xz7opvIvegBQVZhGfpywb7JcfnFPie9ceJpHmeKyeN8cGB2GKhybwX2qmrJsFtD3nyz_jChpAN5JH1QbACO2JjBH_jVR11upqGZvqbWICTXeqaAk/s4000/PC130092-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzo7ppf-0LR3CsMHEkzdYL-zo4v-pfE1FT75KfKO5aijU0WCGFn_mYl0j4X00OFTaH76qP5EnHK5xz7opvIvegBQVZhGfpywb7JcfnFPie9ceJpHmeKyeN8cGB2GKhybwX2qmrJsFtD3nyz_jChpAN5JH1QbACO2JjBH_jVR11upqGZvqbWICTXeqaAk/w400-h300/PC130092-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>And a closeup of the face of the Hopkin's Rose - now you can actually tell where the rhinophores (often mistaken as the eye stalks seen in terrestrial gastropods) are the deep dark frilly tentacles at the upper left.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8Uw5fBaQ4HjFp5G6N5tVk-W7BC8WDE0ZS4IM_PWtE9GfeCZ1Hb0iQBGSHP8j7LWXXIprajzR2wr9SrxCgPkbeHFrcx4Txdnc6ggKvFWSNnwdWUD_J2edCZqoFRP16HPLn8nzsGZHPO_ksOvV69fr9ZqrXV5oCl9VZ6iE5wMcmaHOLCoYZppy4EGjjUM/s3288/PC130066-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2576" data-original-width="3288" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8Uw5fBaQ4HjFp5G6N5tVk-W7BC8WDE0ZS4IM_PWtE9GfeCZ1Hb0iQBGSHP8j7LWXXIprajzR2wr9SrxCgPkbeHFrcx4Txdnc6ggKvFWSNnwdWUD_J2edCZqoFRP16HPLn8nzsGZHPO_ksOvV69fr9ZqrXV5oCl9VZ6iE5wMcmaHOLCoYZppy4EGjjUM/w400-h314/PC130066-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></span></div><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i><br /> </i></span><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">My first tidepool shrimp! A broken back shrimp - </span></i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Heptacarpus</span><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">. Perhaps stout coastal shrimp, </span></i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Heptacarpus </span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">brevirostris</span><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">. This species lives from the Aleutians to Santa Cruz, CA, and lives from the low tide line to 128 m down, typically in rocky shore habitats. These guys are hard to spot because they're typically nocturnal - I came across this one at sunset and it was getting pretty dark.<br /></span></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMb8jqgbh5ECo_IFNFGFYIBMb1oAP7yXUVt3e5KexMmRJzZNSwq9k1hd7UMfcRACYV_9FcqKm1agkvToBlj0ZqWP2OWZfxrW2yqOfZxpBcYPvY3aHZulYqs2g9Mr9VyuCnOgyD4jw2HHz4MqovslwsrfOtcTw93vyWfVzqyATuKyXYA3Q1OzJ9EqGYp0U/s4000/PC130107-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMb8jqgbh5ECo_IFNFGFYIBMb1oAP7yXUVt3e5KexMmRJzZNSwq9k1hd7UMfcRACYV_9FcqKm1agkvToBlj0ZqWP2OWZfxrW2yqOfZxpBcYPvY3aHZulYqs2g9Mr9VyuCnOgyD4jw2HHz4MqovslwsrfOtcTw93vyWfVzqyATuKyXYA3Q1OzJ9EqGYp0U/w400-h300/PC130107-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>A great portrait of a San Diego dorid, </i>Diaulula sandiegensis. <i>Even these guys can look pretty up close.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEC6qkfl03fXlgpEpW1vVOaG5jl6etZWjyv06WlMCUqLFH4YNooWzuRjLUOC4MW0Iz3gBav4YZpAgXbI_nbny_f2XS-wWFcCwVa0GSpK_Ht0PmptPPhDMmcK0C61oKMpUCMZ83OzVNzuWdUKANOqItalnO3f9xawWSUdGYOjCCswhTY1B5qrQ21cS4jM0/s3032/PC130113-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2344" data-original-width="3032" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEC6qkfl03fXlgpEpW1vVOaG5jl6etZWjyv06WlMCUqLFH4YNooWzuRjLUOC4MW0Iz3gBav4YZpAgXbI_nbny_f2XS-wWFcCwVa0GSpK_Ht0PmptPPhDMmcK0C61oKMpUCMZ83OzVNzuWdUKANOqItalnO3f9xawWSUdGYOjCCswhTY1B5qrQ21cS4jM0/w400-h309/PC130113-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>California
cone snail! </i>Californiconus californicus<i> are the coldest water members of the highly venomous
family Conidae. Most species are tropical in distribution, with the
highest diversity in the Indo-Pacific. Whereas other species of conids
have highly specialized diets, </i>Californiconus <i>is a generalist predator
feeding on fish, mollusks, and worms. Since the California cone snail is
the only conid on the cold California coast, a generalist habit is
likely required. </i>Californiconus <i>lives from 0-30 meters on rocky shores
and sandy flats, and ranges from Bahia Magdalena in Baja California Sur
north to San Francisco - meaning that I photographed these little guys
at basically the northern limit of their range.</i></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hG0Qc0o1AOUokj9bnaG3kdiwWYQUXozJv745P38p6qghO3LlZRwjp4x_ICAJ36GRhci-Wq5MENP1X28qgvb-Q69eb-4XHCw3B5nTQS-0ApnXzJnDbcAa3USqu0IiJRuX_TOYjh4Yjov2zN6iYdukpR-IW9PH4Tu8WZNu9rIIkst9qIb4vWhNOJ5SPj4/s4000/PC130122-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hG0Qc0o1AOUokj9bnaG3kdiwWYQUXozJv745P38p6qghO3LlZRwjp4x_ICAJ36GRhci-Wq5MENP1X28qgvb-Q69eb-4XHCw3B5nTQS-0ApnXzJnDbcAa3USqu0IiJRuX_TOYjh4Yjov2zN6iYdukpR-IW9PH4Tu8WZNu9rIIkst9qIb4vWhNOJ5SPj4/w400-h300/PC130122-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i> My first adult Opalescent nudibranch I found on my own! (</i>Hermissenda opalescens<i>). I personally think this is the most beautiful out of the three species in this genus. The thick-horned nudibranch, </i>Hermissenda<i> </i>crassicornis, <i>lives further north in northernmost California through Alaska.</i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-iFKakGT31fLBfBAFxzFnfpl8loIl8dRTP-6444nQOLrOO3Y0KADlAGV26-3LZ4n7pLeiFOI_CJfs2_inqkfivJSAlAX54wc-iti07kQH8OXrLFowHrh984Uh8kGd-wDorv4XFhJ0iBAzsCHREGnTkAUvPH_23XjDoH8za_dTVUytubnIMsYO87pkos/s4000/PC130118-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-iFKakGT31fLBfBAFxzFnfpl8loIl8dRTP-6444nQOLrOO3Y0KADlAGV26-3LZ4n7pLeiFOI_CJfs2_inqkfivJSAlAX54wc-iti07kQH8OXrLFowHrh984Uh8kGd-wDorv4XFhJ0iBAzsCHREGnTkAUvPH_23XjDoH8za_dTVUytubnIMsYO87pkos/w400-h300/PC130118-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">This was by far my best </span></i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Hermissenda </span><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">encounter, so I took the most photos of this beautiful individual. <br /></span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoPqYqujrUQYrqusvRu_n2GbsCyqW6WRSci5nQ5zMM9tq_OHxfiugLO1kX4jfxcLc4znD6OHJ0_T-BK2_qY8QumcIUv1cxEfyWuRkvBbhu6oi9MbIxeB2QvLZNysO9blfmiPa_u-nRJwj0atY9t7RRhRpcPehNO7ueX5cLA8QjUjxyn-kzKChCktnKPU/s4000/PC130120-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoPqYqujrUQYrqusvRu_n2GbsCyqW6WRSci5nQ5zMM9tq_OHxfiugLO1kX4jfxcLc4znD6OHJ0_T-BK2_qY8QumcIUv1cxEfyWuRkvBbhu6oi9MbIxeB2QvLZNysO9blfmiPa_u-nRJwj0atY9t7RRhRpcPehNO7ueX5cLA8QjUjxyn-kzKChCktnKPU/w400-h300/PC130120-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i>This, and the image above, are perhaps my two favorite shots from the entire trip.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicjwkXusouHsDG0n20nY6Qb9oAVfyi7feRkOkKlvF_6ns6jwuYIiC5_Dr8uNxbL0XUpGd7lX0zw8m_okchlGTBMe9QscQGp1HfLr7Kr13NX653z-Q-BisRuF_nhU2k2steCb7NgdDv3Mv2f6wXkQjag-wkjFl0kN8eZUjgDGjODJKWOklcQTEEUdWDQ4/s4000/PC130129-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicjwkXusouHsDG0n20nY6Qb9oAVfyi7feRkOkKlvF_6ns6jwuYIiC5_Dr8uNxbL0XUpGd7lX0zw8m_okchlGTBMe9QscQGp1HfLr7Kr13NX653z-Q-BisRuF_nhU2k2steCb7NgdDv3Mv2f6wXkQjag-wkjFl0kN8eZUjgDGjODJKWOklcQTEEUdWDQ4/w400-h300/PC130129-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i>Another California Cone snail.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5B3H7hNUgYD6FlLKZU29M8rMU79YWsY6GcRoDuKovxuokMvgEiAj47PVN68h8pFl0a-apqJFDpisbrBuC4ZNPGw8t6JnSDPjbfmNIXrN_HpxxGQXD2MTPnPePW5Gll1AcC0EuOAj7lluk7zq4IghC7B2tAq3FWsPUUENIaSg5rFPGXdGMzw3LP0cI2I/s3304/PC130131-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2704" data-original-width="3304" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5B3H7hNUgYD6FlLKZU29M8rMU79YWsY6GcRoDuKovxuokMvgEiAj47PVN68h8pFl0a-apqJFDpisbrBuC4ZNPGw8t6JnSDPjbfmNIXrN_HpxxGQXD2MTPnPePW5Gll1AcC0EuOAj7lluk7zq4IghC7B2tAq3FWsPUUENIaSg5rFPGXdGMzw3LP0cI2I/w400-h328/PC130131-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>A
festive dorid nudibranch - </i>Tritonia festiva.<i> These nudibranchs feed on
the polyps of soft corals and can get up to 10cm in length. They have a
circum north Pacific distribution, living from California to Alaska and
also in Japan and Korea. These inhabit rocky shores from 0-50 meters.</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i> </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfi1T_npdYqYEw6IzVMxW_7cgRTh-20Hj_UsLW21d-1jwqKD9MKGekqT7FDIa4EsEX6WOZ3cM_MzTfrmHvUbb7LrkMYOeCJB6STIPIxGPMdfon97xcwzhamH0XmbHP9EcIR8vk53AyvREvaNNeeqASdjvAh9LUIxWOdX-ZAPEhxPP2yPeAih_epQqA9Y/s947/PXL_20231213_011450708.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfi1T_npdYqYEw6IzVMxW_7cgRTh-20Hj_UsLW21d-1jwqKD9MKGekqT7FDIa4EsEX6WOZ3cM_MzTfrmHvUbb7LrkMYOeCJB6STIPIxGPMdfon97xcwzhamH0XmbHP9EcIR8vk53AyvREvaNNeeqASdjvAh9LUIxWOdX-ZAPEhxPP2yPeAih_epQqA9Y/w301-h400/PXL_20231213_011450708.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br /></i></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i> A kelp crab (</i>Pugettia productus<i>) doing... something? to a red rock crab (</i>Cancer productus<i>) shed exoskeleton. Kelp crabs are supposed to be herbivorous, and shed exoskeletons don't exactly have much of anything nutritional on them. Honestly, no idea what the hell is happening here!</i></span><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i> </i></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Uy_v8b1drMSU005sz2DeIgZmG3RMrBAx9E2COpTeAzybaatxyBh0YixcMYEr0JLVT9XCmp8cI5WINfrFRtsPiSVP8hKe0kTK3hUQ7Hezt_1gv6XGshjAYai9AuZPvJCHghnyj9l1G0p-4LJA5r5un8cmt7w1Pmt_NPEiSpT_Det38-1hyphenhyphenMskaCNa2cE/s3528/PC130140-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2616" data-original-width="3528" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Uy_v8b1drMSU005sz2DeIgZmG3RMrBAx9E2COpTeAzybaatxyBh0YixcMYEr0JLVT9XCmp8cI5WINfrFRtsPiSVP8hKe0kTK3hUQ7Hezt_1gv6XGshjAYai9AuZPvJCHghnyj9l1G0p-4LJA5r5un8cmt7w1Pmt_NPEiSpT_Det38-1hyphenhyphenMskaCNa2cE/w400-h296/PC130140-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>These colorful dorid nudibranchs are perhaps the most common totally flamboyant species - Clown nudibranchs, </i></span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Triopha
catalinae. <i>These apparently get to 15 cm in length
and live from the Aleutians to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, from 0-35
meters along rocky shores and kelp beds. They feed only on bryozoans.
Half Moon Bay, CA.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvX_rbvsapCPTbDUGpMdrpx_jecQs8cMOnq63gO35fJtm5_nES50EPJAXLF9z1PQ8nlKHHGD0udXO4Gxzr14PasReZMCZp-g6ch_0VxMiFOXM46mutWXsLEZk9_hiusFafSTCi2F4TwgXH66nkgnn3ruN3lv3piLTnStiHyJFXFKcXHWSi3basVR-6qw/s4000/PC130142-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvX_rbvsapCPTbDUGpMdrpx_jecQs8cMOnq63gO35fJtm5_nES50EPJAXLF9z1PQ8nlKHHGD0udXO4Gxzr14PasReZMCZp-g6ch_0VxMiFOXM46mutWXsLEZk9_hiusFafSTCi2F4TwgXH66nkgnn3ruN3lv3piLTnStiHyJFXFKcXHWSi3basVR-6qw/w400-h300/PC130142-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>Portrait of the clown nudibranch's head.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i> </i></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1cO4Qs_uWnmtzieEeL7Rh4MLjmcd6w-wNnlBqAe1D8k4eoxejmhMPW_Rpuq_cEUW4hzoWH0ACBUAvalrwpI3OIYje3i8JV3vF24b0EKyJLopL4mw5LYMyycqZvbk48bfyooZESf9lAb4KSegkNnNy1vyuOMIlSo4m4iNpGGWhDPPaTaBmPDp7bdji0A/s3360/PC130149-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2656" data-original-width="3360" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1cO4Qs_uWnmtzieEeL7Rh4MLjmcd6w-wNnlBqAe1D8k4eoxejmhMPW_Rpuq_cEUW4hzoWH0ACBUAvalrwpI3OIYje3i8JV3vF24b0EKyJLopL4mw5LYMyycqZvbk48bfyooZESf9lAb4KSegkNnNy1vyuOMIlSo4m4iNpGGWhDPPaTaBmPDp7bdji0A/w400-h316/PC130149-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i>And a closeup of the gills.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShNBfU01nPCkM4GfNzyoxMvQUqUfglN6ywHRkaG_fOxZGRSABhhG2B1sssTanGsP0uN3HvjMyp19qp8ZgsGHIH20IlqpsDxQG1kE54HKyBOY_QpZagKXZXWlHQjHvFshN1LonfFPsxjR7PP1Na260nP3u-7qK9XWigaiJuBGnQF7IaDqrKmuPc3y_Vqs/s1258/PXL_20231213_011222798.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShNBfU01nPCkM4GfNzyoxMvQUqUfglN6ywHRkaG_fOxZGRSABhhG2B1sssTanGsP0uN3HvjMyp19qp8ZgsGHIH20IlqpsDxQG1kE54HKyBOY_QpZagKXZXWlHQjHvFshN1LonfFPsxjR7PP1Na260nP3u-7qK9XWigaiJuBGnQF7IaDqrKmuPc3y_Vqs/w400-h301/PXL_20231213_011222798.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i> My first ever live gumboot chiton, </i>Cryptochiton stelleri<i> - they really, really look like a rock (and feel like one too). Honestly, they're firm with a little give, like a car tire. Unlike most chitons, the little armor plates that make up the shell are completely covered in soft tissue. They're also difficult to spot. I assume the soft tissue covering lends them the name "</i>Cryptochiton<i>". I've found three or four of the armor plates (called "butterfly shells") since my early 20s, and I found a few dead individuals that had puckered up considerably - having never seen a live abalone, I thought it was the body after separating from the shell! I didn't know of the existence of this giant chiton until I was in my 30s. So, there's a third meaning for me personally for "</i>Cryptochiton<i>". This is the world's largest chiton, growing to 36cm/14" and a weight of nearly five pounds! They feed on algae, and are nocturnal (perhaps explaining the rarity of sightings for me). They are preyed upon rarely owing to their massive size, but lurid rocksnails (</i>Paciocinebrina lurida<i>) </i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>might consume parts of their mantle and they are consumed occasionally by ochre stars (</i>Pisaster ochraceus<i>), giant Pacific octopus (</i>Enteroctopus dofleini<i>), and sea otters (</i>Enhydra lutris<i>). They live from central California north to the Aleutians and west to Japan, and inhabit rocky shores from the low tide line to 18 meters. Ed Ricketts wondered why Native Californians did not eat the species, and wrote about experimenting with cooking some in Between Pacific Tides: <span style="font-size: x-small;">"</span></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">After one experiment the writers decided to reserve the animals for
times of famine; one tough, paper-thin steak was all that could be
obtained from a large <i>Cryptochiton</i>, and it radiated such a penetrating
fishy odor that it was discarded before it reached the frying pan".</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFt7xubecaiaZWo_CRmgs2D22Sm8fvvj2-JVPsIgPuJQUz16LJueNS5HmpSFq8dI62Ku14_K0xWOHcn-76ljLt9zbyZ2dpbUA-GIbGX-fYbx_z0cBWnDRgO6jF8BzRj2tkcM8Oio4kcentQ7ckuajjSzsBFSXIKKzMvGgQ93th_6q9EQ_X65kIk_wNkg/s4000/PC130154-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFt7xubecaiaZWo_CRmgs2D22Sm8fvvj2-JVPsIgPuJQUz16LJueNS5HmpSFq8dI62Ku14_K0xWOHcn-76ljLt9zbyZ2dpbUA-GIbGX-fYbx_z0cBWnDRgO6jF8BzRj2tkcM8Oio4kcentQ7ckuajjSzsBFSXIKKzMvGgQ93th_6q9EQ_X65kIk_wNkg/w400-h300/PC130154-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Another Orange Peel dorid.</i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdwgUUkIzZjPq_9Hk_x3R2YyU65UBw2bMdK3TqLOpcfJX47MOWSHQaWfiH7JDgO1GXSHmywpqeaPJhGIW2z9RFn_q5E_y2ht3S_PdlI0mQhewI6rrGv7krkWcNMRL23ad2r0lJ8HJcV9C0LjJ7ktl9JeOrpZrkuPHGYU6jBZ6QRAvgzMUKNcAATcLlWY/s3440/PC130167-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2632" data-original-width="3440" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdwgUUkIzZjPq_9Hk_x3R2YyU65UBw2bMdK3TqLOpcfJX47MOWSHQaWfiH7JDgO1GXSHmywpqeaPJhGIW2z9RFn_q5E_y2ht3S_PdlI0mQhewI6rrGv7krkWcNMRL23ad2r0lJ8HJcV9C0LjJ7ktl9JeOrpZrkuPHGYU6jBZ6QRAvgzMUKNcAATcLlWY/w400-h306/PC130167-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A lovely, somewhat larger opalescent nudibranch (</i>Hermissenda opalescens<i>).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrmVpSIDKWKAXsO6eWb2eQlnd_kxahEG6qlIvZ8WMTPymhj8ajGgPpSRPEZUSlWSlLgaRHthyphenhyphenCY1u7aXMZUv6HkmTg1QXqxfDr521CGqXVd2ttx7M6-wifyewfwefbWtiKO0x7_EHDHRPCteymndNMKJmwkj1alP1P8bGlhEed_JLN7UBoA1ZRufc4zw/s4000/PC140296-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrmVpSIDKWKAXsO6eWb2eQlnd_kxahEG6qlIvZ8WMTPymhj8ajGgPpSRPEZUSlWSlLgaRHthyphenhyphenCY1u7aXMZUv6HkmTg1QXqxfDr521CGqXVd2ttx7M6-wifyewfwefbWtiKO0x7_EHDHRPCteymndNMKJmwkj1alP1P8bGlhEed_JLN7UBoA1ZRufc4zw/w300-h400/PC140296-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /> Just before it got dark I saw this large yellow blog, mistaking it at first for a sea lemon - when I approached, I realized it was actually a scallop! A rare first sighting for me: a juvenile (2-3cm wide) giant rock scallop (</i>Crassodoma gigantea<i>) - a rather unique species of scallop that is mobile only as a juvenile and cement themselves to rocks like an oyster. <span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Rock scallops
are thick-shelled sessile scallops (Pectinidae) that end up living much
more like oysters than the typically highly mobile scallops (which can
swim) - they pick a spot and settle at about 4 cm diameter (~40 days
old). They can grow to 15 cm width in the intertidal zone and up to 25
cm below the low tide line; they live down to 80 meters depth. This
species lives on rocky coasts from British Columbia to Baja and the
subtropical west coast of Mexico. Isolated thick scallop shells found on
California beaches are immediately identifiable based on a deep purple
patch near the hinge joint of the shell - giving this species another
nickname - the purple hinge rock scallop. In the second picture you can
see the dozens of jewel-like baby blue eyes that line the edge of each
shell.</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwWssU5fAUXWayxjnFoqs5VbzJnB0huitCATPzB9ExLERBIOHcDi-QtcMzohSReI3vUO6jr7WyPG3GX46kCNEII7p8uDW4rr8hKfT6TX1OoISgX5wbx5X2Ka62vmcGqCZk77gvcP0mBDQms5ScVbW4rgmfAZdASVPEipw6v9mjl7XsxpSy5fwHxqiRAA/s3416/PC130183-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2536" data-original-width="3416" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwWssU5fAUXWayxjnFoqs5VbzJnB0huitCATPzB9ExLERBIOHcDi-QtcMzohSReI3vUO6jr7WyPG3GX46kCNEII7p8uDW4rr8hKfT6TX1OoISgX5wbx5X2Ka62vmcGqCZk77gvcP0mBDQms5ScVbW4rgmfAZdASVPEipw6v9mjl7XsxpSy5fwHxqiRAA/w400-h297/PC130183-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i>A similar color scheme to the clown nudibranchs but far more extravagant - Cockerell's dorid, </i>Limacia cockerelli. <i>This very showy sea slug is
modestly sized at 25 mm maximum length, and lives from Vancouver to San
Diego. This species lives from 0-35 meters, and in the southern part of
its range is seen less frequently as it is typically subtidal. It preys
exclusively on a single species of bryozoan. </i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBb14mNsXOoXxWVubw17xt8q4dOM7kbXkbAP37ozMHJQNH0v3c_2Jq31fmK9aRKcNDI5lQ5hVwL3CWKgETYt3GUQLDfOlDr92TybVrd1yRQ-5l4Gqef0ZD153tQHEJOCxpEN9k5yesBzvxFWCB3j8ErGBxmzz6Fdf_q_-P-CNW8gOAXNHZervS7AJBEOE/s3384/PC130192-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2728" data-original-width="3384" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBb14mNsXOoXxWVubw17xt8q4dOM7kbXkbAP37ozMHJQNH0v3c_2Jq31fmK9aRKcNDI5lQ5hVwL3CWKgETYt3GUQLDfOlDr92TybVrd1yRQ-5l4Gqef0ZD153tQHEJOCxpEN9k5yesBzvxFWCB3j8ErGBxmzz6Fdf_q_-P-CNW8gOAXNHZervS7AJBEOE/w400-h323/PC130192-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i>Another, somewhat larger clown nudibranch (</i>Triopha catalinae<i>).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_Nehm8NUF5_LKbGfCnKmp1dpqM5yW7VSqJKTxdr_6UUskhb1zXMVBaL8Cj2WPBJKS-Lxz7rur6n2hkQwmyyzLrrGlKxcWnteLpjnXe-JStPk16_DSVh1N3xFof1WwzLa0bxbTo2ZJl2JhdPirPp6Tdfcfj0TqSvLeY_lQNM4GRo1pb2QZdXq7M1r900/s3456/PC130195-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2728" data-original-width="3456" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_Nehm8NUF5_LKbGfCnKmp1dpqM5yW7VSqJKTxdr_6UUskhb1zXMVBaL8Cj2WPBJKS-Lxz7rur6n2hkQwmyyzLrrGlKxcWnteLpjnXe-JStPk16_DSVh1N3xFof1WwzLa0bxbTo2ZJl2JhdPirPp6Tdfcfj0TqSvLeY_lQNM4GRo1pb2QZdXq7M1r900/w400-h316/PC130195-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i>And a headshot of the clown nudibranch.</i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5s-8usgMldBW80i4frq14OnJOnwqA4qfw0t1awlZ0iUN9PZoSzLXsuPNpgvQLzyNWfvZZsIe4xdOwQhqyOsbMgp5GnlnO7ebhq2uhNuf18X3nwl56YC8-lx8Lhv2mTIuoCvpS2M_JqB7e8knbxaslS1MmjqrU2VqKXc-j3GGQkbrAQtLZkvFdqlJHSM/s4014/PC130201.ORF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3016" data-original-width="4014" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5s-8usgMldBW80i4frq14OnJOnwqA4qfw0t1awlZ0iUN9PZoSzLXsuPNpgvQLzyNWfvZZsIe4xdOwQhqyOsbMgp5GnlnO7ebhq2uhNuf18X3nwl56YC8-lx8Lhv2mTIuoCvpS2M_JqB7e8knbxaslS1MmjqrU2VqKXc-j3GGQkbrAQtLZkvFdqlJHSM/w400-h300/PC130201.ORF" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i>Three-colored topsnail, </i>Calliostoma tricolor<i>. This species presumably feeds on diatoms, hydroids, and other microinvertebrates like other </i>Calliostoma <i>topsnails; this individual is at the northernmost limit of its range, as it inhabits the coast from San Francisco to northern Baja California. These are supposedly entirely subtidal (5-20 meters deep) - so a rare find near the low tide line - and there are only a handful of records of this species in tidepools in the area - making this pretty little snail one of the more unusual sightings for me. There are only 356 observations for the entire species on iNaturalist.</i><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXK-2QaJErnhHjUkLwuB7yC_pfu4-zrecAhwNfomkaa9xA_v71w41IEjDYe3kzPdr7e_-n4byvctnfbKLv13H-urw9xrTAap1iFDtfglwbUraIaNbEqUbKDr07Jm8wOj0_RULfOhpM6TRGPpIekNAtou0TWswK6rgRFokpt1UJv2Z3LMVvWKLo_ZqOuQ/s2712/PC130206-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2192" data-original-width="2712" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXK-2QaJErnhHjUkLwuB7yC_pfu4-zrecAhwNfomkaa9xA_v71w41IEjDYe3kzPdr7e_-n4byvctnfbKLv13H-urw9xrTAap1iFDtfglwbUraIaNbEqUbKDr07Jm8wOj0_RULfOhpM6TRGPpIekNAtou0TWswK6rgRFokpt1UJv2Z3LMVvWKLo_ZqOuQ/w400-h324/PC130206-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i>Another shag rug nudibranch, </i>Aeolidia papillosa<i> - but less fun coloration than the pink one.</i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQcCAWe00V3FbfufeNNWfUsqlBgXSPvK0hxbu16nKmdZtMY_xpbnWx2pLMtCXB7xknWYoTWWz9rZw5XU-Yf85tglWYvFPCXjJ1eGjKkvexQke3SZMnfdPMpOk60HGNKt4cqvMLmSJj8TUMpj3Tpet5-dUEZDqEqdY4p5JLcuhyA0u7F9uVpVehxOMP0A/s3592/PC130212-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3592" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQcCAWe00V3FbfufeNNWfUsqlBgXSPvK0hxbu16nKmdZtMY_xpbnWx2pLMtCXB7xknWYoTWWz9rZw5XU-Yf85tglWYvFPCXjJ1eGjKkvexQke3SZMnfdPMpOk60HGNKt4cqvMLmSJj8TUMpj3Tpet5-dUEZDqEqdY4p5JLcuhyA0u7F9uVpVehxOMP0A/w400-h305/PC130212-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>Black
and white dorid</i> (Acanthodoris rhodoceras). <i>These little dorid
nudibranchs are the closest nudibranchs we have to the Indo-Pacific "sea
bunnies" that pop up on social media all the time. This species lives
from Cape Arago, Oregon, to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. They are
thought to feed predominantly on bryozoans and attain a maximum length
of 30 mm. Little data is published on their depth, but at least 0-15
meters from what I've read online. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i> </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqm0lcpowGHV3PalqUi647yfugPyHaPRedjZw6h4Zo83nH3ZSha44twZJuH322n-lfRD1fpEajeblKLdxhTojID8c6q4paul1gNR36v0zoeQPSPgjhi9TNCDYjw52L7LcFWSXSSFzgr1AHnU-QrX4OFNEfPoV7NECYhDsKwSTv7QK6Ca1pLh_uoxeomSI/s4000/PC140257-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqm0lcpowGHV3PalqUi647yfugPyHaPRedjZw6h4Zo83nH3ZSha44twZJuH322n-lfRD1fpEajeblKLdxhTojID8c6q4paul1gNR36v0zoeQPSPgjhi9TNCDYjw52L7LcFWSXSSFzgr1AHnU-QrX4OFNEfPoV7NECYhDsKwSTv7QK6Ca1pLh_uoxeomSI/w400-h300/PC140257-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i> </i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i>An ominous looking kelp crab, </i>Pugettia productus. <i>These are emblematic of
tidepools and kelp forests on the Pacific coast; the carapace can get
up to about 8 cm across. Despite their prickly occurrence and
temperament, these are mostly herbivorous crustaceans that feed on
algae, and kelp in particular! They live from Alaska to northern Mexico
at depths of 0-75 meters.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"><i> </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrUcAZAzGwMDsZgsRk1D5DfpNhv5I9iiobh_AhUHI52Nk1cD-raGhYq4BDeEWAD6zBRNCVCtwQtxzjIbgcUMyxj9o3twcFe2Wno0Vq-YkNRHDsVCO3zYSQkd0wC8NGoYchUu9GLydPlnwTGXamWrmTxNRRYK-d-Iz2SjSxIssd_iW1eNkKGtdU1UI7s8/s4000/PC140288-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrUcAZAzGwMDsZgsRk1D5DfpNhv5I9iiobh_AhUHI52Nk1cD-raGhYq4BDeEWAD6zBRNCVCtwQtxzjIbgcUMyxj9o3twcFe2Wno0Vq-YkNRHDsVCO3zYSQkd0wC8NGoYchUu9GLydPlnwTGXamWrmTxNRRYK-d-Iz2SjSxIssd_iW1eNkKGtdU1UI7s8/w400-h300/PC140288-Enhanced-NR%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">A brave </span></i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Hermissenda opalescens</span><i><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto"> heading off into the red algae.</span></i><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6qrEq4v-CtjsveV1MatbyJvCwAIwhl-BXbtvg0DChvZ76Jp45GQHaG4Z4BPtPcLyK0DIsJWPLTTTnm5PTHTvckEbE91wT8ZPI1gAXIuUmcLtSsvOF_rTe31tgkWrrRF75UtlbyTVFttekdRdbwWU7h4QX4kbs3Rgqe39SRijzjij6VIpkHWN9-3ECbw/s1263/PXL_20231214_004515701.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6qrEq4v-CtjsveV1MatbyJvCwAIwhl-BXbtvg0DChvZ76Jp45GQHaG4Z4BPtPcLyK0DIsJWPLTTTnm5PTHTvckEbE91wT8ZPI1gAXIuUmcLtSsvOF_rTe31tgkWrrRF75UtlbyTVFttekdRdbwWU7h4QX4kbs3Rgqe39SRijzjij6VIpkHWN9-3ECbw/w400-h300/PXL_20231214_004515701.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>That's all for now! No more tidepooling until May when we drive back to the Pacific coast. Many family and friends - land lubbers, extinct, and little colorful subtidal ones - are waiting for us.</i></p></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-70647849694261654932024-03-07T07:40:00.001-07:002024-03-08T08:11:32.317-07:00The Oligocene dolphin Xenorophus, part 2: new specimens of Xenorophus<p>Welcome to Part 2 of my series on <i>Xenorophus</i>. To read <a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-oligocene-dolphin-xenorophus-1.html">Part 1, click here</a>. Part 3 is on its way!<b><br /></b><i> </i></p><p><i>We've been in the middle of buying a new house - which is very exciting! And, also, exhausting. We're preparing for our move in 2.5 months to sunny San Diego - so things are a bit hectic, and I haven't had as much time to devote to blogging. I had intended to write this post over a month ago, but the </i>Valenictus<i> paper dropped - early - and I had to write that one instead!</i> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XUDk-RgUe0eSyz-C0r27bc038-wv3EirfIpbGEd5VfAPHuqt3u1ybcR2G-_YMKLSjorS0LBRznO9oQNjTCFUXx_NVwKsvQ3wFt2b9G3UZFifRBAWZX9K6tUm_heqJww1jt7E5eXWlJj2pqLXDV9l4FMa5UD_7M8pX11CeFArdqB3daL4S3VYsqV3c8U/s1263/PXL_20230113_234125979.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XUDk-RgUe0eSyz-C0r27bc038-wv3EirfIpbGEd5VfAPHuqt3u1ybcR2G-_YMKLSjorS0LBRznO9oQNjTCFUXx_NVwKsvQ3wFt2b9G3UZFifRBAWZX9K6tUm_heqJww1jt7E5eXWlJj2pqLXDV9l4FMa5UD_7M8pX11CeFArdqB3daL4S3VYsqV3c8U/w400-h300/PXL_20230113_234125979.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i> ChM PV 4823, what is now the Xenorophus simplicidens paratype specimen - on display at Charleston Museum.</i><br /></p><p></p><p><b>A quick note: type specimens for beginners</b></p><p>You're going to see 'holotype', 'paratype', and 'referred specimen' thrown about a lot in this post. This blog is directed towards an informed audience comfortable with at least semi-technical language. In some cases, precise wording exists because it would take too damn long to describe the concept in layman's terms. I also firmly believe that most people are smart enough to not need their hand held. So, to define these terms:</p><p><u>Holotype: </u>the single best specimen known at the time when a new species is named. All future identifications need to based on comparisons and observations of the holotype specimen. You can only designate type specimens once - when the species is being named.<br /></p><p><u>Paratype:</u> often the second best specimen of a new species. In many cases the paratype will be designated as it preserves some bit of anatomy better than the holotype, even though it might be a bit worse for wear.<br /></p><p><u>Referred specimen: </u>all other specimens identified as (or 'referred' to) a particular species, either in the initial study, or in all followup studies. Remember a type specimen can only be named once - if you find a much more complete skull later on, it cannot be designated a holotype since one already exists. You've got yourself a referred specimen.<br /></p><p><b>New discoveries</b><br /></p><p>Over the past 30 years, a number of new specimens of <i>Xenorophus </i>had turned up - many of these ended up in Charleston Museum collections (ChM), and several collected since the late 1990s ended up at the Mace Brown Museum of Natural History (CCNHM). All told, when I started this project, there were over ten specimens including skulls - a phenomenal sample! Jonathan Geisler made it clear from an early stage that there was likely to be more than one species. Al Sanders had considered most of the new specimens to represent a new species - which he wanted to call <i>Xenorophus simplicidens</i> (an unpublished manuscript name which we ultimately used in recognition and honor of his work - keep reading). The most complete specimen that Al and Jonathan examined back in the early 2000s when Jonathan was working on his dissertation research (eventually published as Geisler and Sanders, 2003) was ChM PV 4823, a nearly complete skull collected from an unusual bed of the Chandler Bridge Formation near the Edisto River. Two additional braincases from the same stratigraphic unit were also present in ChM collections - ChM PV 4266 and 4822. Two additional specimens including a mostly complete juvenile skull, ChM PV 7677, and a somewhat deformed skull with much of the vertebral column, ChM PV 5022, had been collected from the Ashley Formation. A few partial mandibles with teeth, also from the Ashley Formation, were curated at ChM.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM18_dP1bMN1BvuTBdlQwfXoFNKjE46Op3pFyfoa1qhKvos5xoXD36O3yV2422tpWTSK4j1xd3U-d9xKpb2kghp2mJkEzAh3uK7k9dGs6Wy08-GEajybRvxQ6lfsxpU_GBwQdc60KRWidQZ2ASXXLE6hD4kksEcMgU_xRpLAO9jNFhVrqLpH91CzBumqs/s3155/Figure%2024%20-%20all%20skulls%20lateral.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3155" data-original-width="2504" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM18_dP1bMN1BvuTBdlQwfXoFNKjE46Op3pFyfoa1qhKvos5xoXD36O3yV2422tpWTSK4j1xd3U-d9xKpb2kghp2mJkEzAh3uK7k9dGs6Wy08-GEajybRvxQ6lfsxpU_GBwQdc60KRWidQZ2ASXXLE6hD4kksEcMgU_xRpLAO9jNFhVrqLpH91CzBumqs/w318-h400/Figure%2024%20-%20all%20skulls%20lateral.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>All of the skulls of </i>Xenorophus <i>from the Ashley Formation in lateral view. At the beginning of this project I was unsure if any were conspecific with the </i>Xenorophus sloanii <i>holotype specimen (USNM 11049, upper right). We ended up concluding that these are all one species (see below). From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AWn6FBSnCYL-Z7uh7Gev7UCsQtOEDozoroFa_swwD_hru-QQ8GBSJ6EgxVJdtfW2mPFWRvFZ9PDEX6zjok6mHfnKv7uasBoqg-fkx4VzOjhY8Cx5cW26tYk6I8VYply85tbEfKoZx2Xug2q43syN4ZMxn6LR45b2TUL-nu6yPfmwXCLeWPAphiR0l0s/s3122/Figure%2030%20-%20skull%20comparison.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3122" data-original-width="2488" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AWn6FBSnCYL-Z7uh7Gev7UCsQtOEDozoroFa_swwD_hru-QQ8GBSJ6EgxVJdtfW2mPFWRvFZ9PDEX6zjok6mHfnKv7uasBoqg-fkx4VzOjhY8Cx5cW26tYk6I8VYply85tbEfKoZx2Xug2q43syN4ZMxn6LR45b2TUL-nu6yPfmwXCLeWPAphiR0l0s/w319-h400/Figure%2030%20-%20skull%20comparison.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>All of the skulls of </i>Xenorophus <i>from the Ashley Formation in dorsal and ventral view. </i><i>From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5R2DhcIeAffFPrkBUD0VBzW2Cjw5nSz8IRicBbQAY_6kVeVM1Jv8k-E2QVnEYkWFqHqldBo73zi7vJvVLxvMrN4o-kWpKaRrjXzov2VlsPwhUnBO4BzvzD_frUnTi2Rsl-baeKkKNZ2K040oZBdbAFGuNiY-0cgxiHlBXD72jtUg72xoBDZx7tKDrus4/s2550/Figure%2053%20-%20CCNHM%20168%20skull%20+%20mandible%20anterolateral.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2506" data-original-width="2550" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5R2DhcIeAffFPrkBUD0VBzW2Cjw5nSz8IRicBbQAY_6kVeVM1Jv8k-E2QVnEYkWFqHqldBo73zi7vJvVLxvMrN4o-kWpKaRrjXzov2VlsPwhUnBO4BzvzD_frUnTi2Rsl-baeKkKNZ2K040oZBdbAFGuNiY-0cgxiHlBXD72jtUg72xoBDZx7tKDrus4/w400-h393/Figure%2053%20-%20CCNHM%20168%20skull%20+%20mandible%20anterolateral.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The "Jaap" specimen of </i>Xenorophus<i>, CCNHM 168. From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3De6EbhVnzScpudWCAmQZn4Zfj6h3GjdTD9M5ZZrk2GWACxQu1ffuqvnL8RxDo0ElCP-IkHMHncptuACeG_dA2sA0BhsyUgR2Ol1oqpF55XEQXaOa5R3bqc8nikos8CRbJqFKSxyN57PnJwZOIMbgrhxHIhmx-lHWtndWLYqo7hZ4SbuFEj0q_5UuMnQ/s2513/Figure%207%20-%20simplicidens%20skulls%20lateral.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1776" data-original-width="2513" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3De6EbhVnzScpudWCAmQZn4Zfj6h3GjdTD9M5ZZrk2GWACxQu1ffuqvnL8RxDo0ElCP-IkHMHncptuACeG_dA2sA0BhsyUgR2Ol1oqpF55XEQXaOa5R3bqc8nikos8CRbJqFKSxyN57PnJwZOIMbgrhxHIhmx-lHWtndWLYqo7hZ4SbuFEj0q_5UuMnQ/w400-h283/Figure%207%20-%20simplicidens%20skulls%20lateral.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Three skulls of </i>Xenorophus <i>from the Chandler Bridge Formation - eventually considered referable to </i>Xenorophus simplicidens<i>, the top skull being designated as the paratype specimen. </i><i>From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFvQ2qHxt9vl34DmtWNYGzR-EUrDPgoKOH4mSE5_Plvp_UrufdZFf5IUSbuMHijbnlobDZJIlhBr1zehxeQPz0ueU9Qc5zzG2bbAhIXSrdZ50B2esrYiC34JpaxV1kYE-DS8jgLVzv1eEJjPx852XrIyrOfatVBFEHUYVMukO5p6ozg833paeeoNBECU/s2707/Figure%205%20-%20simplicidens%20skulls%20dorsal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2707" data-original-width="2480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFvQ2qHxt9vl34DmtWNYGzR-EUrDPgoKOH4mSE5_Plvp_UrufdZFf5IUSbuMHijbnlobDZJIlhBr1zehxeQPz0ueU9Qc5zzG2bbAhIXSrdZ50B2esrYiC34JpaxV1kYE-DS8jgLVzv1eEJjPx852XrIyrOfatVBFEHUYVMukO5p6ozg833paeeoNBECU/w366-h400/Figure%205%20-%20simplicidens%20skulls%20dorsal.jpg" width="366" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Same three skulls of </i>Xenorophus <i>from the Chandler Bridge Formation, in dorsal view. From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9aLCt_5OBSLlHzWs46D7qYBHXzC4bAS3dh8WEBnwHKJQTZgPsKxzoBzBKNEviPBMXR00rFvb78uzwGJPtPB8cF0CG9EY19fOsNH7Z5SePFaTFGJ9DJbc0Ous-P5xCCcgzc5iYId5PG1EzU-fxcMTk9hefptJpJkp2z45D4-q-p7KbX45yj4ne7kQlD2I/s2845/Figure%206%20-%20simplicidens%20skulls%20ventral.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2845" data-original-width="2511" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9aLCt_5OBSLlHzWs46D7qYBHXzC4bAS3dh8WEBnwHKJQTZgPsKxzoBzBKNEviPBMXR00rFvb78uzwGJPtPB8cF0CG9EY19fOsNH7Z5SePFaTFGJ9DJbc0Ous-P5xCCcgzc5iYId5PG1EzU-fxcMTk9hefptJpJkp2z45D4-q-p7KbX45yj4ne7kQlD2I/w353-h400/Figure%206%20-%20simplicidens%20skulls%20ventral.jpg" width="353" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Same three skulls of </i>Xenorophus <i>from the Chandler Bridge Formation - ventral view. From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJm21u77krPa_j9zLuojTwLr7NAhPouzTy6cjPFyNlwWek33wFlFgcU9LpfakZ_eHMZ5Airrg6zNt9YoRi7fixMzdpC4BDUVP3delHtrbimm89OOa0F3sKFIzgDTB_-iAHewbw4q8taeYYo6H7G8nz0STSzis6Ymft6r8JOqvyGGI6Xcer1II0H3e9hI/s2516/Figure%2050%20-%20X%20sloanii%20upper%20teeth%20168.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2516" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJm21u77krPa_j9zLuojTwLr7NAhPouzTy6cjPFyNlwWek33wFlFgcU9LpfakZ_eHMZ5Airrg6zNt9YoRi7fixMzdpC4BDUVP3delHtrbimm89OOa0F3sKFIzgDTB_-iAHewbw4q8taeYYo6H7G8nz0STSzis6Ymft6r8JOqvyGGI6Xcer1II0H3e9hI/w400-h325/Figure%2050%20-%20X%20sloanii%20upper%20teeth%20168.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The upper dentition of CCNHM 168,</i> Xenorophus sloanii.<i> From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></div></div><div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4uPGH4fN2PR4u8QQE5vZuIlAS1-b7SXYEa9y6uqNJ7hNJfDXuRdub6Pj2RhLi2-LODcYxNrV5cWZVAday2mja7tMCdj7CXg3yBz7YhuQ3hBEVZx29hfmNar_aM6_-SIXaiIA7SNHyh_GnM0eFPs0CrFxd5fKUikFjh2aQJFqhc-sSQuhvfacA5saAh0/s2653/Figure%2038%20-%20CCNHM%20168%20basicranium.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2653" data-original-width="2524" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4uPGH4fN2PR4u8QQE5vZuIlAS1-b7SXYEa9y6uqNJ7hNJfDXuRdub6Pj2RhLi2-LODcYxNrV5cWZVAday2mja7tMCdj7CXg3yBz7YhuQ3hBEVZx29hfmNar_aM6_-SIXaiIA7SNHyh_GnM0eFPs0CrFxd5fKUikFjh2aQJFqhc-sSQuhvfacA5saAh0/w380-h400/Figure%2038%20-%20CCNHM%20168%20basicranium.jpg" width="380" /></a></div><br /><p><i>The well-preserved basicranium of CCNHM 168, </i>Xenorophus sloanii. <i>From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2xLEeNqqdjc0s6Xzd8EDGNdgsd4JH-0NRE5YgaHGZ_Xou4KU3tbJaHbQVSW-WZArQUBsfIbW6D7MlD04qQDenbWIdUQYshvhDjCiXP2OKstqFlToEH9OtrVe3NoFWk1ROQUgLbe-U525lSb70o8llY_eL4j0WllORf8Ffu4TLV_w9XSkNRsMBvpJUhA/s2546/Figure%2039%20-%20basicranium%20CCNHM%201077.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1293" data-original-width="2546" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2xLEeNqqdjc0s6Xzd8EDGNdgsd4JH-0NRE5YgaHGZ_Xou4KU3tbJaHbQVSW-WZArQUBsfIbW6D7MlD04qQDenbWIdUQYshvhDjCiXP2OKstqFlToEH9OtrVe3NoFWk1ROQUgLbe-U525lSb70o8llY_eL4j0WllORf8Ffu4TLV_w9XSkNRsMBvpJUhA/w400-h204/Figure%2039%20-%20basicranium%20CCNHM%201077.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The basicranium and in situ periotic bone (inner ear bone) of CCNHM 1077,</i> Xenorophus sloanii. <i>From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnatkEDu0ySu9R2exgVX4UTj9q6BUFdO9cCYcNNDED7AcmakKBasr45sdcnDvCseh5eXWc-88uCtzK-eftQGuFsCkfSkcX32JLOJmNhcBsvA2MuXGQ7WKuhd0nJi0S_qZ9wEMOOofzTOPRDlTljO7K6wpuUZbf16lAemfGF_bhdP5A_-JgpaQRLgC9wI/s2529/Figure%2040%20-%20periotics%20ventral.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="2529" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnatkEDu0ySu9R2exgVX4UTj9q6BUFdO9cCYcNNDED7AcmakKBasr45sdcnDvCseh5eXWc-88uCtzK-eftQGuFsCkfSkcX32JLOJmNhcBsvA2MuXGQ7WKuhd0nJi0S_qZ9wEMOOofzTOPRDlTljO7K6wpuUZbf16lAemfGF_bhdP5A_-JgpaQRLgC9wI/w400-h253/Figure%2040%20-%20periotics%20ventral.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI55VkqwyuGxUTA5jSSZEHVSMOHBB96OMXVNqgiodtlMDFX-3IHO28BlwdpIDbEgUmcCAeRxcCuNm4_oTVzMsPDL45ULIviKTioPfjsIuCZTzn4rPLk8wNIuI-NtwT2lZCiGp00409HtYbV-KSgEbEDB-QvSsQntSR4s2w6UB1Hd0U5S5WzmPQRYeVA4o/s2527/Figure%2041%20-%20periotics%20dorsal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1545" data-original-width="2527" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI55VkqwyuGxUTA5jSSZEHVSMOHBB96OMXVNqgiodtlMDFX-3IHO28BlwdpIDbEgUmcCAeRxcCuNm4_oTVzMsPDL45ULIviKTioPfjsIuCZTzn4rPLk8wNIuI-NtwT2lZCiGp00409HtYbV-KSgEbEDB-QvSsQntSR4s2w6UB1Hd0U5S5WzmPQRYeVA4o/w400-h245/Figure%2041%20-%20periotics%20dorsal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Periotics (inner ear bones) of </i>Xenorophus sloanii<i> in dorsal (top) and ventral (bottom) views.</i><i>From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uz6B91xJTNXzwZsPiJL6PGiXdyQyoqfF9-LAOgkqGu_4e8HtSbedhO2qpf4UHGF7oh1L2_1DJtiAToUc8MMJs9oS-xccGGbxIlRdKtU6VsVdioEnk5NJkA23hbbAa01j8AxetLHZQXpbAd4YHb6PaelMtYKJGM-8jkKfHKjzCzohttF9dih7V0zQ2Ts/s3279/Figure%2054%20-%20mandibles%20in%20lateral%20view.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3279" data-original-width="2483" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uz6B91xJTNXzwZsPiJL6PGiXdyQyoqfF9-LAOgkqGu_4e8HtSbedhO2qpf4UHGF7oh1L2_1DJtiAToUc8MMJs9oS-xccGGbxIlRdKtU6VsVdioEnk5NJkA23hbbAa01j8AxetLHZQXpbAd4YHb6PaelMtYKJGM-8jkKfHKjzCzohttF9dih7V0zQ2Ts/w303-h400/Figure%2054%20-%20mandibles%20in%20lateral%20view.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><br /> Mandibles of </i>Xenorophus sloanii <i>that are associated with the key skulls reported in the paper. </i> <i>From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCKnnVlWqApZPPJ3LBuVtx_g57xtXrMGExLL5EguIkkwiyH2RA6YaSuflhTlrrobWOF_jkTVN2Tu7yiggRFaEdhBzGtwPoi9M5u5ht7aIBg5Ov7T-67rvlOUSbpaa9EwYgfGE61JZ1nXn0zdweYHvC4wc25fLsJSUiT34YPGJAi6pWLFw4CPGv9dfpMw/s2850/Figure%2057%20-%20fragmentary%20mandibles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2850" data-original-width="2540" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCKnnVlWqApZPPJ3LBuVtx_g57xtXrMGExLL5EguIkkwiyH2RA6YaSuflhTlrrobWOF_jkTVN2Tu7yiggRFaEdhBzGtwPoi9M5u5ht7aIBg5Ov7T-67rvlOUSbpaa9EwYgfGE61JZ1nXn0zdweYHvC4wc25fLsJSUiT34YPGJAi6pWLFw4CPGv9dfpMw/w356-h400/Figure%2057%20-%20fragmentary%20mandibles.jpg" width="356" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Some of the isolated mandibles of </i>Xenorophus sloanii <i>we reported.</i><i>From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></div> <p></p><p>Meanwhile, a bunch of specimens were collected in the late 1990s and 2000s that ended up in CCNHM collections. These included two nearly complete skulls: CCNHM 104, the "Bailey" specimen, and CCNHM 168, the "Jaap" specimen - the latter is a virtually complete skull, missing only the right orbit, and also preserves left and right mandibles and some postcrania. Both of these specimens were from the Ashley Formation as well. A juvenile skull, CCNHM 5995, also from the Ashley Formation, was collected just before I got to Charleston. A few months after I arrived, Mace and I went to visit Mark Havenstein - a College of Charleston alumnus - and he agreed to donate a bunch of fossil cetaceans from his collection which he had earmarked for museums. Among these was a series of blocks including a massive block of limestone with a very large posterior skull and articulated mandibles; the rostrum had been taken off by a bulldozer. We had a nearly complete postcranial skeleton for this specimen - unfortunately, missing the flippers, of course.* Preparation of this specimen took about two years in fits and starts, and unfortunately an undergraduate taking a preparation class for credit destroyed much of the postcrania by waiting until finals week to get back to working on it, and pulled out many fragments from the blocks, did not write down where they went, and then just left all of the separated fragments in a pile and left for summer vacation. Moral of the story - never assign fossil preparation projects to undergraduate students for credit. I spent a lot of time searching desperately through the postcranial fragments for potential bits of vestigial pelvic elements - never found any.</p><p><i>*Flipper/forelimb elements are, frustratingly, not known for a single specimen of any xenorophid.</i> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6fuU2qCkqy6-x2byBUoEaUDUIrLE86CIgKQ-jfn7S_IMBKxbu5-6s1vFDPOU79WXl3e58qDaGIlVFNd7AgWUBaul8arbtUfLbKI5XkUBkUbofNph-M3Hsgy8Zq0MXWGBUmtrjNTNidvsyv7R6l0GKf0xNYl4h9_WHfZYSCaNgW81s2OUqawK-iWSYd4/s947/IMG_20200306_115332.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6fuU2qCkqy6-x2byBUoEaUDUIrLE86CIgKQ-jfn7S_IMBKxbu5-6s1vFDPOU79WXl3e58qDaGIlVFNd7AgWUBaul8arbtUfLbKI5XkUBkUbofNph-M3Hsgy8Zq0MXWGBUmtrjNTNidvsyv7R6l0GKf0xNYl4h9_WHfZYSCaNgW81s2OUqawK-iWSYd4/w300-h400/IMG_20200306_115332.jpg" width="300" /></a></div></div><div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The Aylor specimen of </i>Xenorophus<i>, CCNHM 8720, after we pried off all of the globbed on plaster. This rather ugly looking lump of bone ended up becoming the </i>Xenorophus simplicidens <i>holotype.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpj9o5HBI8w1eVjvHMhh86imaJzYSeiMZKIgcv2ZOAMTpujRarWLzIdebEknlI4E1LP9SFR4Oz3gCaYq1846wXe9GEyCiiv28jxnv3Z0GzM2ob-T5x_1RzIuEnWOi91doteA-MGuqcogFx5GjTc0BNbMlAjRWtoUPAeyH1CIDIPn1eNrhSEJ2LXwiGOI/s947/IMG_20200206_142216.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpj9o5HBI8w1eVjvHMhh86imaJzYSeiMZKIgcv2ZOAMTpujRarWLzIdebEknlI4E1LP9SFR4Oz3gCaYq1846wXe9GEyCiiv28jxnv3Z0GzM2ob-T5x_1RzIuEnWOi91doteA-MGuqcogFx5GjTc0BNbMlAjRWtoUPAeyH1CIDIPn1eNrhSEJ2LXwiGOI/w300-h400/IMG_20200206_142216.jpg" width="300" /></a></i></div><i><br /> Preparator Shelley Copeland removing some of the chewing gum from a tooth of the Aylor </i>Xenorophus.</div><div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO938gC5yGJBGqTceW10lxQUq8bsDUq0jf9GpCJjgrP5IVleqTVXSH6hDHP3C1kNeYQfPevsh6Xkn9LWSRq8EzGf4d0AbZlksjvnZtaoOt5iMGa6M9O9y2Qm9mtU3niO68_BRbbX_23HO8BrYpDOzsxOQhR7IaRZ__tOy1MwAmSEDXCMaHk4lzqdW9eXw/s1263/IMG_20200306_115351.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO938gC5yGJBGqTceW10lxQUq8bsDUq0jf9GpCJjgrP5IVleqTVXSH6hDHP3C1kNeYQfPevsh6Xkn9LWSRq8EzGf4d0AbZlksjvnZtaoOt5iMGa6M9O9y2Qm9mtU3niO68_BRbbX_23HO8BrYpDOzsxOQhR7IaRZ__tOy1MwAmSEDXCMaHk4lzqdW9eXw/w400-h300/IMG_20200306_115351.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> Teeth emerging from the siltstone.</i> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqZfcb1oRS3iyxW3SwpcaYHZZ0rm7Q7SXRFQg6mp6WAWV4qatindBN3qR3TN-JLccYBC1ILbumcnkOclblNlYJLxGTJKSS7zjTXUFjo4999dmzjd5OMzSuW6WF_rLvCbO799Fg7V9oYHV8C2lyM94a5M1AVK7CvmPuViNsQb5EeQXbeItYMkIdjknXu4/s1263/IMG_20200321_130753.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqZfcb1oRS3iyxW3SwpcaYHZZ0rm7Q7SXRFQg6mp6WAWV4qatindBN3qR3TN-JLccYBC1ILbumcnkOclblNlYJLxGTJKSS7zjTXUFjo4999dmzjd5OMzSuW6WF_rLvCbO799Fg7V9oYHV8C2lyM94a5M1AVK7CvmPuViNsQb5EeQXbeItYMkIdjknXu4/w400-h300/IMG_20200321_130753.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The palate of the Aylor </i>Xenorophus <i>starting to take shape.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOrrodcbJKAEBE0DdFeP97dS49OibbRwHkY3RuaG4S_dhzOspRxPX_Gu4YljVzrnBzley7jjoMA89R8VTJ8JZLyiumGrPEImhQYDIK89Z2ygrQCFmKL5nUMmc02tkOkIzJI7ci_DR81U1LpXISovqACy0riK9TMtTK_5ifD3hMdsGfLmqXHym0lYThU8/s947/Resized_20200401_161413.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="915" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOrrodcbJKAEBE0DdFeP97dS49OibbRwHkY3RuaG4S_dhzOspRxPX_Gu4YljVzrnBzley7jjoMA89R8VTJ8JZLyiumGrPEImhQYDIK89Z2ygrQCFmKL5nUMmc02tkOkIzJI7ci_DR81U1LpXISovqACy0riK9TMtTK_5ifD3hMdsGfLmqXHym0lYThU8/w386-h400/Resized_20200401_161413.jpg" width="386" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A selfie Shelley took from her apartment during lockdown! This is about the first week of April, 2020. I'm glad we managed to get it to work - fossil prep is not the easiest 'work from home' opportunity for a student.</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">A year or two later (fall 2018), I was alerted to the existence of an
unprepared skeleton in a couple of blocks that some local amateur
collectors had found and were trying to sell for an exorbitant amount of
money. They even brought it by the museum, and were confused when I
explained that I was a college professor and didn't have any money, and
that the museum didn't have an operating budget (not a dime; "you're
lucky the school doesn't charge the museum rent" was the prevailing
quote from superiors at the time). I told them, honestly - local blue
collar workers like them probably made more money than I did, and that I
couldn't help them. We would gladly take a donation though, and set
them up with an appraiser for the purposes of getting a tax writeoff.
They declined. It was a shame, because it was a real beautiful specimen -
they had even gotten it CT scanned at a local hospital; nearly complete
skull, with at least one earbone, partial postcranial skeleton, and
much of one mandible. Eventually I forgot about this interaction or at
least mentally suppressed it until Sarah got a phone call about a year
later - early December, 2019 - and a local attorney (David Aylor*) was
wanting to donate a specimen. A brief verbal description of the fossil
on speakerphone, with the two of us listening in eagerly - suggested
that it was the same specimen. We politely asked for some photos of the
specimen to be emailed to the museum - and a few hours later, these
photos confirmed that the specimen was the very same. We set up an
appointment to visit David's house on the Ashley River - a gorgeous
view! David signed the deed of gift, and we loaded as much of the
specimen as we could into the trunk of our Honda accord and carefully
drove it back to the museum, just a couple miles away - but there are
speed bumps, and of course, lots of potholes (a South Carolina staple!).
When we returned to get the skull block, we were horrified to learn
that David was gone, and the two young gentlemen who told us they'd be
back in one hour when we returned - had also vanished. We tried calling
David's phone - no response, car gone, doors locked. The specimen was in
his garage space, with an open door - but it weight like 200 lbs, way
too much for Sarah and I to get by ourselves. We waited for about a half
hour. Fortunately, his neighbor was walking by with his golden
retriever and I politely explained the pickle we were in (it was also
approaching 5pm, and I had to be back in the classroom for a 6pm lab). I
gave him my business card to explain I wasn't a crazy person and
offered to show the deed of gift, but he said it wasn't necessary - and
agreed to help lift the fossil into the car, meanwhile muttering
something about those two gardeners working for him as well and not
being terribly reliable, which connected some dots (sounded like it was
beer-thirty). We lifted the fossil, sitting on a plywood sheet, onto an
old ass radio flyer toy wagon with all flat tires, and pulled the
pathetic contraption to the back of the car, taking care not to let the
fossil get jostled - and managed to make the last lift into the car.
Once back at the college, we drafted some students into lifting it onto a
cart and placed it safe and sound in the museum - and I hurried off to
teach, just in time!<i> </i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>*Sadly, David Aylor passed away in January 2023.<br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcggEBX3cpL67DDg03AI8Pqf3SOCsuynBj7blvEJVhUDvILiyA93ldhLrmRBvK1xogDpNpZWHq6YQfldEzrmTiXT4sy0s0WDrMjfhR6gpFOHzvolZo2pGRT-hgYXJxWi5N1ZFisHVVfNafcO70GL9U0idCrNR2_HzbwvD0F6ux7mqdbLyb1IthGlPtgo/s947/IMG_20200924_134747.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcggEBX3cpL67DDg03AI8Pqf3SOCsuynBj7blvEJVhUDvILiyA93ldhLrmRBvK1xogDpNpZWHq6YQfldEzrmTiXT4sy0s0WDrMjfhR6gpFOHzvolZo2pGRT-hgYXJxWi5N1ZFisHVVfNafcO70GL9U0idCrNR2_HzbwvD0F6ux7mqdbLyb1IthGlPtgo/w300-h400/IMG_20200924_134747.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The palate and dentition of the Aylor </i>Xenorophus<i>, almost at completion!</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliG1JHoeY5z1anWsPcGR3qtYxVuBL301RUadqm__Ae7DhWZMRiFiWk0gUhyPgHGJ31FIZDDRzlLlreJezXTqll43CCYqOmi-mhjyyCy9tCpx4vLfLakRrrBV8R8q7lnEs79UIT5Z-iPYLK1_-oVI2uOvHmgrUa1_utqN0O2q3tC0hUQ0cHQiBQteXscQ/s1263/PXL_20201002_191615340.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliG1JHoeY5z1anWsPcGR3qtYxVuBL301RUadqm__Ae7DhWZMRiFiWk0gUhyPgHGJ31FIZDDRzlLlreJezXTqll43CCYqOmi-mhjyyCy9tCpx4vLfLakRrrBV8R8q7lnEs79UIT5Z-iPYLK1_-oVI2uOvHmgrUa1_utqN0O2q3tC0hUQ0cHQiBQteXscQ/w400-h300/PXL_20201002_191615340.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>In September 2020 student employees were allowed back on campus and so Shelley spent a lot of time catching up on preparation of the skull.</i><br /></div><div><p> We cracked open the jacket a few days later - it was a mess. No
burlap, three inches of plaster just globbed on over a layer of muddy
sand that had been applied like play-dough over the bone, but separated
from the bone by a single layer of tin foil. The silty sand had since
dried, and hardened to nearly like rock; it was Chandler Bridge
Formation matrix, which is soft as hell when wet, but hardens again when
dry. So the plane of weakness was at the foil layer - the silty sand
rock and plaster tended to come off in big chunks. Fortunately - and I
don't say this lightly - either the plaster was so damn hot, or the
muddy layer that had been applied contracted significantly when it dried
out - there were some large cracks in the plaster. We couldn't saw
through it because the plaster was too thick, so we had to actually
chisel off the plaster in places where there were no contraction cracks.
When we finally got through to the fossil, about a half dozen teeth had
been coated with wads of chewing gum (trident cinnamon gum by my
reckoning), which had since bonded to the teeth completely. My first
fossil preparator, hired through funds I raised on my own, spent several
days just carefully rehydrating the disgusting chewing gum and scraping
it from the tooth enamel. Shelley continued on the skull block in
January when classes resumed, and had the palate and upper dentition in
pretty good shape by March 2020 - and you know what happens next - the
Covid-19 pandemic. Shelley was in desparate need of work, so after I
returned from our poorly timed spring break vacation to Turks and
Caicos* I got permission to enter the museum and assemble a 'fossil
preparation from home' kit and dropped off the detached rostrum block
from the same specimen along with vinac, brushes, toothbrushes, dental
picks, and even plaster and burlap if she needed to make a support
cradle for it.<br /></p>*<i>We went snorkeling every day, but it was
kind of hard to enjoy the trip while watching the world fall apart - two
days in my parents texted me photos of downtown San Francisco without a
single car or person on the street in front of my dad's office).</i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVBbEsDxGNGZf3utt9NxCYWpPZ7DeMOdHi5ziCHzhq4Sx_DpEY4wN12G8bLgGlGj_PlZxwVcI8IrnjE1_a2cZtW_ZfDpQO1jyj3OcMnADAhYLCLjgV6gb_cXs1FLwhdZy0MecAkkF6K0MN0xUnJ-JIFqtBXvQL618O2qhFV_x_IDbH9gsJ1u0xKMXyGgc/s1263/IMG_20210813_160120.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVBbEsDxGNGZf3utt9NxCYWpPZ7DeMOdHi5ziCHzhq4Sx_DpEY4wN12G8bLgGlGj_PlZxwVcI8IrnjE1_a2cZtW_ZfDpQO1jyj3OcMnADAhYLCLjgV6gb_cXs1FLwhdZy0MecAkkF6K0MN0xUnJ-JIFqtBXvQL618O2qhFV_x_IDbH9gsJ1u0xKMXyGgc/w400-h300/IMG_20210813_160120.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div></div><div></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>After Shelley graduated, Sam started out as our next preparator - and we flipped the jacket in summer 2021, and got most of the dorsal side prepped out - even if a few pieces were broken when a bunch of high school students were admitted to the laboratory by someone else.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzH0d9rHWF68xSSCPxhxpLoIenG4mhf0LQxd4MGnA7qOg9MWvqeTnG3v7OwDGac3kPDxdeq1cj8P9CrYoBtFH91JX22DhXw7Z9rQdRn082_6RzWWZVxlf6TQAlsQ8GZnvkmlDxR1VIDxjWkFLiXCPekFq29kbC1iylxapiKQOnUIJzhCYRcW3uDS0Sgo/s1263/PXL_20211122_195823671.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzH0d9rHWF68xSSCPxhxpLoIenG4mhf0LQxd4MGnA7qOg9MWvqeTnG3v7OwDGac3kPDxdeq1cj8P9CrYoBtFH91JX22DhXw7Z9rQdRn082_6RzWWZVxlf6TQAlsQ8GZnvkmlDxR1VIDxjWkFLiXCPekFq29kbC1iylxapiKQOnUIJzhCYRcW3uDS0Sgo/w400-h300/PXL_20211122_195823671.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> After Sam graduated, Megan Dia volunteered a couple days a week during spring 2022 - here we are trimming off excess plaster from our temporary jacket.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLIQoopKc4mYW9ma9rLpvGjY0sw7y2TkgGqGceIo4ood1Y70YP4Oi1SM1WTyJiiBpUMwhiBiOdCl58uCjaEP1q5Lv6E2rA0DlThGulUg68fiOvIcC18vVRbr2W7gV71NBK3qPLY4sY6P7RE0YqIR_QJV4lCnwdB7KWfroZUygAvNGDJVfr6541aQKGVs/s1263/PXL_20220526_195928041.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLIQoopKc4mYW9ma9rLpvGjY0sw7y2TkgGqGceIo4ood1Y70YP4Oi1SM1WTyJiiBpUMwhiBiOdCl58uCjaEP1q5Lv6E2rA0DlThGulUg68fiOvIcC18vVRbr2W7gV71NBK3qPLY4sY6P7RE0YqIR_QJV4lCnwdB7KWfroZUygAvNGDJVfr6541aQKGVs/w400-h300/PXL_20220526_195928041.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>And lastly, Ana Sillsbury finished preparation of the specimen before SHE graduated! Sarah and I put the specimen out on exhibit in summer 2022.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p></p><p>Over the next two years, I had three additional preparators work on the specimen - Sam Czwalina, Megan Dia, and Ana Sillsbury - with the finishing touches done to the delicate mandible in Fall 2022. At this stage, I had already written about half of the eventual <i>Xenorophus</i> monograph, and at this stage I had planned on focusing on specimens from the Ashley Formation, and a separate paper later on Chandler Bridge specimens (more on that reasoning later). The prolonged preparation time of this specimen stretched my credulity, but at some stage I realized a few things that made me comfortable with including the specimen - chief among these was my inability to get the manuscript finalized well ahead of preparation. Once I realized the specimen would be completed in another couple of months, I got to work - starting with description of the skull, and then mandible, as soon as it was prepared and curated. With the cradle made for the mandible, all of the <i>Xenorophus</i> material was finally ready for study - after eight years of observations and waiting.<br /></p><p><b>What defines <i>Xenorophus</i>?</b></p><p>In the prior post I surveyed xenorophid diversity - it's pretty clear what defines some of the oddballs like <i>Inermorostrum </i>(small size, short rostrum, toothlessness) and <i>Cotylocara </i>(deep postnarial fossa with median ridge, loss of the intertemporal constriction) but what about <i>Xenorophus</i>? At the outset, the taxon was basically restricted to the holotype - which admittedly is a bit of a weird specimen. I'll talk about the weirdness of the holotype skull below and what it means for species in <i>Xenorophus</i>, but for now, just focus on what features these specimens share with it and what makes the genus <i>Xenorophus</i>.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNf44do2ssRodD0GvHW5cjg3g58BC_nOGe9fGyJyXf3NUS5HBwoQrdWIC9yeKuNGem5T-EzqZf-5beyRRXVq1LCMZ3KTR7A0CZGwro4OfJoMwFmixXmyqpIargetfPuQCVlDnazsOw_K-3ii60QMeKDh5G_GyXr4-MiURwK3rnZnfPc8f7OhOSG12bd9g/s2531/Diversity%20cover%20image%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2315" data-original-width="2531" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNf44do2ssRodD0GvHW5cjg3g58BC_nOGe9fGyJyXf3NUS5HBwoQrdWIC9yeKuNGem5T-EzqZf-5beyRRXVq1LCMZ3KTR7A0CZGwro4OfJoMwFmixXmyqpIargetfPuQCVlDnazsOw_K-3ii60QMeKDh5G_GyXr4-MiURwK3rnZnfPc8f7OhOSG12bd9g/w400-h366/Diversity%20cover%20image%205.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>First and foremost, while the new specimens are large - indeed, the largest known xenorophids - the <i>X. sloanii </i>holotype is also large in comparison to other xenorophids, though not quite as big as some of the large specimens like CCNHM 1077, 168, and ChM PV 5022. This readily distinguishes these specimens from <i>Inermorostrum</i>, <i>Albertocetus</i>, and <i>Echovenator</i>. These specimens have a well-developed intertemporal region with a sagittal crest, have a flat plateau of the frontal bone between the eye sockets (lacking a postnarial fossa), and large teeth set into a wide rostrum - clearly differentiating these specimens from <i>Cotylocara </i>and an unnamed species represented by ChM PV 2758*. One thing that sets <i>Xenorophus </i>apart from all other xenorophids, aside from <i>Albertocetus </i>- are its small, rectangular nasals. They're somewhat more elongated in others, and rather than possessing a median ridge as in <i>Cotylocara, </i>they frequently have a median groove or furrow. The wide rostrum is very distinctive, being proportionally wider than in all other xenos. It's also got the absolutely and proportionally largest teeth of any xenorophid. Most critically, however, it has some unusual patterns of asymmetry - I'll cover these more in the third post, but for the purpose of defining <i>Xenorophus</i> - it has asymmetrical palatines with the right palatine being wider than the left and extending further forward by nearly a centimeter in most specimens.<br /></p><p>*<i>Somewhat ironically, this specimen was initially interpreted as a referred specimen of </i>Xenorophus <i>by Whitmore and Sanders (1977) as it was the first xenorophid discovered in over 50 years - but later realized by Sanders that there were in fact many xenorophids, and that specimen ended up being somewhat more distantly related to </i>Xenorophus sloanii than others (such as those discussed in this post).<br /></p><p><b>How many species of <i>Xenorophus</i>?</b></p><p>Regardless of what these specimens share with the type specimen of <i>Xenorophus</i>, they all look a bit different from it. Recall above - I mentioned that Al Sanders initially didn't think any of these specimens represented <i>Xenorophus sloanii</i>. I thought that the <i>X. sloanii </i>holotype was pretty weird looking - what exactly made it weird? A few things. First, it's got big teeth: the teeth are absolutely (and especially proportionally) large, fairly cuspate, and rugose - perhaps more rugose than other specimens, and larger and more ornate/cuspate than many others including the Jaap specimen (CCNHM 168), Havenstein specimen (CCNHM 1077), and the Crowfield ditch specimen (ChM PV 5022). However, CCNHM 168 and ChM PV 5022 didn't have the posteriormost 'molars' preserved, perhaps tainting our observations. Next up, the <i>X. sloanii</i> holotype has some pretty dinky nasal bones - they're very short and nearly rectangular. Lastly, and this is the one that started to make things click for me: it's small. Still bigger than <i>Albertocetus </i>and <i>Echovenator</i>, but quite a bit smaller than any other specimen. I did not appreciate this until I saw the specimen in person in May 2016 right after my colleague Dr. Rachel Racicot's wedding (like true scientists, Morgan Churchill, Sarah, and I bundled a wedding with a research visit to the Smithsonian).</p><p>The small size of the <i>X. sloanii</i> holotype finally clicked when I thought about the spacing between the teeth. Are the teeth absolutely large, or just proportionally large? Why are the teeth so crowded? An then it struck me one afternoon at home during Covid: it's weird and small with proportionally large teeth because it's a baby! Well, not a baby, but a juvenile. You see, xenorophids probably only had one set of teeth - like modern odontocetes. When mammalian permanent teeth erupt, they're usually in half-grown individuals, and so look comically big. My background in fossil pinnipeds gave me additional important background: in juvenile pinnipeds, the teeth erupt and are overlapping and crowded, eventually being pulled apart in a much larger adult mandible as it grew larger and larger - and because the teeth do not change size, the gaps between them grow during growth! The same was true for <i>Xenorophus</i>. After I connected these dots, I decided to measure tooth size and count the cusps on them:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmlFY17LmMmNS7-JhYqnDyPa13dxy7330PvpuM8o-bRRalYHF6quuyVojXuCzrRdCwxtCJqF4Pu9FvrlDhlemkQP_CfIJnsM5c9dBKyWN1nMbOhD0Lf26Em2jor-K0xfPkKyYk3-_F1FD0m9k36DLk4wjpTv5CCr6j0TYScoHNQJ7w5DEtCZbpvZ5xU0/s1227/Figure%2074%20-%20tooth%20scatterplot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="1227" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmlFY17LmMmNS7-JhYqnDyPa13dxy7330PvpuM8o-bRRalYHF6quuyVojXuCzrRdCwxtCJqF4Pu9FvrlDhlemkQP_CfIJnsM5c9dBKyWN1nMbOhD0Lf26Em2jor-K0xfPkKyYk3-_F1FD0m9k36DLk4wjpTv5CCr6j0TYScoHNQJ7w5DEtCZbpvZ5xU0/s320/Figure%2074%20-%20tooth%20scatterplot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The teeth of the <i>X. sloanii </i>holotype are certainly the largest out of the sample, at least on this chart (tooth length X number of distal accessory cusps) - but not by much, only by a millimeter or so. They also overlap in terms of cusp counts with specimens like CCNHM 168. Further, the teeth of CCNHM 104 are probably actually larger: the measure nearly the same length, despite being highly worn down. So, the holotype's teeth are on the periphery of variation in <i>Xenorophus</i> - but fall within the range of variation. What about the nasal bones? Nasals are short in most odontocetes, but long in the largest <i>Xenorophus</i> specimens. I had a hunch that the nasal bones might lengthen during growth - I demonstrated a lengthening of all rostral bones including the nasals during my PhD research on eomysticetid whales, and in particular, in the species <i>Waharoa ruwhenua</i>. Juvenile mammals typically have shorter, stubbier, 'cuter' rostra than the adults. Sure enough, the smallest specimens like the holotype have the shortest nasal bones. The largest specimens - like CCNHM 1077, ChM PV 5022, and CCNHM 168 - have the longest nasals. Other specimens that are somewhat larger - referred to conveniently as subadults - have intermediate length nasals (CCNHM 104, ChM PV 7677). One of these in particular, ChM PV 7677, has nasals that are only slightly longer - and critically, are starting to grow this posterolateral splint that really gets long and accounts for most of the length in the old, large specimens.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0u6vN2Oe1rV4PsefGUBMSeANHQTCVUL2w8YgxPTmkgMwr42x9ei-mcb1TV_3wOOcj04iTf1yM6pD_5wKBPxxh1pv0QqR2gX7AGeUmseRHzRmAIf0DWPM25nKEloc0_k7K21SBiWlMWslkw7tiwQJ5gRwh_49r4uj3he5UNXROtQioXAbo7vY51glgx4/s2570/Figure%2031%20-%20vertex%20ontogeny.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2263" data-original-width="2570" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0u6vN2Oe1rV4PsefGUBMSeANHQTCVUL2w8YgxPTmkgMwr42x9ei-mcb1TV_3wOOcj04iTf1yM6pD_5wKBPxxh1pv0QqR2gX7AGeUmseRHzRmAIf0DWPM25nKEloc0_k7K21SBiWlMWslkw7tiwQJ5gRwh_49r4uj3he5UNXROtQioXAbo7vY51glgx4/w400-h353/Figure%2031%20-%20vertex%20ontogeny.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Nasal growth in </i>Xenorophus<i>. From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkTIzPNbCUoAZ9FAqlBtVGIUPR_UDNZDw1KM5f2tCNA0oQeHLm_JmKoWZgOo1rlp35xpVc_oNxTEjBBNw44js2A4zUbKtlUKs7CyDMqbak1xSEMb2R2jKAx6J0yw49u0ShqP2QrS7D_pizaYRSpbEFje4HjukLCUGtVMYM2rptRHWSSrJ1hfLgzTLQvs/s3281/Figure%201%20-%20Xenorophus%20stratigraphy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2173" data-original-width="3281" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkTIzPNbCUoAZ9FAqlBtVGIUPR_UDNZDw1KM5f2tCNA0oQeHLm_JmKoWZgOo1rlp35xpVc_oNxTEjBBNw44js2A4zUbKtlUKs7CyDMqbak1xSEMb2R2jKAx6J0yw49u0ShqP2QrS7D_pizaYRSpbEFje4HjukLCUGtVMYM2rptRHWSSrJ1hfLgzTLQvs/w400-h265/Figure%201%20-%20Xenorophus%20stratigraphy.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Xenorophid biochronology in the South Carolina. </i><i>From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i><br /><i> </i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIRZOu4hm_BL63oJ6BHhhufKN0-k-Gc8sG69wsTPqTr_ui-zb9hS860SVPa-As37t8SKUmcMqYk8R2MgK16_SlLFBjtUic0Nne27DuQG0YY8qz5GoxwbE1tS7SR5hS2B8rWnn2_z5ETP_gE97hnVWk0GdWmSaU3AwN2EsfXYXFOPDNAcZIa1CKgzRWng/s3220/Figure%202%20-%20CCNHM%208720%20skull%20block%20dorsal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3220" data-original-width="2432" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIRZOu4hm_BL63oJ6BHhhufKN0-k-Gc8sG69wsTPqTr_ui-zb9hS860SVPa-As37t8SKUmcMqYk8R2MgK16_SlLFBjtUic0Nne27DuQG0YY8qz5GoxwbE1tS7SR5hS2B8rWnn2_z5ETP_gE97hnVWk0GdWmSaU3AwN2EsfXYXFOPDNAcZIa1CKgzRWng/w303-h400/Figure%202%20-%20CCNHM%208720%20skull%20block%20dorsal.jpg" width="303" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The holotype skull block of </i>Xenorophus simplicidens <i>with the skull in dorsal view. CCNHM 8720. From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzhcVSeGbBpnjP2AjmMQitzyQvHJ45kOSFKP0wIaaEyQbUIx3cS2rhIiOh3ZNDzU1XYsnrxmm1SOP1qKPkf2zaEOK3yIW7Im4VIi-PHA5wdF_XR2qsPsPuy1yYG0wOIR1W5xPr1ZHciWdMc4UpvC634T2iu9TXDQQwgeGh6nOX32A3C5-pkOP6KhfIwlc/s3261/Figure%203%20-%20CCNHM%208720%20block%20ventral.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3261" data-original-width="2526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzhcVSeGbBpnjP2AjmMQitzyQvHJ45kOSFKP0wIaaEyQbUIx3cS2rhIiOh3ZNDzU1XYsnrxmm1SOP1qKPkf2zaEOK3yIW7Im4VIi-PHA5wdF_XR2qsPsPuy1yYG0wOIR1W5xPr1ZHciWdMc4UpvC634T2iu9TXDQQwgeGh6nOX32A3C5-pkOP6KhfIwlc/w310-h400/Figure%203%20-%20CCNHM%208720%20block%20ventral.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><i>The holotype skull block of </i>Xenorophus simplicidens <i>with the skull in ventral view. CCNHM 8720. From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WJ2B47A7BTXry2Vi152h1ZLc2NPDPVaEfy2oqZu8ph4bpnacifd1HvtfViv99p20Saq7CTI40ypHqFSjWD68XYe9NKZtabZ75pC93wZShcc3BMdPqE638wv0b6y4SNYejvla_UUjjwnqv10udv7a14d-or1uXTXcbXPLqIzRpIjOB5lJM7mugxDfF00/s3132/Figure%204%20-%20CCNHM%208720%20ventral%20skull%20only.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3132" data-original-width="2371" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WJ2B47A7BTXry2Vi152h1ZLc2NPDPVaEfy2oqZu8ph4bpnacifd1HvtfViv99p20Saq7CTI40ypHqFSjWD68XYe9NKZtabZ75pC93wZShcc3BMdPqE638wv0b6y4SNYejvla_UUjjwnqv10udv7a14d-or1uXTXcbXPLqIzRpIjOB5lJM7mugxDfF00/w303-h400/Figure%204%20-%20CCNHM%208720%20ventral%20skull%20only.jpg" width="303" /></a></i></div><i><br /> And another view with just the skull highlighted. </i><i>From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSAJBPa-IxjavOjSS7NvaPm9kUlCeM6kl2h-TdvWrqMjkhDkzWeYIXdZfEVoz-0Es444DiYoSR4YinHWc0ltSo0bib6IxWslCLxQlL8OvpxWadRau4KBW8glnXH6T136xri1Ob2PAeFD_aipAdUhoBALiXo-Wqd-ViOHCP05FR8g9jdGK3y6yg9HKIc4/s2481/Figure%2019%20-%20simplicidens%20palate%20+%20upper%20teeth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2481" data-original-width="2070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSAJBPa-IxjavOjSS7NvaPm9kUlCeM6kl2h-TdvWrqMjkhDkzWeYIXdZfEVoz-0Es444DiYoSR4YinHWc0ltSo0bib6IxWslCLxQlL8OvpxWadRau4KBW8glnXH6T136xri1Ob2PAeFD_aipAdUhoBALiXo-Wqd-ViOHCP05FR8g9jdGK3y6yg9HKIc4/s320/Figure%2019%20-%20simplicidens%20palate%20+%20upper%20teeth.jpg" width="267" /></a></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The postcanine dentition and palate of the </i>Xenorophus simplicidens<i> holotype, CCNHM 8720. From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjnhYFqqHL8OEeF2uzvQQNayGRkLQFuoeQVgm7br25ct-RRx-FszGlLKkG8ZrCqe09craFHxpbwm_EWBpd-0TFwH6kSVwKA8qXimLmhD3L5o6mkLXgGIN-L5tQ8s_AckxA9hgPXNeItjCidGBcz5TlpuP0PPeM9uX1PGOgNzazHy_vc_gOvSZHmPYKtQ/s2681/Figure%2020%20-%20simplicidens%20mandible%20+%20lower%20dentition.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2681" data-original-width="2608" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjnhYFqqHL8OEeF2uzvQQNayGRkLQFuoeQVgm7br25ct-RRx-FszGlLKkG8ZrCqe09craFHxpbwm_EWBpd-0TFwH6kSVwKA8qXimLmhD3L5o6mkLXgGIN-L5tQ8s_AckxA9hgPXNeItjCidGBcz5TlpuP0PPeM9uX1PGOgNzazHy_vc_gOvSZHmPYKtQ/w389-h400/Figure%2020%20-%20simplicidens%20mandible%20+%20lower%20dentition.jpg" width="389" /></a></div><br /> The exceptionally nice mandible of </i>Xenorophus simplicidens<i>, CCNHM 8720, and a view of the postcanine teeth. </i><i>From Boessenecker and Geisler (2023).</i></div><p>The Ashley and Chandler Bridge formations are about five million years
apart: the Ashley dates to 28-30 myo and the Chandler Bridge to 24.5 or
so. In this context, I typically think that it's unlikely to find the
same species in each unit, and that stratigraphically separated species
are likely. In two cases, I've found good evidence for species
longevity: <i>Ankylorhiza tiedemani</i>, and <i>Albertocetus meffordorum </i>-
at least based on published material; there are more specimens out
there that may, of course, lead me or others to reinterpret these
hypotheses. In this context, I started looking for any evidence of 1)
difference between the Ashley and Chandler Bridge samples of <i>Xenorophus </i>and
2) any evidence of two, rather than one, species in either rock unit. I
failed to find any evidence of multiple species, and noticed a number
of differences between the Chandler Bridge and Ashley Formation
specimens. Specimens from the Ashley Formation tended to be larger, with
longer nasals, and somewhat more complex teeth - CCNHM 8720 and ChM PV
4823 in particular have fewer accessory cusps and one less double rooted
tooth position than the Ashley Formation sample, as well as less rugose
enamel throughout the dentition. Al Sanders chose the name <i>Xenorophus simplicidens</i>
largely based on ChM PV 4823 - the Edisto river specimen - though the
teeth are perhaps less extremely simplified than he let on privately.
Nonetheless, we duplicated most of Al's observations in CCNHM 8720 (the
Aylor <i>Xenorophus</i>). While CCNHM 8720 had a bit of a squashed and
incompletely exposed skull, it does have two things the admittedly nicer
skull of ChM PV 4823 lacked: a virtually complete upper dentition, a
mandible, and a nearly complete lower dentition. So, we honored Al Sanders with using the species <i>Xenorophus simplicidens </i>for the species from the Chandler Bridge Formation with somewhat simpler teeth. We also found that the Chandler Bridge Formation skulls are somewhat smaller and less robust than <i>Xenorophus sloanii</i>. We chose ChM PV 4823 as a paratype specimen, since it is a very nice virtually complete skull though it critically lacks many of the teeth preserved in CCNHM 8720, which we chose as the holotype.<br /></p><p>All told, this sample demonstrated that 1) there are two, stratigraphically separated species of <i>Xenorophus</i> and that all specimens from the Ashley Formation belong to <i>Xenorophus sloanii</i>; 2) all specimens from the Chandler Bridge Formation belong to the new species <i>Xenorophus simplicidens</i>; 3) there are some interesting ontogenetic trends including the lengthening of the rostrum and nasal bones, and other changes I'll talk about in part 3!</p><p><b>References</b></p><p>Boessenecker, R.W., and Geisler, J.H. 2023. New skeletons of the ancient dolphin <i>Xenorophus sloanii </i>and <i>Xenorophus simplicidens</i> sp. nov. (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Oligocene of South Carolina and the ontogeny, functional anatomy, asymmetry, pathology, and evolution of the earliest Odontoceti. Diversity 15:1154.</p><p>Geisler, J.H., and Sanders, A.E. 2003. Morphological evidence for the phylogeny of Cetacea. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 10:23–129.<br /></p></div><br />Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-60344402914560435382024-03-03T07:58:00.003-07:002024-03-03T07:58:46.059-07:00Visit to the future office: San Diego Natural History Museum<p>Two weeks ago Sarah and I visited San Diego to do some house hunting - we're planning on doing our coast-to-coast move in mid-May, and already have a talk scheduled at the Museum of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, which is conveniently our half-way point; we can take a breather, hang out with our friend Aaron Pan (the MTT director) and then finish our trip through the desert of the American southwest. </p><p>Bottom line is, our house hunting was a success - and we made a couple pit stops at the San Diego Natural History Museum. I'll be starting as the second Colclough Postdoctoral Research Fellow on June 1 - my best friend Dr. Ash Poust was the inaugural research fellow. Here are some photos from the trip!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lNUFGuenneyJ589QtAuizK1q7DTdDVEK3IEmhpsxubtdAf43D9yId_Af2FazHfiQCfLyGrdKFg2CNRnHEzeEkPfYNCi1QpH-f0t0Q5I-X4kkYWlXn0Y65GwOdj1OVLQfIJQFACWe2IeY2RHhOfjrApdit38BiFrzAgUYW_ZEazoxdTo9PG7-IxO6Tvc/s947/PXL_20240219_135011808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lNUFGuenneyJ589QtAuizK1q7DTdDVEK3IEmhpsxubtdAf43D9yId_Af2FazHfiQCfLyGrdKFg2CNRnHEzeEkPfYNCi1QpH-f0t0Q5I-X4kkYWlXn0Y65GwOdj1OVLQfIJQFACWe2IeY2RHhOfjrApdit38BiFrzAgUYW_ZEazoxdTo9PG7-IxO6Tvc/s320/PXL_20240219_135011808.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Sarah and I stopped to say hello to an old friend in the terminal at O'Hare.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyj9IHUxG42zV2kTqdWB8XSqMookeriADiry31ZV_HhdpLjKoV6Hd4krrn-VHCoO3R0tjNQn9lgHyKS7SOgdI79Jh8gQIpAD2nhJISWRrYGTKrH0iG6MNS4rxIvFp82_YVv5IsiixMpSxdKNBjTgG9GyZGywN_dKTcimI9PbeF3b_VaIPwfGsNo3zJ0GQ/s1258/PXL_20240219_221304828.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyj9IHUxG42zV2kTqdWB8XSqMookeriADiry31ZV_HhdpLjKoV6Hd4krrn-VHCoO3R0tjNQn9lgHyKS7SOgdI79Jh8gQIpAD2nhJISWRrYGTKrH0iG6MNS4rxIvFp82_YVv5IsiixMpSxdKNBjTgG9GyZGywN_dKTcimI9PbeF3b_VaIPwfGsNo3zJ0GQ/w400-h301/PXL_20240219_221304828.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> SDNHM Curator Dr. Tom Demere picked us up at the airport and then showed us around the museum. The last time I visited was in January 2012 - 12 years prior! We went around exhibits for a bit. Here he is talking to visitors in front of the gigantic, as-yet-undescribed skull of </i>Hydrodamalis cuestae<i>, the largest sirenian ever (Pliocene San Diego Formation).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcyz-hKqyq6hHFRMfp-2iy4dmGriHBAnjaKxrX0iTnCYgMZFRrk39BnkxFtO4ABgwJBpLiuP9tI1B7MyF5SqDEcFt7ksGeDOuQcqACIFHJndZYIG_VfqQDWBPjJ9FDybAt1KE5HuGrbEauRag4Nmz5F0q8C9hNWjuoLDcHFKz6sGPF5mwyQZtG6OXRjI/s1258/PXL_20240219_221907847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcyz-hKqyq6hHFRMfp-2iy4dmGriHBAnjaKxrX0iTnCYgMZFRrk39BnkxFtO4ABgwJBpLiuP9tI1B7MyF5SqDEcFt7ksGeDOuQcqACIFHJndZYIG_VfqQDWBPjJ9FDybAt1KE5HuGrbEauRag4Nmz5F0q8C9hNWjuoLDcHFKz6sGPF5mwyQZtG6OXRjI/w400-h301/PXL_20240219_221907847.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />Sarah admiring the paratype skull of </i>Valenictus chulavistensis<i>. </i><i>From the Pliocene San Diego Formation.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8gtQqi9No83xt8WO6fvu5wk62rX_ESYeT3ScOjsrTzd9cvh0eZbC1E7WFYAUBBx13Ngil5N6LSvwO8oYVskP78I4Vzfe3jU_cub2ADmGCKNT0MmiS6RaVw9VXa55Pu19yCxiXPQvhSRKgNMBZ5LUVfo99REl5-fo8qhUIatOgm7dmA1y00OZunnnYxs/s1258/PXL_20240219_221959779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8gtQqi9No83xt8WO6fvu5wk62rX_ESYeT3ScOjsrTzd9cvh0eZbC1E7WFYAUBBx13Ngil5N6LSvwO8oYVskP78I4Vzfe3jU_cub2ADmGCKNT0MmiS6RaVw9VXa55Pu19yCxiXPQvhSRKgNMBZ5LUVfo99REl5-fo8qhUIatOgm7dmA1y00OZunnnYxs/w400-h301/PXL_20240219_221959779.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A beautiful undescribed skull of the Pliocene double-tusked walrus </i>Dusignathus seftoni<i>, with Sarah and Tom talking about </i>Valenictus<i> in the background. From the Pliocene San Diego Formation.<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHxZRTHC8M85cMYZ6VCPkBNvDPb2qp087Qhyhkuwlml7o_cAbbiGZv1fPJmn80X0BxS33-mnjR5Oqym5mrSCpsBZBj2zNohJ0vvKjDshBjUL_mmYsraxn8uK7stX4Cqv1WytQSgM9RwK9PlGAthghXDOQRhQ3be2xwQIah8NMjQMeuKnFnPrwEBKC7qg/s1258/PXL_20240219_222912346.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHxZRTHC8M85cMYZ6VCPkBNvDPb2qp087Qhyhkuwlml7o_cAbbiGZv1fPJmn80X0BxS33-mnjR5Oqym5mrSCpsBZBj2zNohJ0vvKjDshBjUL_mmYsraxn8uK7stX4Cqv1WytQSgM9RwK9PlGAthghXDOQRhQ3be2xwQIah8NMjQMeuKnFnPrwEBKC7qg/w400-h301/PXL_20240219_222912346.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Tom showing us the new exhibit on the controversial Cerutti Mastodon Site - controversial owing to its apparent extreme age for a human site in North America (100,000+ years). Here he is pointing at what looks to be a percussion flake on a mastodon bone (tibia, if memory serves).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHqKphLa1jBTsvlijAwal4KhhFudXd610zozAWKVIWiwV5B9c_HX8uOpnArPSqcn4d7J0MjyV8CXTXV3306ZLrTSZPcm4MYwz6Cj2QX_EyTvvvq6WUBZK5Ju3Jtrwmm3VLcGplPfN8xm1rUoBpAFr7RrwZznIM-d9p37f6vAswbxdgSf2Gb4zwNgWTXA/s947/PXL_20240219_223009609.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHqKphLa1jBTsvlijAwal4KhhFudXd610zozAWKVIWiwV5B9c_HX8uOpnArPSqcn4d7J0MjyV8CXTXV3306ZLrTSZPcm4MYwz6Cj2QX_EyTvvvq6WUBZK5Ju3Jtrwmm3VLcGplPfN8xm1rUoBpAFr7RrwZznIM-d9p37f6vAswbxdgSf2Gb4zwNgWTXA/w301-h400/PXL_20240219_223009609.MP.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br />A molar of </i>Mammut pacificus <i>from the Cerutti Mastodon Site</i>, <i>broken into three pieces, and found several meters apart. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJt4xwvD6nHh43ykhHPkoON2JYDUj0QVEFNBbyKd4RXK154_SNPKdTo33unkCC-5436ugya14KPk2YFJLOb6vtRzsq5kmHP53Oem8qrpSNNEL8GOWWYz9vDSZ4vHEE8vzzuTXPe4SQU3jhTzfDIj_exIm0QHCClc7psqw9XwBScJezdx7vW2UwlvnywD4/s1258/PXL_20240219_223518716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJt4xwvD6nHh43ykhHPkoON2JYDUj0QVEFNBbyKd4RXK154_SNPKdTo33unkCC-5436ugya14KPk2YFJLOb6vtRzsq5kmHP53Oem8qrpSNNEL8GOWWYz9vDSZ4vHEE8vzzuTXPe4SQU3jhTzfDIj_exIm0QHCClc7psqw9XwBScJezdx7vW2UwlvnywD4/w400-h301/PXL_20240219_223518716.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> A spectacular collection of San Diego ammonites! I'm normally allergic to Cretaceous fossils - at least, Cretaceous fossils from far-off places taking up precious space where local fossils belong on display. These not only get a free pass, but I'll elevate them - because they ARE local fossils! The SDNHM does a fantastic job showcasing the local paleontology of San Diego.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgZLDEWd1iezsb2Z-0S6HG-MBKVniQj2Sfa7B81C42cHhRFUSQeIm4e7TnEnUA1ZV5ob6EotXoeSEyN5yXuoWPhtwkCzNphhAKTlc1DyVhSvjwFGfLM1DelCXK1cG7WSrXOKykEcejEJT8y3_AUFerca79BnIfTr6ky0sHV9EEYZlfpDsHpYqS4pfLS4/s1258/PXL_20240219_223524960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgZLDEWd1iezsb2Z-0S6HG-MBKVniQj2Sfa7B81C42cHhRFUSQeIm4e7TnEnUA1ZV5ob6EotXoeSEyN5yXuoWPhtwkCzNphhAKTlc1DyVhSvjwFGfLM1DelCXK1cG7WSrXOKykEcejEJT8y3_AUFerca79BnIfTr6ky0sHV9EEYZlfpDsHpYqS4pfLS4/w400-h301/PXL_20240219_223524960.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> More San Diego ammonites.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaD8hZwkpCe9J3qNpen7XhofqcdW1fH5ONYusFe7ZQ6IyUR9aJLnkpmJOv0VccKnrLNezAd22ZrpPbL1FIvwPmyfE1Cy3MdEAvMc98tw9vijAIQNJnUvonSyHD1XSVGeynLltFpfuvIIzl0V_k6_sYqEn0OLo6fCWrVvEay5fE3VoO9xK2h49HAD69r8I/s1258/PXL_20240219_224043697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaD8hZwkpCe9J3qNpen7XhofqcdW1fH5ONYusFe7ZQ6IyUR9aJLnkpmJOv0VccKnrLNezAd22ZrpPbL1FIvwPmyfE1Cy3MdEAvMc98tw9vijAIQNJnUvonSyHD1XSVGeynLltFpfuvIIzl0V_k6_sYqEn0OLo6fCWrVvEay5fE3VoO9xK2h49HAD69r8I/w400-h301/PXL_20240219_224043697.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> A terrible photo of a cast of Dorudon atrox on display...</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuV3Zls9xbsv0ryblfY2p3_VGydaKacVcshP3ZnwDEpKG90eVaqpgtCJxzrwDU6zMPBTSmI68MdmsfmFURAKqSlTbB4AYNvZQ2dQcYV5Klv-H-dKWhPAL6tmXN00PffjxxPURLu2TC6mYKbhKQVOuJ2d7KnzWKAsxua-IXBLc-RkVdDMdXY73gjKSfSlE/s947/PXL_20240219_224058157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuV3Zls9xbsv0ryblfY2p3_VGydaKacVcshP3ZnwDEpKG90eVaqpgtCJxzrwDU6zMPBTSmI68MdmsfmFURAKqSlTbB4AYNvZQ2dQcYV5Klv-H-dKWhPAL6tmXN00PffjxxPURLu2TC6mYKbhKQVOuJ2d7KnzWKAsxua-IXBLc-RkVdDMdXY73gjKSfSlE/w301-h400/PXL_20240219_224058157.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br />...and next to it, a very detailed 3d print of the "controversial" toothed mysticete </i>Aetiocetus weltoni<i>, the specimen with evidence of teeth and baleen at the same time. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOSvM6nb_Trh5P26Ul5OHesHxp7fHUYwwCTSxi-sgYFO4-kjrqpG2hbt6rK2whhyphenhyphend3f1ziPEoC_lsk1GKbGskIND5IlYOT5aEicXSChEDsgH8fO_Mv7EaVE7Y3mfi15zZsffPC9qq9YbAZn3fLqu0iTTHHNycCvfq-Hwmp967Zsgt1PWAYVuoyKQG3QM/s947/PXL_20240219_224101845.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOSvM6nb_Trh5P26Ul5OHesHxp7fHUYwwCTSxi-sgYFO4-kjrqpG2hbt6rK2whhyphenhyphend3f1ziPEoC_lsk1GKbGskIND5IlYOT5aEicXSChEDsgH8fO_Mv7EaVE7Y3mfi15zZsffPC9qq9YbAZn3fLqu0iTTHHNycCvfq-Hwmp967Zsgt1PWAYVuoyKQG3QM/w301-h400/PXL_20240219_224101845.MP.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The palatal foramina in </i>Aetiocetus weltoni <i>suggest that baleen was present in addition to teeth. This proposal by Tom and others in 2008 has remained surprisingly controversial for over 15 years.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0y-ZGMhWa1c4YsZ51JCY5O2hbQWL7P9TegqvXqDsQN4J5JAZdaImqF9BUkpK7zLmH9ui9P1Lx0LxAq0aq_NEfhJIK6MD_ypEP5F_YGAynxFZlBK6WVPgFBxC8LNmwcxwZt70szslrGwJTvY6ev5Puu2WlAPXHg1C85qxDJfdikn9tyZKs6jhHzCjqj4A/s1258/PXL_20240219_224520948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0y-ZGMhWa1c4YsZ51JCY5O2hbQWL7P9TegqvXqDsQN4J5JAZdaImqF9BUkpK7zLmH9ui9P1Lx0LxAq0aq_NEfhJIK6MD_ypEP5F_YGAynxFZlBK6WVPgFBxC8LNmwcxwZt70szslrGwJTvY6ev5Puu2WlAPXHg1C85qxDJfdikn9tyZKs6jhHzCjqj4A/w400-h301/PXL_20240219_224520948.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> Tom made sure to show us my future office! This used to be Ash Poust's view. There's no windows, unlike my old office, but the workplace is a helluva lot nicer - and this office is bigger, and not shared. I basically worked out of a cubicle for the past 8 years.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMNWMpVvJtUTr8GXDxaCpkpKVh1ULODTg3LJvBqhjEnbhxTik_Ql0IGnKt-ESm-rRLYUzFG9TksFSNUIMvyq1Fz6uJ6rWbHU9w7BAbeLPxqknYp2A_LrFgS-6dJxe755wBdpwFGgSHFd5raKiTLhzKsZ7FA2qE9VKQ2ISq66GXuoActOUZkmjmQoRQHb8/s1258/PXL_20240219_235418630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMNWMpVvJtUTr8GXDxaCpkpKVh1ULODTg3LJvBqhjEnbhxTik_Ql0IGnKt-ESm-rRLYUzFG9TksFSNUIMvyq1Fz6uJ6rWbHU9w7BAbeLPxqknYp2A_LrFgS-6dJxe755wBdpwFGgSHFd5raKiTLhzKsZ7FA2qE9VKQ2ISq66GXuoActOUZkmjmQoRQHb8/w400-h301/PXL_20240219_235418630.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> Sarah admiring the "half skull" of </i>Valenictus chulavistensis<i> - an unpublished large adult make skull, one side of which was taken off by a bulldozer. Pliocene San Diego Formation.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwxYKEL-1ZvVvBicv6NIZmLB-eadOSC8bNqkTzwKGutBeyAKaoOnVlNb5YzHIJQHhfF4id9X7skBbpf6PoCR3aMl8MVUih6b6V2rT5gineo-0ATGU5tRiIdkdes5wsJn2iNNaMoiSdNaZJsNsdLGP3ci-K6xe6n1DV4UBAIPrciSxThM4lRO_To2tiuMs/s947/PXL_20240220_205514630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwxYKEL-1ZvVvBicv6NIZmLB-eadOSC8bNqkTzwKGutBeyAKaoOnVlNb5YzHIJQHhfF4id9X7skBbpf6PoCR3aMl8MVUih6b6V2rT5gineo-0ATGU5tRiIdkdes5wsJn2iNNaMoiSdNaZJsNsdLGP3ci-K6xe6n1DV4UBAIPrciSxThM4lRO_To2tiuMs/w301-h400/PXL_20240220_205514630.jpg" width="301" /></a></i></div><i><br /> The main hall at SDNHM.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXmZOZPXWkmBQ62g8dWMPdpvwBkmXOWyAl2pJXuCfOZU12MarRKpAL8gclucYDPzwWjRgDNPHp1vemGkFlLQ-twAZyALcATfz7dI_JFIIE2he8uhcKgOYuQd5T33RmRetKpenrPNI5I50msNNcjHEQjdjmJjOyrzYuxsXrPKcDlLIkRqURYn8nmgo39g/s947/PXL_20240220_214529760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXmZOZPXWkmBQ62g8dWMPdpvwBkmXOWyAl2pJXuCfOZU12MarRKpAL8gclucYDPzwWjRgDNPHp1vemGkFlLQ-twAZyALcATfz7dI_JFIIE2he8uhcKgOYuQd5T33RmRetKpenrPNI5I50msNNcjHEQjdjmJjOyrzYuxsXrPKcDlLIkRqURYn8nmgo39g/w301-h400/PXL_20240220_214529760.jpg" width="301" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Cretaceous carrier shells - </i>Xenophora hermax<i>! Before seeing these I had no idea this genus ranged into the Mesozoic - I had seen Oligocene examples at Otago during my Ph.D. This species only cements rounded pebbles to its shell. Modern species cement other shells, bits of limestone, and basalt, and chiefly inhabit the Indo-Pacific. <br /> </i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqd-WhSWNUiJFl9wea462g8EcTkoIauNe70VkQ7yh7I6aZYYTqXi-DZNMJN9xGZVCGOxaX6nReP0CcW29mtdJOvTaeoyQ-9twO91wI8gMxmqTobYuGcaeX1ElyCuWolYwRWgqUv35KRvGlQFb9AzwnD6GsVxDVb3583_eadhJlDHXYjnWWbwxsbn5-mbg/s947/PXL_20240223_160839633.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqd-WhSWNUiJFl9wea462g8EcTkoIauNe70VkQ7yh7I6aZYYTqXi-DZNMJN9xGZVCGOxaX6nReP0CcW29mtdJOvTaeoyQ-9twO91wI8gMxmqTobYuGcaeX1ElyCuWolYwRWgqUv35KRvGlQFb9AzwnD6GsVxDVb3583_eadhJlDHXYjnWWbwxsbn5-mbg/w301-h400/PXL_20240223_160839633.MP.jpg" width="301" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>And back at home, with the kitties. Jonesy has never been in a car for very long and is going to have a very confusing week in a couple of months.<br /> </i><br /></p></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-51262720171955524722024-03-02T10:46:00.000-07:002024-03-02T10:46:00.518-07:00Fossil Walruses and Other Ancient Life in the Monterey Bay: recorded lecture for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History<p> A couple of years ago on National Fossil Day I was invited to give an online talk for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History on fossil walruses from the Purisima Formation in Santa Cruz, and a bit more on the marine mammal fauna and what the fossils from the Santa Cruz cliffs tell us about their modern relatives. <a href="https://www.santacruzmuseum.org/10-13-fossil-walruses-and-other-ancient-life-in-the-monterey-bay-with-dr-robert-boessenecker-online-member-event/">Click here for the museum page for the talk.</a><br /></p><p>The talk is also up on youtube, and you can watch it here:</p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4T8rG0khSWE?si=SOF54ycs1VtxxwKj" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-67254563713134893662024-02-12T07:33:00.005-07:002024-02-12T22:48:35.715-07:00Valenictus sheperdi and friends: Miocene-Pliocene tusked walruses from the Purisima Formation in Santa Cruz, California<div><p><i>I had very much intended to be writing a part 2 of my Xenorophus blog series right now but the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology jumped the gun and published our walrus paper without letting us know a publication date - I assumed it would be in March sometime [heads up to anyone else 'attempting' to put together a press release for an upcoming paper in JVP - also, you will have to ask them if your paper has been chosen as a feature/cover article, because they will not tell you at present]. Without further ado, a summary of our most recent paper on odobenine walruses from the Purisima Formation.</i></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmIpdpGKzIiccKkD_ozd80HYd0UUjriGbwS9zX-Tir0HGw1Kt1GixHBJU3pXQWF3cmpmSaj6B518fN_cAHU6C3x-Cy6lq6JkBZtCLV90CjW95ULHjW4pKe11rs8iqHZeWtE6ot1rcRrVoFdGdB3T-O6tzeHKSKzlvtBnyUFqaRc4vIh_4vorQIVfShqo/s3040/walrus%20evolution.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2440" data-original-width="3040" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmIpdpGKzIiccKkD_ozd80HYd0UUjriGbwS9zX-Tir0HGw1Kt1GixHBJU3pXQWF3cmpmSaj6B518fN_cAHU6C3x-Cy6lq6JkBZtCLV90CjW95ULHjW4pKe11rs8iqHZeWtE6ot1rcRrVoFdGdB3T-O6tzeHKSKzlvtBnyUFqaRc4vIh_4vorQIVfShqo/w400-h321/walrus%20evolution.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Infographic I made a few years ago combining my skull line drawings with a composite phylogeny.<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i><p></p><p><b>Introduction</b></p><p>Walruses have a surprisingly long fossil record - and as bizarre as the modern walrus is, it's of course only logical that it must have looked less weird in the past (we're going to flip this idea on its head here shortly). What I mean by this is that walruses are pinnipeds - closely related to seals and sea lions, within the order Carnivora. Pinnipeds, along with cetaceans and sirenians, are one of the three "main" groups of marine mammals. Sea otters, aquatic sloths, the polar bear, and a couple other weirdos like <i>Kolponomos</i> are geologically more ephemeral experiments with marine existence - but pinnipeds are one of the 'long haulers', so to speak. Because the walrus is a highly specialized and unusual pinniped, it stands to reason that ancestral walruses must have been much more seal or sea lion like in the past - and for most of the Miocene - roughly half of their evolutionary history (from about 17 to about 8-9 million years) - they would have looked pretty similar to a seal or sea lion externally, and even internally as their skulls are quite similar. By the late Miocene (~8-5 million years), walruses diverge into a few groups - a few late-surviving "imagotariine" walruses like <i>Pontolis </i>and <i>Titanotaria</i>, the dusignathines or double-tusked walruses (<i>Dusignathus</i>, <i>Gomphotaria</i>) - and the odobenines, or true tusked walruses. If you want a slightly dated* recap of all of this, see my blog series "The Evolutionary History of Walruses" - <a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-evolutionary-history-of-walruses.html">part 1</a>, <a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-evolutionary-history-of-walruses_26.html">part 2</a>, <a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-evolutionary-history-of-walruses.html">part 3</a>, <a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-evolutionary-history-of-walruses_24.html">part 4</a>, <a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-evolutionary-history-of-walruses.html">part 5</a>.</p><p>*OH MY GOD I cannot believe I wrote that series ten years ago.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfPm58V_QkqslX3YIscru3o_6MsJWQjXaMIFHhcOT_0hxSqLFtrzEsUr5wxnsK6Wh8dxUYoquoBnN_9PQcb7Cg8X6D2UKXjxgivmkon1F11NTGDc_qg6fqcWFvOIaAvrimmuxDeCmi_vQf2jS8NGfQ4TbUziP5qgVEi93XuxhQoeTb5leq8Bc8InKTDQ/s1600/Aivukus.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfPm58V_QkqslX3YIscru3o_6MsJWQjXaMIFHhcOT_0hxSqLFtrzEsUr5wxnsK6Wh8dxUYoquoBnN_9PQcb7Cg8X6D2UKXjxgivmkon1F11NTGDc_qg6fqcWFvOIaAvrimmuxDeCmi_vQf2jS8NGfQ4TbUziP5qgVEi93XuxhQoeTb5leq8Bc8InKTDQ/w400-h214/Aivukus.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Cast of the skull of </i>Aivukus cedrosensis <i>from the Almejas Formation of Baja California.</i><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><p>Odobenine walruses are surprisingly diverse compared to today. The oldest named species is <i>Aivukus cedrosensis</i>, thought to be about 6-8 million years old - from the Almejas Formation of Isla Cedros off the coast of Baja California. It has a long seal-like snout and lacks tusks, but has several cranial features of the odobenines and a reduced dentition. The age of this taxon is uncertain - there is no good maximum date for the Almejas Formation. However, during this study we realized that all of the teeth of great white sharks reported from this unit are <i>Carcharodon carcharias</i>, according to the faunal list of Barnes (2008) - rather than unserrated teeth of <i>Carcharodon hastalis</i>. It's possible that these teeth could represent the transitional great white <i>Carcharodon hubbelli</i> and were misidentified as <i>C. carcharias </i>- but no <i>C. hastalis </i>teeth are reported from these localities. This strongly suggests that the Almejas Formation is likely to be younger than the base of the Purisima Formation at Santa Cruz, where <i>C. hastalis </i>teeth occur in a few layers that are approximately 6.3-6.7 million years old.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiGBX_Deg_XpfILAkH3aUbR4Ls1hfUgIcdeDo2CYcIANGKM9_Hkgsd2AyyvcJIXMcYN2BK8xm3AxDiPvuvzTB8okedlBCAr5P0ozp7u__69eLs4tdJTuurhEYlqKOHrIyjDkXbJR8yy-2DpzL6_d2_ZCZrKovpK38WwjY1AQnpIjFJ6yiwqbVJp2hVXtM/s1136/Protodobenus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="1136" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiGBX_Deg_XpfILAkH3aUbR4Ls1hfUgIcdeDo2CYcIANGKM9_Hkgsd2AyyvcJIXMcYN2BK8xm3AxDiPvuvzTB8okedlBCAr5P0ozp7u__69eLs4tdJTuurhEYlqKOHrIyjDkXbJR8yy-2DpzL6_d2_ZCZrKovpK38WwjY1AQnpIjFJ6yiwqbVJp2hVXtM/w400-h243/Protodobenus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The holotype and only known skull of </i>Protodobenus japonicus<i>.</i><br /></p><p>A somewhat more derived species, <i>Protodobenus japonicus </i>from the early Pliocene of Japan (4-5 mya), has a short stubby snout and short stubby tusks. These tusks look like regular canines externally, but critically possess a core of globular dentine (see following paragraph). <i>Protodobenus </i>is small - harbor seal sized - and very likely to be a juvenile. The erupted parts of the canines are minimal but also broken, and the true extent of what is erupted is unclear. However, if it is indeed a juvenile, longer tusks were very likely present in adult forms. Unlike <i>Aivukus</i>, <i>Protodobenus </i>has a very deep and foreshortened skull and an inflated 'muzzle' that houses those elongated canine roots - roots that seem to be open, and perhaps continuously growing.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysaIaBnrMrd4uraCRv7T3s3gRBuXYS4XGh3lNMmNb0saa7kS_crmjJDVUInGw5L4uTb36GPXOcTmhXHt2UU-jw9uievZkswlZgrZEr9iy4RPOWEytRffbfRC5x5mBQGgO9SEbOL8tL5slWIeo9fYoPfvlOMANWSJSyThMHsebz2rjO51h7DWdt-BGf3M/s1190/Hemicaulodon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="1190" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysaIaBnrMrd4uraCRv7T3s3gRBuXYS4XGh3lNMmNb0saa7kS_crmjJDVUInGw5L4uTb36GPXOcTmhXHt2UU-jw9uievZkswlZgrZEr9iy4RPOWEytRffbfRC5x5mBQGgO9SEbOL8tL5slWIeo9fYoPfvlOMANWSJSyThMHsebz2rjO51h7DWdt-BGf3M/w400-h170/Hemicaulodon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Thick core of globular dentine in tusks of modern and fossil walruses - from Ray (1975).</i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEPC8Bo4h5AEPWt5nQJLzcybW96dxr5aYAnmaT4vvPNaTqRdssRNMjBA2QBrSDr-VKpcdLLxuNzpy_3whedfgZAAvQXDHE3_7cY8vvEc4qBHJrNEpsj33aiyQAmtD9zF8hgxXNKnv53vI30UAhGeVY_lHb7BpGLkJZErBHDe9204g0WaZSZB2J9hFUKs/s1184/other%20marine%20mammal%20teeth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="1184" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEPC8Bo4h5AEPWt5nQJLzcybW96dxr5aYAnmaT4vvPNaTqRdssRNMjBA2QBrSDr-VKpcdLLxuNzpy_3whedfgZAAvQXDHE3_7cY8vvEc4qBHJrNEpsj33aiyQAmtD9zF8hgxXNKnv53vI30UAhGeVY_lHb7BpGLkJZErBHDe9204g0WaZSZB2J9hFUKs/s320/other%20marine%20mammal%20teeth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Sparse globules of dentine in teeth of modern elephant seal (left) and sperm whale (middle, right) - from Ray (1975).</i><br /></div><div><p>Globular dentine is a dental tissue unique to some mammals - it consists of little beads of dentine fused together and occurs sporadically in sperm whale teeth but as a large rod running down the middle of the tusk in some walruses. In 1994, Tom Deméré named the new tribe Odobenini - a smaller clade within the Odobeninae - based on the possession of globular dentine. Aside from the modern species, <i>Odobenus</i> <i>rosmarus</i>, three other walrus genera are present in this clade: the fragmentary <i>Pliopedia </i>(which we'll sort of ignore for a while), the "toothless" walrus <i>Valenictus</i>, and <i>Ontocetus </i>from the North Atlantic and Japan. </p><p><b>Early discoveries: <i>Valenictus imperialensis</i> (and a little about <i>Pliopedia pacifica</i>)</b><br /></p><p>One of preeminent marine mammal paleontologist Remington Kellogg's earliest publications on any fossil marine mammal was a short paper naming a new "sea lion" which he called <i>Pliopedia pacifica</i>. He studied this specimen during a research visit to California with E.L. Furlong in 1920 and facilitated by the infamous ichthyologist David Starr Jordan of Stanford University. The holotype consisted of a handful of associated forelimb bone fragments - more on that later. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigi0eE1DPRuxRg48dAjTA-AbdstRLUEogRK6q6ANCvAcFF-JrT3alseVlOsc_Dty83nywZGYkt5Hx8p8NtB8KPu4TrQYyaFlc40maVV2i3eHsWokgRtiKiT8sRcDHxKNZPFAbNJ_Fa_XwQGeyWy3iDllzyol5X1QgfBS3cjnJq8Om__c-myuhUdfLPMcc/s2363/Valenictus%20imperialensis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1598" data-original-width="2363" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigi0eE1DPRuxRg48dAjTA-AbdstRLUEogRK6q6ANCvAcFF-JrT3alseVlOsc_Dty83nywZGYkt5Hx8p8NtB8KPu4TrQYyaFlc40maVV2i3eHsWokgRtiKiT8sRcDHxKNZPFAbNJ_Fa_XwQGeyWy3iDllzyol5X1QgfBS3cjnJq8Om__c-myuhUdfLPMcc/w400-h270/Valenictus%20imperialensis.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The holotype humerus of </i>Valenictus imperialensis<i> from the lower Pliocene Deguynos Formation of Imperial County, California - just southwest of the Salton Sea and due east of San Diego. Sarah and I, and all three cats, will be driving by the type locality just off I-8 in a few months time when we make our cross-country trip back to the Pacific coast.<br /></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: left;">A complete humerus collected just after World War 2 from the desert in Imperial County near Plaster City - just a few miles from the US-Mexico border. This specimen was originally placed in the California Institute of Technology (CIT) collection and sometime before Ed Mitchell studied it, subsumed within LACM (Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - formerly the Los Angeles County Museum). This incredibly stout and relatively small humerus was named as the holotype of <i>Valenictus imperialensis</i> by Ed Mitchell in 1961. Mitchell went to great lengths to defend his identification of the specimen as a new taxon, suggesting it may represent a new family but ultimately identifying it as a walrus - laying out many new observations on pinniped humeri. Chief among these is a tuberosity for the deltoid insertion that is separate from the deltopectoral crest of the humerus.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1KnqeXI8Uty1YptQmQdlP_9DP-1gaDTaJ7brTpqMveErS7yh_CbSSmmiZ6iRJKW6CnM2IOnU03BZmdWC4HdnnRYFLWCwZIMErh7GzpKwAIacPgMfUmxo3P1TSYCuD1KudtrqmcUp_oano_bDk-f1-1NySzqkzRK4NUGFYww5W_J9_I4C9jgAtigHs9M/s2048/Image%20022.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1KnqeXI8Uty1YptQmQdlP_9DP-1gaDTaJ7brTpqMveErS7yh_CbSSmmiZ6iRJKW6CnM2IOnU03BZmdWC4HdnnRYFLWCwZIMErh7GzpKwAIacPgMfUmxo3P1TSYCuD1KudtrqmcUp_oano_bDk-f1-1NySzqkzRK4NUGFYww5W_J9_I4C9jgAtigHs9M/w400-h300/Image%20022.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> A painted cast of the Burman walrus specimen on display at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History - recently described and identified as <i>Valenictus</i> sp., cf. <i>V. chulavistensis</i>.<br /><p></p><p><b>Toothless walruses from Santa Cruz and San Diego, California</b></p><p>In the late 1980s Mr. Eric Burman was checking out some tidepools in Santa Cruz when he happened upon a large nodule with a skull inside. He brought the skull to my colleague Frank Perry, who recognized the specimen as a pinniped skull. It was sent to Larry Barnes at LACM, where it was prepared for study. Barnes reported it with Frank at the 1989 Marine Mammal Conference in Pacific Grove, California. They indicated that the specimen was similar to the modern walrus <i>Odobenus rosmarus</i> but completely lacked teeth aside from the sockets for the tusks, and that the skull was somewhat longer and sea lion like than the greatly foreshortened skull of <i>Odobenus</i>. Unfortunately, nothing aside from the conference abstract was ever published. A very nice painted cast of the skull is on display at the Santa Cruz Museum, which I saw during my very first research visit in 2005.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KDaFA8k9cTXki6sLKAyEFvh8ATxwLMgaqYsVSTzcyLbmlJ1Uu-R-iIlEWgT56wuPZY5rwAVqjkMRch4UQwbhOXkL_akaEb9BgtonpqQdF8IXPCuk3fy2CkI9TZK0lEU72QSWRaDLEm5Jy_qNX6NTBkxiyRbEA2D_xTVRYQ-0RUPlB1DJNRa6IbU4xDA/s2138/Valenictus%20chulavistensis%20holotype.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1857" data-original-width="2138" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KDaFA8k9cTXki6sLKAyEFvh8ATxwLMgaqYsVSTzcyLbmlJ1Uu-R-iIlEWgT56wuPZY5rwAVqjkMRch4UQwbhOXkL_akaEb9BgtonpqQdF8IXPCuk3fy2CkI9TZK0lEU72QSWRaDLEm5Jy_qNX6NTBkxiyRbEA2D_xTVRYQ-0RUPlB1DJNRa6IbU4xDA/w400-h348/Valenictus%20chulavistensis%20holotype.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>The fragmentary partial holotype skull of Valenictus chulavistensis - <br /></p><p>Shortly thereafter - around 1990 I believe, but cannot recall the exact date - another toothless walrus was reported, this time from the contemporaneous (but slightly younger) San Diego Formation of southern California. This material included a partial skeleton of a large male (confirmed by a baculum), a juvenile male skull with both tusks, and some other isolated specimens including a juvenile maxilla and an isolated but complete adult tusk. This material formed a large component of the research material for Tom Deméré's Ph.D. dissertation - which was eventually published in 1994. At some point, hearing that another toothless walrus had appeared in Pliocene rocks of California, Barnes drove down to San Diego to check it out in person - and became convinced that they were not identical. In the mid-2000s, once I started finding difficult to identify Purisima Formation vertebrates in Santa Cruz and further north along the coast, I started meeting with Frank Perry at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, who conveyed to me much of the history of these walrus fossils and explained the storied history of the cast of the spectacular skull in the SCMNH display that had, somehow, evaded formal published study for 16 years or so.</p><p></p><p></p><p>After a few more years of reading, I visited the San Diego Museum of Natural History for the first time in August 2007 - I had accumulated quite a collection of fossils from a couple of State Parks permits (all material now curated at UCMP Berkeley) and desperately needed to compare the marine mammals with other fossils - you see, virtually all of the anatomically informative specimens at UCMP had been taken on loan in the 1970s and 1980s to other institutions. I wanted to see many of these - on loan to LACM - and never heard back from anyone there despite repeated emails and phone calls. However, I did get a warm response from the SDNHM paleontology curator - and namer of <i>Valenictus chulavistensis</i> - Tom Deméré, who said if I can get myself down there and get a hotel I'd be welcome to spend as much time in collections as I wanted. He also reminded me that the famous San Diego Zoo was their neighbor, if I earmarked enough time to take an afternoon off from collections work. In addition to the permitted material I collected, I brought along many specimens from my then-private collection (obviously material all earmarked for donation to the Santa Cruz museum or to UCMP; they all mostly went to UCMP over the next couple of years). Tom was very generous with his time, and helped me identify many specimens - and he was particularly helpful with some of my baleen whale earbones and other specimens. This was foundationally important to me because up until this point, I had gotten a pretty prickly (read: outright hostile) response from other marine mammal paleontologists and then-Ph.D. students on the west coast, and was starting to doubt my chosen path.* Tom let me repeat something I did at UCMP: just open up every single cabinet and pull out specimens when they matched something I had, and see what the identification was. If he had a few minutes free, I'd ask him about the identification. In a few months' time, I'll be starting as the second Colclough postdoctoral researcher at the SDNHM, and I am very, very much looking forward to going drawer-by-drawer again and reacquainting myself with their collection - nearly 20 years later.<br /></p><p><i>*The prior summer, I met Morgan Churchill while on a research visit at UCMP, then a master's student of Annalisa Berta, at San Diego State University - he was quite encouraging and we hit it off so well that he and I are still publishing together. He introduced me to Rachel Racicot, another master's student of Annalisa's at the time, and I finally realized that there were some very nice, rational and encouraging people in marine mammal paleontology. Now we all have our PhDs and are either professors or postdocs, still publishing together. And, matter of fact, Morgan coauthored the study that this blog post is summarizing! It's been a good ride so far. A little retrospective like this reminds me how far I've come.</i></p><p>One of the things I happened upon while rummaging through SDNHM collections was an unpainted cast of the Santa Cruz skull - labeled "<i>Valenictus </i>sp.<i>".</i> I asked Tom about this identification - and in his opinion, it was referable to <i>Valenictus </i>- and not very different at all from <i>Valenictus chulavistensis</i> in particular. I was amazed - and it clicked for me: of course there wouldn't be two different genera of toothless walruses in the California Pliocene. Occam's Razor and all that. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlx-XBSE23r7-_v1bHjTFG9neUXXWpqmgdWsDRKBEhTcgBBeZbbumc4ga51kiag6x8m_H09O_wot5X2BC7QdatVJZQKOByfkXSO1zkJlnSdfe38CWQiKXhEbbl8y9vZlxL2msnfifNGJAxK_O_SOyPSb7knGKTR4SmkMfYrvE7VEOH0QN6aQKshTEZl4/s2048/Image%201176.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlx-XBSE23r7-_v1bHjTFG9neUXXWpqmgdWsDRKBEhTcgBBeZbbumc4ga51kiag6x8m_H09O_wot5X2BC7QdatVJZQKOByfkXSO1zkJlnSdfe38CWQiKXhEbbl8y9vZlxL2msnfifNGJAxK_O_SOyPSb7knGKTR4SmkMfYrvE7VEOH0QN6aQKshTEZl4/s320/Image%201176.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Composite skeleton of </i>Valenictus chulavistensis <i>on display at SDNHM.</i><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><p><b>A closer look at <i>Valenictus chulavistensis</i></b></p><p>The discovery of <i>Valenictus chulavistensis</i> was significant for multiple reasons. First, it was one of the few named marine mammals from the Pliocene of California - anything new is a great window into the evolution of marine mammals before the record goes 'dark' during the Ice Age. Second, it clarified what the rest of <i>Valenictus </i>looked like: the humerus was very close in shape to the relatively smaller and more stout humerus of <i>Valenictus imperialensis</i> reported by Ed Mitchell three decades prior. Indeed, the specimen was in fact a walrus, and an odobenine in particular. Humeri are somewhat diagnostic in pinnipeds, but they can't tell you much about the paleoecology of the animal - not like good skull material can, anyway.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKnkExN2BGmhynNmATmGH41g3a2hwdeqvj6w0OibjNeVyP4vn8a6IdxsNauhzzpKi84MKXL3bfHDiNI3dvWFInUSpA9q7z6SAwkaTnBFNnxB_1UXprTQfnLw28SmL3geBwiQbiScyitYMKde55HewJbrgKM4d0Tc__BxYXaigWN7RvR6rBUvbInJxBvA/s3780/chulavistensis%20paratype.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3671" data-original-width="3780" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKnkExN2BGmhynNmATmGH41g3a2hwdeqvj6w0OibjNeVyP4vn8a6IdxsNauhzzpKi84MKXL3bfHDiNI3dvWFInUSpA9q7z6SAwkaTnBFNnxB_1UXprTQfnLw28SmL3geBwiQbiScyitYMKde55HewJbrgKM4d0Tc__BxYXaigWN7RvR6rBUvbInJxBvA/s320/chulavistensis%20paratype.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The paratype skull of</i> Valenictus chulavistensis,<i> an immature male. It's been foreshortened a little bit by burial compaction, making it falsely look like the skull of </i>Odobenus<i>. All other </i>Valenictus <i>skulls are elongated like a stubby sea lion.</i><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Valenictus</i>, as it turns out, is pretty interesting in a number of ways. The first is the toothless condition: there are no sockets for upper incisors, premolars, or molars - just the two upper canines - and no sockets for any lower teeth at all. Toothlessness might seem counterintuitive - you need teeth to eat stuff, right? Wrong, actually - it depends upon what you eat. The modern walrus doesn't have any incisors (typically), and has lost or reduced some of its postcanine (cheek) teeth - typically not possessing upper molars. Though rightfully assumed to use its teeth in feeding, Francis Fay reported detailed accounts of feeding experiments with modern walruses - and they don't bite or chew anything with their teeth. Mollusk shells don't enter the oral cavity at all - walruses will purse their enormous lips, position a clam shell within the lips, suck the meat right off of the shell, and let the empty shells fall to the seafloor. The teeth in the modern walrus are however used for 'percussive' communication - the jaw is closed rapidly and you can hear a loud hammering sound - it almost sounds like two 2x4s being banged together. What's very interesting here is that <i>Valenictus chulavistensis</i> is more highly specialized than <i>Odobenus rosmarus </i>is for suction feeding.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnhLY_4y8WCRBYiCVcY43a1USDE_rpgAB972UND1TFbQ6BOFPQo5CSYgTpIDN_ZuyTfjEgYjpeRVQi2Pj8Gvb-i_ZC5PfcfRu06OaYbf9u0SFXuXU65eEy84fs0PEAnO-UL8cP32j0yQCu3cFNkNXcmgEBfFspdsWG49rB8KX_J3719jYCTsD-vkr4DM/s4837/Valenictus%20dorsal%20collage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4837" data-original-width="3465" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnhLY_4y8WCRBYiCVcY43a1USDE_rpgAB972UND1TFbQ6BOFPQo5CSYgTpIDN_ZuyTfjEgYjpeRVQi2Pj8Gvb-i_ZC5PfcfRu06OaYbf9u0SFXuXU65eEy84fs0PEAnO-UL8cP32j0yQCu3cFNkNXcmgEBfFspdsWG49rB8KX_J3719jYCTsD-vkr4DM/s320/Valenictus%20dorsal%20collage.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Another view of the composite skeleton of </i>Valenictus chulavistensis.<br /></div></div><div><p></p><p>The second curious aspect is the postcranial skeleton of <i>Valenictus</i>. The bones of <i>Valenictus chulavistensis </i>are very dense - like sea cow bones. This condition is called osteosclerosis, which is technically defined as the internal 'inflation' of the bony cortex (wall) by reduction of the marrow cavity. The bones of the modern walrus are indeed heavy, and the skull of modern <i>Odobenus </i>should probably be described as osteosclerotic as well, but the limb bones of <i>Valenictus </i>are quite a bit more dense (though this has never been quantified, to be honest). Some of them are also inflated externally - what is called pachyostosis. Increasing bone density is typically acknowledged as an adaptation for having 'bone ballast' - a way to help a marine tetrapod sink down to the seafloor. This is particularly important for any species of marine tetrapods that feed on the seafloor or need to dive shallowly, or have enormous buoyant guts that need to be counter-weighted. Sea cows (Sirenia) both feed on the seafloor and have enormous buoyant guts, and as a result have incredibly dense pachyosteosclerotic bones.* Walruses feed on the seafloor and are pretty hefty animals, so a bit of bone ballast helps. The dense skull, along with the heavy tusks, might help the modern walrus stay oriented in a stable orientation with the head down along the seafloor in order to efficiently cruise along and find mollusks. In the case of <i>Valenictus</i>, something else may have been going on given that modern walruses don't need such a high degree of bone ballast. Fossils of <i>Valenictus</i> have also been found in the proto-gulf of California/Sea of Cortez - <i>V. imperialensis</i> is one such example of this. There is evidence of hypersaline conditions in the proto-gulf - and perhaps <i>V. chulavistensis </i>inhabited subtropical embayments undergoing rapid evaporation causing hypersalinity. Hypersaline conditions make you more buoyant, and so perhaps the extra bone ballast in <i>Valenictus </i>is an adaptation against this.</p><p><i>*However, the recently extinct </i>Hydrodamalis gigas <i>-
Steller's sea cow - fed on kelp at the surface and was apparently
incapable of diving and its back stuck out of the water most of the
time, according to the observations of Steller himself.</i><br /></p><p></p><p>The third curious aspect of <i>Valenictus chulavistensis</i> is nothing anatomical, but rather its geographic location: San Diego, California, is not normally what comes to mind when you picture where walruses live. The modern species is chiefly Arctic in distribution, rarely straying south of the Alaska Peninsula or the Aleutians in the North Pacific, and in the Atlantic, rarely further south than the southern tip of Greenland. These are latitudes approximately 60*N - San Diego, on the other hand, is approximately the same latitude as Charleston, South Carolina, where I am typing from right now - 32*N. As alluded to earlier, walruses were formerly much more diverse and cosmopolitan in their past distribution. Adaptation for boreal seas and sea ice is apparently a very recent development in walrus evolution.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMoMYVkmt6oSePPJoZfjGg107B5d1tVduMXd0P_nsGpvAm9Gy4i8e7dWy4wivcQTSMtISlyXMLSjLJEwuz-Zn0cPvHPTyyCiOmqtIdu6alzQcxp7hmsjJkm7cvNnF1_McCQHV553xr8BdwG4lLdWKSRrVve6o-JZVOQKAlnUHmbu8IllqZkywvEhTfeA/s700/65c401d37a3d27148878df4e.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMoMYVkmt6oSePPJoZfjGg107B5d1tVduMXd0P_nsGpvAm9Gy4i8e7dWy4wivcQTSMtISlyXMLSjLJEwuz-Zn0cPvHPTyyCiOmqtIdu6alzQcxp7hmsjJkm7cvNnF1_McCQHV553xr8BdwG4lLdWKSRrVve6o-JZVOQKAlnUHmbu8IllqZkywvEhTfeA/w400-h300/65c401d37a3d27148878df4e.webp" width="400" /></a></div></div><div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A photo of the skull taken by Forrest Sheperd shortly after lugging the 70 lb concretion off the beach. This is the photo sent to my MSU email account in early 2011.</i><br /></div><div><p></p><p><b>A new fossil walrus from Santa Cruz - the discovery and laborious preparation of <i>Valenictus sheperdi</i></b></p><p>In January 2011, a young fossil collector I had met a couple of times - 13-year-old Forrest Sheperd - was looking for fossils in Santa Cruz and happened upon a 70 lb sandstone concretion with bone sticking out. He recognized that a skull was presered inside the nodule, and that most of it remained entombed within the rock. After I saw some photos Forrest emailed me, I realized it was a walrus skull. I had already visited SDNHM and taken quick snapshots for future reference of many <i>Valenictus </i>skull specimens (three or four new skulls had surfaced in the 15 years since it was published) - and though I couldn't see the palate, the top of the skull and its size looked like a good match. I asked Forrest if he would be willing to donate the specimen, and so during my last semester of graduate school - March 2011 - I drove out to California from Bozeman Montana to visit family, do a little coastal fieldwork, and meet with Forrest. I also took the opportunity to drop off a carload of fossils at UCMP at Berkeley. I met with Forrest, felt immediately intimidated by the massive weight of the concretion, confirmed it was a walrus, and a few days later started the drive back to Montana. I spent a few months at Museum of the Rockies reducing the size of the concretion and a bit of airscribing to reveal some of the more shallowly covered parts of the skull. The late Bob Harmon dug out a tool he had been talking about for several years - a pneumatic scaler, which is a polite way of describing a handheld jack hammer. Now, I usually use that description for an airscribe, which is fair. However, a pneumatic scaler really is a handheld jack hammer - it packs a serious punch, and can chip off silver dollar sized chunks of the hardest, toughest sandstone I've ever encountered (which, actually, happens to be the rock the concretion around Forrest's walrus was enveloped by). By May 2011, I had successfully defended my Master's thesis and submitted my edits, had them approved, and Sarah and I started preparing to move out - we were ready to move on from Bozeman and start the next chapter of our lives down under.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNH-Y55EnAgVafLZ2Cs2iT8LwsrWC0wHy4A1FPFzkMRis-kUktR6yshiE1rP66yCxblPJY-caRA_khkcQAWBo3px1EDXZCoP6altc4bbEpGZPfWfR2TcXw5-W5u9XvZHNUGMBwWslsR7QoX-HJ4F1ghqMyFxU6AYXhlUqiNUwy2UJpULmiu4FFY2G55b4/s849/IMG_3104.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="849" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNH-Y55EnAgVafLZ2Cs2iT8LwsrWC0wHy4A1FPFzkMRis-kUktR6yshiE1rP66yCxblPJY-caRA_khkcQAWBo3px1EDXZCoP6altc4bbEpGZPfWfR2TcXw5-W5u9XvZHNUGMBwWslsR7QoX-HJ4F1ghqMyFxU6AYXhlUqiNUwy2UJpULmiu4FFY2G55b4/w400-h348/IMG_3104.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> I just dug up this photo from March 2017 of me chipping away at the concretion out back behind "the old place". Given the upcoming, imminent move I am making to my next position, me wearing a "Property of San Diego Natural History Museum" is pretty hilarious and prophetic. Cosmic irony.</i><br /></div><div><p></p><p>A few months later, I was accepted into the Ph.D. program at University of Otago to study with Ewan Fordyce. In retrospect, I probably could have taken the specimen with me - it was the only fossil I had considered bringing along - but another 50 lbs would have costed us several hundred additional dollars in overweight baggage fees, and we had to fit everything into 12 suitcases. I very easily could have prepared the specimen in Ewan's lab, but it would have stolen precious time away from my already brief three year program. The specimen had to wait back in California. Eventually, after graduating with my Ph.D. and getting more confident with acid preparation after getting hired at the Mace Brown Museum of Natural History, the fossil was sent to me on the east coast and I did a little bit of chiseling to reduce the volume of the concretion. I also did a bit more airscribing, but decided that I would just bathe the entire thing in a large acid bath - typically about 10 liters of 10% acetic acid. Thanks to the generosity of Jim Goedert, I was able to not only have the acid paid for by his donations, but also working on his fossils for nearly two years gave me the confidence I needed to try something so large. I generally had to replenish the acid once every three weeks, and I would fill up nearly every 4 liter acid bottle I had - for reference, this is about a half hour job. Not bad, but mixing that much acid down from glacial acetic acid - which, by the way, is 100% acetic acid - is a bit nerve wracking and relies a steady hand and focus. I've never burned myself with 100% acetic, but I have had my sinuses cleaned out a couple times and gotten a few drops onto my labcoat (which is why I was wearing a labcoat) and a couple spills up to a few milliliters (tablespoon size). </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRBdRkgOcnx_g-fOTK1HyxesNqt-cSy6kdbAUoCQdQxPEeYZyX8zMatDawFfmVVsn2zxwLdNsixImh6RYxLKQuFUIBm8N6ChPPt54Ki3F7kcUPE7bk09g3lRa5QnXMoEBAHQfyIXtu3mDvDR2w_S2K84W6-_bWSGOecaK_4nnsR0EDqdnXVN_PPxXpfo4/s2579/prep%20progress.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1635" data-original-width="2579" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRBdRkgOcnx_g-fOTK1HyxesNqt-cSy6kdbAUoCQdQxPEeYZyX8zMatDawFfmVVsn2zxwLdNsixImh6RYxLKQuFUIBm8N6ChPPt54Ki3F7kcUPE7bk09g3lRa5QnXMoEBAHQfyIXtu3mDvDR2w_S2K84W6-_bWSGOecaK_4nnsR0EDqdnXVN_PPxXpfo4/w400-h254/prep%20progress.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rg3kbLqoUzaLwd8OjtrQeMQjiqDjvN_tKOxw7hc-rZ3VxQD9w5QDjtLuPNWXHxUgTJBQlCEMrZ3Is7Bw41ZUqTLaxExXvox0Bdj0f3ZoWTol8j_nyTux4PvpOqAjGvTC1VS5Vqvikqp6Bj5RfX89kwVxvRRnwXPKgDTpPeG9OVQokwDHGUmHWXp7qjU/s3901/acid%20prep.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1151" data-original-width="3901" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rg3kbLqoUzaLwd8OjtrQeMQjiqDjvN_tKOxw7hc-rZ3VxQD9w5QDjtLuPNWXHxUgTJBQlCEMrZ3Is7Bw41ZUqTLaxExXvox0Bdj0f3ZoWTol8j_nyTux4PvpOqAjGvTC1VS5Vqvikqp6Bj5RfX89kwVxvRRnwXPKgDTpPeG9OVQokwDHGUmHWXp7qjU/w400-h118/acid%20prep.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Progress photos of acid preparation, which took place from March 2017 to September 2018 or so.</i><br /></div></div><div><p></p><p>For whatever reason, the reaction of Forrest's walrus to acid was quite slow; for Pysht Formation calcareous siltstone nodules from the Olympic Peninsula (donated by Goedert), I find that a once per week replenishment with fresh acid is best. You don't want to replenish too early and waste some of the potency of the acid, so I tend to drop a piece of one of Goedert's concretions - always the same piece - and see how reactive it is after a minute or so. If there are scarce bubbles, then it's time. Mother of vinegar also tends to accumulate on the surface, and in the case of some fossil sites, enough iron is freed and oxidized that the acid takes on a "lovely" rusty hue right when it is just about spent. It's like taking a limit in Calculus - and I imagine that the acid potency curve is an exponential decay curve, like for calculating the age of a rock using ratios of radioactive isotopes. The line indicating 'spent acid' is going to be pretty close to flat at some point; the sooner you can replenish acid, the fossil will be subjected to stronger acidity for a greater proportion of the bath - thereby shortening preparation time. However, acid is sort of cheap - and I'm certainly 'cheaper' than the acid, so to speak - so at what point on the curve do you say "good enough, let's mix up a new batch"? It's a bit of a guessing game. If time is not of the essence, two weeks for anything in the ~1-3 kg size range is enough. Also recall that it's related to surface area. A sphere or cube will have the lowest surface area to volume ratio; however, many of these Olympic Peninsula concretions are all burrowed and have incredible nooks and crannies that dramatically increase the rate at which dissolution occurs because the surface area is much larger. For the walrus, it was sort of pill-shaped a low surface area. The tough matrix took about 18 months or so to come completely clean. Making matters worse was that the very center of the concretion seemed to be dolomitized: it no longer reacted to acid, and the matrix on the inside of the skull started to dissolve. So, I called off acid prep and started airscribing the remaining bits of stubborn matrix - you now see a pale oval 'tongue' in the middle of the palate, the permanent stain of this other rock type in the middle of the concretion. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstW8Z6LplXdZtv46JdCWrvXSQNQa-QupRId3VFR35qXZ5S_oqsWAkSM1N8YADJ88Rzz2no352Qvh6Wpgz1N9TkBudatvU-Ha2iGN4OJx52DQODhXzQPuXgqY2WDcwsdg_Dr4e_tvNu-NY_M6i8a5tzj5Wo0v3dRhNZKW5VNVpt9b9tw3REMdSVrQ32RA/s2138/Valenictus%20sheperdi%20dorsal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2138" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstW8Z6LplXdZtv46JdCWrvXSQNQa-QupRId3VFR35qXZ5S_oqsWAkSM1N8YADJ88Rzz2no352Qvh6Wpgz1N9TkBudatvU-Ha2iGN4OJx52DQODhXzQPuXgqY2WDcwsdg_Dr4e_tvNu-NY_M6i8a5tzj5Wo0v3dRhNZKW5VNVpt9b9tw3REMdSVrQ32RA/w400-h281/Valenictus%20sheperdi%20dorsal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The holotype skull of </i>Valenictus sheperdi <i>in dorsal view.</i><br /></div></div><div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0hVAIUPUiE8dEt0uEpXyvm_c9DhSp2_jW5AthCqueX3YBSOye9giDYjYURPvr3_9qlTctr5FKJ1f0ECze-p0VeXiMrBEaDDDfKboZ40dN7zUpSu__sd0QgxtCTv7IJesGno69ue8A6eEcpF7_TYt1uKjhNTjpj2H4lYAF7weS7DI7T6lLSp0QB6aP_Q/s2138/Valenictus%20sheperdi%20lateral.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1942" data-original-width="2138" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0hVAIUPUiE8dEt0uEpXyvm_c9DhSp2_jW5AthCqueX3YBSOye9giDYjYURPvr3_9qlTctr5FKJ1f0ECze-p0VeXiMrBEaDDDfKboZ40dN7zUpSu__sd0QgxtCTv7IJesGno69ue8A6eEcpF7_TYt1uKjhNTjpj2H4lYAF7weS7DI7T6lLSp0QB6aP_Q/s320/Valenictus%20sheperdi%20lateral.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The holotype skull of </i>Valenictus sheperdi <i>in lateral view.</i></div><p></p><p><b>Tusked walruses, and including the new species, from the Purisima Formation: what's new?</b></p><p> We'll start with <i>Valenictus sheperdi</i>, because that's the most exciting material from the paper.<b> </b>The holotype specimen, UCMP 219091, is quite a bit larger (36 cm long) than the female skulls of <i>Valenictus chulavistensis</i>. We know that there are two morphotypes of <i>V. chulavistensis</i> - one with relatively narrow, dainty canines and skulls approximately 30 cm in length, and a robust canine morphotype with skulls pushing 35-40 cm and circular tusk cross-sections. This morphotype is confirmed to be male owing to the preservation of the baculum (penis bone) with the holotype. Generally speaking, bacula are nice, but it's generally uncontroversial to identify pinniped skulls with proportionally small canines and low muscle attachments as female - given how extremely sexually dimorphic pinnipeds are. Given that the <i>V. sheperdi</i> holotype skull is from a female, and it is about 18-24% larger than <i>V. chulavistensis</i> females, this suggests that <i>V. sheperdi </i>is a much larger walrus - perhaps close in size to modern walrus. There are a few anatomical distinctions as well. The paroccipital process of the squamosal has a sharp muscle attachment crest, whereas it is blunt in <i>V. chulavistensis</i>. There is a sharp, long crest along the maxilla below the orbit and behind the tusk socket - such a crest is not present in <i>V. chulavistensis</i>. Lastly, and perhaps most critically, the space between the canines is narrower in <i>V. sheperdi</i> - approximately 65-75% of the distance relative to the condition in <i>V. chulavistensis</i>. And, by the way, this is a comparison made only between females - so it's not caused by sexual dimorphism. We also report a titanic partial femur, collected by David Landes, that is a bit larger than the femora from the San Diego Formation; the width at the 'knee' end is about 160 mm, as compared to 120mm in the largest known San Diego Formation femora. The specimen is from just a few meters upsection relative to the holotype, so we identify it as <i>Valenictus</i> sp., cf. <i>V. sheperdi</i>. Also tentatively referred to the species is an astragalus that I reported back in 2017, collected by Wayne Thompson.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTszmDiR6UOTi75RmMZ_xQfAsvjkE_ZJdbTQ_7Ur3CDbIxnl9qs7PogKuR0qixyxvbYGAjedAEFAzfm8egYg6pxrS5bzda02HzZrF0IhZ1WQ6LWyhtBH98tBC6v6IepH0-3ocwnf3kBRYkl8Vw9FTywtUlEaxNQ5le8YgSFxoZ-K13IIcPSBgFHPmwNp4/s2138/Valenictus%20sheperdi%20ventral.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1399" data-original-width="2138" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTszmDiR6UOTi75RmMZ_xQfAsvjkE_ZJdbTQ_7Ur3CDbIxnl9qs7PogKuR0qixyxvbYGAjedAEFAzfm8egYg6pxrS5bzda02HzZrF0IhZ1WQ6LWyhtBH98tBC6v6IepH0-3ocwnf3kBRYkl8Vw9FTywtUlEaxNQ5le8YgSFxoZ-K13IIcPSBgFHPmwNp4/w400-h261/Valenictus%20sheperdi%20ventral.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The holotype skull of </i>Valenictus sheperdi<i> in ventral view, showing that incredible toothless palate.</i><br /></div></div><div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigp2UkLwVjKLbEeCH1o6uPV9CyTh25asw6Ve94JinY5IbvVxMXSDfsXLQIkt6aWrnP64dDw1DEV4ZlqKWsJYieiKztq_ByFirTEhrAaqEB1m4i7JlHWyrjIYd-iS61s4zfoFQ-3nPo8MuwyzLLA15Xg_H2XjyPEvxtemaIMZ2a1-ivaYArHKKWbK5Xe1E/s2400/Valenictus%20sheperdi%20anterior.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="2139" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigp2UkLwVjKLbEeCH1o6uPV9CyTh25asw6Ve94JinY5IbvVxMXSDfsXLQIkt6aWrnP64dDw1DEV4ZlqKWsJYieiKztq_ByFirTEhrAaqEB1m4i7JlHWyrjIYd-iS61s4zfoFQ-3nPo8MuwyzLLA15Xg_H2XjyPEvxtemaIMZ2a1-ivaYArHKKWbK5Xe1E/w356-h400/Valenictus%20sheperdi%20anterior.jpg" width="356" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The holotype skull of </i>Valenictus sheperdi <i>in anterior and anterolateral view.</i></div></div><div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNF2GkKUDBae_6i_HqsBAKM73-wmzVUNPCh4-fWjlabjs3RonX50dvcUW59wW2ifZYDsZvj_YQb-0fExL9GxVX_ySqZrN8oHAaURQvzuENiTYCZyntmmNyFi3PeKYbneZ9qiEz2KlFUDzrtPqlR_hyw34KFINRWkX4W3CxFpIDeUmVvze9duG1ptG4S_g/s1422/cf%20sheperdi%20postcrania.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="955" data-original-width="1422" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNF2GkKUDBae_6i_HqsBAKM73-wmzVUNPCh4-fWjlabjs3RonX50dvcUW59wW2ifZYDsZvj_YQb-0fExL9GxVX_ySqZrN8oHAaURQvzuENiTYCZyntmmNyFi3PeKYbneZ9qiEz2KlFUDzrtPqlR_hyw34KFINRWkX4W3CxFpIDeUmVvze9duG1ptG4S_g/w400-h269/cf%20sheperdi%20postcrania.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i> A couple of postcranial bones we reported as </i>Valenictus <i>sp., cf. </i>V. sheperdi<i> - from just above the </i>V. sheperdi<i> type horizon; a big ass partial femur, and an astragalus I reported in 2017. Collected and donated by Dave Landes and Wayne Thompson (respectively).</i><br /></p><p>Speaking of isolated postcrania - one of the reviewers asked "could <i>Valenictus sheperdi</i> be conspecific with <i>V. imperialensis</i>?" Indeed, an excellent question. The fossils are from different basins, so the thought hadn't crossed my mind - but the bigger clue is what had really initially separated the two: <i>Valenictus sheperdi </i>is larger than <i>V. chulavistensis</i>, and <i>V. imperialensis</i> is quite a bit smaller than <i>V. chulavistensis</i>. So I thought - exactly how different in size were <i>V. sheperdi</i> and <i>V. imperialensis</i>? The former is known only from a skull and the latter only from a humerus. Luckily, the holotype skeleton of <i>V. chulavistensis </i>is known from a fragmentary skull with an approximate length of 40 cm and a humerus measuring 31 cm long; this ratio suggests a humeral length of 27 cm, compared with the 24 cm long humerus of V. imperialensis. Add to this the fact that the <i>V. imperialensis </i>holotype is so robust it is likely to be a male - making <i>V. imperialensis</i> a decidedly small odobenine. Further, the predicted skull size of <i>V. imperialensis</i> is 32 cm. However, we really need more material of <i>V. imperialensis</i> to be sure!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzQDhfprUo7wS-FIOVYaSuIK0a7tG7KGOYADy05wf2f99k7Eb9kmSt-zuVuKt7SMUeVXX7e5C_zWO0_5nyXnOCUmfkeqnmkOmVx0pFYglBK21hH-mHZt6N49-uXRu1kemQyPlWq0RbM3Fl8-9SC6ly1GKJgTFMe9v862uS5_JRqGE7UU0YYbZEKi32KA/s4161/Valenictus%20chulavistensis%20Purisima.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2774" data-original-width="4161" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzQDhfprUo7wS-FIOVYaSuIK0a7tG7KGOYADy05wf2f99k7Eb9kmSt-zuVuKt7SMUeVXX7e5C_zWO0_5nyXnOCUmfkeqnmkOmVx0pFYglBK21hH-mHZt6N49-uXRu1kemQyPlWq0RbM3Fl8-9SC6ly1GKJgTFMe9v862uS5_JRqGE7UU0YYbZEKi32KA/w400-h266/Valenictus%20chulavistensis%20Purisima.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Skull of </i>Valenictus <i>sp., cf. </i>V. chulavistensis<i>, the Burman specimen originally reported in a conference abstract by Barnes and Perry.</i><br /></p><p>Higher up in the Purisima Formation, we also reported the skull originally studied by Barnes and Perry - and identified it as <i>Valenictus</i> sp., cf. <i>chulavistensis</i> - as we could not identify any features that distinguished it from the San Diego fossils. It is also a female, but not quite as well preserved - and a bit smaller in size, more like <i>V. chulavistensis</i>. Geochronologically, this also makes sense - this specimen is younger, and dated to about 4.89-3.59 Ma, which overlaps in time with the lower parts of the San Diego Formation. This suggests that this species lived along much of the Pacific coastline, as these localites are 700 km apart (a little added to reconstruct shortening by the San Andreas fault). </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVu6Rwx-W7sYirDPhQUdFaRNvoG0lPAHe0P6JZnQW0eHKTRZ9oNLjBXzqIjE8ME2CfSMeH06E_ameQgN1BybKg77QU01sTWV_ZxmynrfNAwuMT9NLFMfsYKhZ8-rYI_1hq_j6xI1LAUvrp-C6LjpYw8wW13NY97cwE8Z2rH7AuIqkSlazLbwYz4cNDjE/s839/metacarpal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="839" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVu6Rwx-W7sYirDPhQUdFaRNvoG0lPAHe0P6JZnQW0eHKTRZ9oNLjBXzqIjE8ME2CfSMeH06E_ameQgN1BybKg77QU01sTWV_ZxmynrfNAwuMT9NLFMfsYKhZ8-rYI_1hq_j6xI1LAUvrp-C6LjpYw8wW13NY97cwE8Z2rH7AuIqkSlazLbwYz4cNDjE/s320/metacarpal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The oldest well-dated record of Odobeninae, a first metacarpal from the left flipper of a walrus collected by yours truly in 2007, I believe.</i><br /></div></div><div> <p></p><p>In addition to the skulls, we also reported a couple of more partial specimens that nonetheless preserve some key features and are quite old. The first is a 'metacarpal I' collected from quite low down in the Purisima Formation, and is roughly 6-7 million years in age, likely close to about 6.9 Ma. This bone is somewhat diagnostic in pinnipeds - metacarpals are the largest bones in your hands, and the first metacarpal is the bone that connects your thumb to your wrist; the remaining metacarpals are in your palm (digit 1 = thumb, 2= index finger, 5= pinky). Since walruses are pinnipeds, all of the metacarpals and phalanges are embedded in the flipper. This specimen is massively inflated and also bent laterally - a feature only seen in odobenine walruses like <i>Odobenus </i>and <i>Valenictus</i>. However, it is grossly more inflated than any named walrus - but almost certainly represents an odobenine; dusignathines and all earlier "imagotariine" walruses have somewhat long, narrow metacarpals that really can't be confused with specimens like this. What's interesting is that this specimen has an older and better age determination than the previously oldest known odobenine, <i>Aivukus cedrosensis</i> from the Almejas Formation of Baja California.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbityBiCVnYjuoDR80sSocEL4B5bJr_aqe1omSz26JU7FtIQK1bI_SHHBpgvsmVEwtVKdyvi0Ohvhc8zen_oQkqpUKAx3HbtFGOuEJl1YcNIw8eZZshJKTZ-HK7VibpcvFbgNNhHV2tsO-vH1eL4b2pHpu0Cw3GQKPXLn48SHwKxChSFIBRcxhkSsgCPg/s1924/Purisima%20tusk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="1924" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbityBiCVnYjuoDR80sSocEL4B5bJr_aqe1omSz26JU7FtIQK1bI_SHHBpgvsmVEwtVKdyvi0Ohvhc8zen_oQkqpUKAx3HbtFGOuEJl1YcNIw8eZZshJKTZ-HK7VibpcvFbgNNhHV2tsO-vH1eL4b2pHpu0Cw3GQKPXLn48SHwKxChSFIBRcxhkSsgCPg/w400-h161/Purisima%20tusk.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The oldest well-dated record of the long tusked walruses, Odobenini - a tusk fragment with obvious globular dentine, collected by F.A. Perry.</i><br /></div><div><p></p><p>The last specimen that is noteworthy is a hefty chunk of a large canine tusk collected from a stratum dating to about the Miocene-Pliocene boundary, roughly 6-5.2 Ma, but likely to be at the younger end and around 5.3 Ma. This specimen was collected in 1978 by my friend and colleague Frank Perry, and preserves a large core of globular dentine. This feature indicates that the specimen represents the Odobenini - long tusked walruses. It is possibly <i>Valenictus</i>, as it is only slightly older than <i>Valenictus sheperdi</i> - but ultimately we don't know, since isolated tusk fragments are not really diagnostic. But, that's fine! Because this specimen happens to be the oldest well-dated record of Odobenini anywhere. The previously oldest specimens were tusks from the early Pliocene Horokaoshirarika Formation of Japan - which now seems to be a bit younger than previously estimated, with a currently proposed maximum age of 4.5 Ma. What's further surprising is that this is entirely younger than the entire age control for <i>Valenictus sheperdi</i>, really underscoring how old such a specialized walrus is. This canine fragment indicates that the Odobenini already evolved prior to the Miocene-Pliocene boundary.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyAiTesyD1L6Rl_Np99wONlH_EQqxKaFPh691pmnBSrMWa9O-mOWyF0sj7DtMEwWUXP7KqBzHkUoinYVvQbezeqRdlKIEezh6nyTcISoPsTtX8czjIqjwtehyOsFYD-OwMXbu5GdG0wCM9pmfMBOIVVFyfX2fVhjTeGAJpgi4fZjpVbV4J7l-rFKBifI/s2138/phylogeny.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1661" data-original-width="2138" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyAiTesyD1L6Rl_Np99wONlH_EQqxKaFPh691pmnBSrMWa9O-mOWyF0sj7DtMEwWUXP7KqBzHkUoinYVvQbezeqRdlKIEezh6nyTcISoPsTtX8czjIqjwtehyOsFYD-OwMXbu5GdG0wCM9pmfMBOIVVFyfX2fVhjTeGAJpgi4fZjpVbV4J7l-rFKBifI/w400-h311/phylogeny.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Phylogenetic analysis of walrus relationships from our new study.</i><br /></div><div><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Implications for the Relationships of Tusked Walruses</b></p><p><b></b></p><p>Any time a new pinniped taxon it's a good idea to revisit phylogeny - and in our case, Morgan and I published our walrus phylogenetic matrix 11 years ago and it's been tinkered with and added to by a few different papers since. At the time, we were describing a new specimen of <i>Pelagiarctos</i>, and trying to demonstrate the identification in an ironclad fashion, and needed a ton of dental characters. That matrix was never intended to be the primary walrus matrix in circulation, though that's certainly what happened; within a year or so we started adding additional taxa and more cranial and postcranial characters, and also simplified and streamlined some of the perhaps overly-parsed dental characters. We incorporated most of the new walruses named since then, including <i>Archaeodobenus</i>, <i>Osodobenus</i>, <i>Pontolis kohnoi</i> and <i>Pontolis barroni</i>, and <i>Titanotaria orangensis - </i>along with some proposed coding changes from earlier studies. Our matrix went from about 90 in the prior version to 143 - a dramatic 63% increase in the amount of character data. We also fixed some issues in character ordering and used a large number of ordered characters (n=46). <br /></p><p>So, what did we learn from this new analysis? Surprisingly, the phylogeny didn't really change much from earlier work - either from our 2013 analysis, or from recent studies by Magallanes et al. (2018) and Biewer et al. (2020). We confirmed dusignathine monophyly - which of course will be investigated further with the reporting of many new unpublished dusignathine specimens from California. The dusignathine + odobenine clade, Neodobenia, is again very well supported and all the relationships within it are further well-supported. Support for many of the early branches within the "imagotariine" part of the tree are quite poorly supported - and I don't quite know how to proceed there, except perhaps to include additional outgroup taxa. We found decent support for a <i>Valenictus</i> + <i>Pliopedia</i> clade (see more below), though within this did not recover a subclade for just <i>Valenictus - </i>likely driven by the incompleteness of <i>Pliopedia</i>. Curiously, we did not find a sister taxon relationship between the <i>Ontocetus </i>sp. skull reported from Japan and <i>Ontocetus emmonsi </i>from the North Sea. Like Deméré (1994A), we found a sister taxon relationship between the modern walrus <i>Odobenus</i> and <i>Valenictus</i> (with <i>Pliopedia</i> in there as well). With that in mind, it seems as though every odobenine lineage has a North Pacific origin sometime in the Pliocene. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqctvUXfFZJeXp0beFSAHt55NYvuDaHCb2xpopyNI4XaAvJKWjJVpsp5k31deJMNfmkn5OexTgXsTArGN44vHyD2-T0yottLnyLyooLjMCpUDGRGoWQhS4oc1O7ivWA1OqvJixeqn7T0OqtERVsN7ziniAuxBm5Ts2LdIzw6s9nhghem42LXsn79OFJ0E/s4253/Pliopedia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4253" data-original-width="3877" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqctvUXfFZJeXp0beFSAHt55NYvuDaHCb2xpopyNI4XaAvJKWjJVpsp5k31deJMNfmkn5OexTgXsTArGN44vHyD2-T0yottLnyLyooLjMCpUDGRGoWQhS4oc1O7ivWA1OqvJixeqn7T0OqtERVsN7ziniAuxBm5Ts2LdIzw6s9nhghem42LXsn79OFJ0E/w365-h400/Pliopedia.jpg" width="365" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The Kettleman Hills specimen of </i>Pliopedia pacifica<i>, from Repenning and Tedford (1977).</i><br /></p><p>We further also included <i>Pliopedia pacifica</i> into our phylogenetic analysis. There are two main specimens - the holotype, originally reported by Kellogg (1921), and a partial skeleton including a well-preserved forelimb with complete humerus, radius, and ulna, and a skull cap reported by Repenning and Tedford (1977) from the lower Pliocene Etchegoin Formation of Kettleman Hills near Coalinga. The humerus is similar to <i>Odobenus </i>and <i>Ontocetus </i>in some respects, and the braincase is quite similar to <i>Valenictus</i>. Deméré (1994A) indicated that the flattened nuchal crest of the braincase and the deltoid insertion on the humerus identify this specimen to the Odobeninae. Barnes and Raschke (1991) cast doubt on the Kettleman Hills specimen belonging to <i>Pliopedia pacifica</i>, and restricted the species to the type specimen. We went a step further and coded this specimen into our phylogenetic analysis - all of the codings for features preserved in both specimens were identical, and most of the other informative codings were based on the Kettleman Hills specimen. Though the humerus is very different from <i>Valenictus</i>, the braincase has paired sulci on the midline, like <i>Valenictus - </i>a possible synapomorphy for these two genera. Regardless of the assignment of the Kettleman Hills specimen to <i>Pliopedia</i>, it, along with a couple specimens from the younger San Diego Formation, indicate that at least a second genus of odobenine was present in the Pliocene of California.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzjb327WaozlXFGkjnTW1B11tj44s54IXzpFQUyfBvJ1wsgMc5Kr8dtRUfHdv3uOgtKEzQaPqMmAYEZ7-ub7pe5tlSjE2MB0nrwYFCfb1E2e4AM8ZA2ew37pZpnaWwAdqDnKH_QCrKoOHXEX2qqaTOLw_uTQARHfkBL1vjW7OkS1VKbdniJTB4TyaQHA/s3440/Valenictus%20kelp%20forest%20merged%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2520" data-original-width="3440" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzjb327WaozlXFGkjnTW1B11tj44s54IXzpFQUyfBvJ1wsgMc5Kr8dtRUfHdv3uOgtKEzQaPqMmAYEZ7-ub7pe5tlSjE2MB0nrwYFCfb1E2e4AM8ZA2ew37pZpnaWwAdqDnKH_QCrKoOHXEX2qqaTOLw_uTQARHfkBL1vjW7OkS1VKbdniJTB4TyaQHA/w400-h293/Valenictus%20kelp%20forest%20merged%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><i>The last </i>Valenictus <i>- a giant molluskivore finds itself increasingly out of its element as embayments dry up and kelp forests proliferate, creating a perfect environment for sea otters to evolve into a million or two years later - but unfriendly to walruses. I had originally intended this to showcase some of the fauna known from the Purisima, but it's largely a softbottom depositional setting. Marine specialists will identify some unlikely associations - such as giant green anemones and California mussels this far down in the water column. Nevertheless, I wanted to underscore the occurrence of this fossil associated with many species found both in the Purisima as well as the modern Monterey bay.</i><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>The Extinction of <i>Valenictus </i>and Friends</b></p><p>We took a look at the biogeography faunal succession of Miocene-Pliocene<b> </b>walruses along the Pacific coast in the context of ecological change, climate change, and geographic change. </p><p>We used paleogeographic maps to estimate the additional shelf space present in California during the late Miocene (5-8 Ma) and Pliocene (5-2 Ma). Many large embayments, including the enormous shallow embayment in the southern San Joaquin Valley (occasionally but informally called the "Temblor Sea") resulted in some 33,000 square kilometers of additional shelf, along with 27,000 km2 for the modern shelf, for about 60,000 km2 in total. This was reduced to about 48,000 km2 in the Pliocene, and to 27,000 km2 in the Holocene. Why is this important? Walruses only feed in shallow marine settings, well above 100 meters depth. Walruses are not pelagic, and are tied to eating mollusks on the seafloor. Gray whales have a similar ecology in that they suction feed in shallow settings - not for mollusks, but for amphipods and other small crustaceans in dense benthic (seafloor) communities. It's no coincidence that both gray whales and modern walruses graze in the same region - the Bering Sea - and both have close ancestors that inhabited a very different looking Pacific coast in just a few million years ago. These shallow marine embayments contrast strongly with the current California coast, which is dominated instead by rugged, rocky shorelines and thick, highly productive kelp forests - admittedly today, these kelp forests are considerably diminished relative to what they were prior to 18th-19th century Russian otter hunting.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGDXF-Zfc7laeehxQAI58vRSWt1MrNeDsIvj_8VD9LviKi7TGLQZEgPgH0W7Gj2-iw2lsG9tL11ROTcGSYazOfzRg47CDQ6lfXcvDpPW-WRMQja0iFEt2e8GpoRbP46e1PZbtUNpzEyj1bWKaiANylEx2m33ZBQcrQY6FMFlEqlxqZipZg88f_79QQCc/s2138/paleogeography.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1819" data-original-width="2138" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGDXF-Zfc7laeehxQAI58vRSWt1MrNeDsIvj_8VD9LviKi7TGLQZEgPgH0W7Gj2-iw2lsG9tL11ROTcGSYazOfzRg47CDQ6lfXcvDpPW-WRMQja0iFEt2e8GpoRbP46e1PZbtUNpzEyj1bWKaiANylEx2m33ZBQcrQY6FMFlEqlxqZipZg88f_79QQCc/w400-h340/paleogeography.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Paleogeographic maps of California from the late Miocene to early Pliocene, late Pliocene, and Pleistocene, and changing marine carnivore diversity from each time slice.</i><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: left;">These embayments hosted a bizarre cast of marine vertebrate species including low-latitude belugas (Monodontidae), the river dolphin-like <i>Parapontoporia</i>, the bizarre 'half beaked' porpoise <i>Semirostrum</i> and a host of other true porpoises taking up niche space now occupied by delphinids, the gigantic sea cow <i>Hydrodamalis cuestae</i>, double tusked walruses (Dusignathinae), several species of smallish rorquals (Balaenopteridae), dwarf right whales (?<i>Balaenula</i>), early gray whales (Eschrichtiidae), an early minke whale (<i>Balaenoptera bertae</i>), and the dwarf suction-feeding whale <i>Herpetocetus</i>. Notably absent from this list are sea otters (<i>Enhydra</i>), sea lions (<i>Zalophus</i>, <i>Eumetopias</i>), elephant seals (<i>Mirounga</i>), harbor seals (<i>Phoca</i>), killer whales (<i>Orcinus</i>), pilot whales (<i>Globicephala</i>), diverse delphinids (Delphinidae), and humpback whales (<i>Megaptera</i>) - these taxa either probably hadn't evolved yet or have fossils in other regions and likely invaded the eastern North Pacific sometime during the Pleistocene.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcG_INCy7z_fAJDLc1kJezzAOPOlyfIdL8KvJWVNw1371X1CvhW15GRdU8eLgGhczy4JgQvNlXBKNNDzQ90RGbuQOkw0Or-8GCJy5KXeq-AI1o65ICaOOxehjU9nXZeX0_HRET96s8ChQXDxGNS30y4YyPnweRWmxRkFC_Dhr-0DB2KNWyQh8mH2X2zvo/s930/Purisima%20fauna.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="930" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcG_INCy7z_fAJDLc1kJezzAOPOlyfIdL8KvJWVNw1371X1CvhW15GRdU8eLgGhczy4JgQvNlXBKNNDzQ90RGbuQOkw0Or-8GCJy5KXeq-AI1o65ICaOOxehjU9nXZeX0_HRET96s8ChQXDxGNS30y4YyPnweRWmxRkFC_Dhr-0DB2KNWyQh8mH2X2zvo/w400-h330/Purisima%20fauna.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Pliocene marine vertebrate fauna from the Purisima Formation - from my 2013 marine mammal assemblage paper.</i><br /></p><p>What happened to all of these shallow marine embayments - and this fauna? Uplift of the California Coast Ranges either directly lifted these embayments out of the Pacific Ocean, resulting in the large broad plains like the LA basin, San Diego, Salinas Valley, and others in San Luis Obispo, Marin, Sonoma, and Humboldt counties. In the case of the "Priest Valley Strait" - the body of water that connected the San Joaquin embayment to the proto-Monterey Bay - this shallow strait was sheared by movement of the San Andreas Fault, uplifted, and eventually completely pinched dry above sea level, turning the San Joaquin embayment into an inland sea. Within a million years, it turned into a freshwater lake, which eventually continued to dry out. Sometime after being stranded in the basin, the long-snouted <i>Parapontoporia </i>continued to inhabit freshwater environments. Uplift of the Sierra Nevada spelled further doom for the biggest of these embayments. As the Sierras were uplifted, they eroded and shed an incredible volume of sediment into the San Joaquin embayment. A one-two punch killed the basin: its connection to the Pacific was choked by the uplift of the Coast Ranges, and filled with sediment by the Sierras.</p><p>When did <i>Valenictus</i> go extinct? The youngest known specimens seem to date to strata within the San Diego Formation that are around 2.6 Ma, a bit younger than the youngest known specimens from the Purisima Formation; this, ironically, is actually about the time that the Purisima basins dry up and transition to nonmarine sediments. This coincides with the beginning of the estimated period of extinction in which many of these other strange Pliocene marine mammals went extinct - sadly, a minimum date is not yet available, since the early Pleistocene marine mammal record just sort of doesn't exist. By the middle Pleistocene (~1-0.7 Ma), most of the marine mammals belong to extant taxa.</p><p>What about climate change? Climate was certainly cooling, and while cooling seas may not be terribly critical to walrus distribution, it can greatly affect their prey. During the late Pliocene, rapid expansion and contraction of the newly formed northern hemisphere ice cap also began causing rapid 'glacioeustatic' changes in sea level. Ice cap volume increases, sea level decreases - and vice versa. This resulted in loss of embayment space, but more critically - fluctuating salinity in places like the San Joaquin embayment. Sea level fluctuations drove extinctions of mollusks on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America, resulting in lower diversity of oysters, scallops, and loss of gigantic mussels in California.</p><p>The molluskivore niche was filled during the Pleistocene by sea otters, sea ducks, and the extinct flightless goose <i>Chendytes</i>. Potential niche fillers also include bat rays, wolf eels, and sheepshead wrasses. Critically, sea otters and <i>Chendytes </i>did not newly appear prior to the extinction of <i>Valenictus </i>- rather, they appeared later, perhaps suggesting physical bottom-up drivers for the extinction of <i>Valenictus </i>and company, rather than competition; these vacant niches were then, in my opinion, likely passively filled later on during the ice ages. However - we really do need more fossils from the late Pliocene and Pleistocene, and better understanding of the niches and trophic structure of the Pliocene marine vertebrate fauna from the Pacific coast - otherwise this is all just informed speculation.</p><p><b>References</b></p><p>Barnes, L. G., and Perry, F. A. (1989): A toothless walrus from the Purisima Formation in California, U.S.A. [Paper presentation]. 8th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Pacific Grove, CA, U.S.A.</p><p>Barnes, L. G., and Raschke, R. E. (1991).<i> Gomphotaria pugnax</i>, a new genus and species of late Miocene dusignathine otariid pinniped (Mammalia: Carnivora) from California. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Contributions in Science, 426, 1–27. <br /></p><p>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. https://doi. org/10.5252/g2013n4a5 </p><p>Boessenecker, R. W. (2017). A new early Pliocene record of the toothless walrus <i>Valenictus </i>(Carnivora, Odobenidae) from the Purisima Formation of Northern California. PaleoBios, 34, 1–6. https://doi. org/10.5070/P9341035289<br /></p><p>R.W. Boessenecker, A.W. Poust, S.J. Boessenecker & M. Churchill (2024): Tusked walruses (Carnivora: Odobenidae) from the Miocene–Pliocene Purisima Formation of Santa Cruz, California (U.S.A.): a new species of the toothless walrus <i>Valenictus </i>and the oldest records of Odobeninae and Odobenini, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.</p><p>Deméré, T. A. (1994a). The family Odobenidae: a phylogenetic analysis of fossil and living taxa. Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History, 29, 99–123.</p><p>Deméré, T. A. (1994b). Two new species of fossil walruses (Pinnipedia: Odobenidae) from the Upper Pliocene San Diego Formation, California. Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History, 29, 77–98. <br /></p><p>Kellogg, R. (1921). A new pinniped from the Upper Pliocene of California. Journal of Mammalogy, 2(4), 212–226. https://doi.org/ 10.2307/1373555 </p><p>Magallanes, I., Parham, J. F., Santos, G. P., and Velez-Juarbe, J. (2018). A new tuskless walrus from the Miocene of Orange County, California, with comments on the diversity and taxonomy of odobenids. PeerJ, 6, e5708. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5708 </p><p>Mitchell, E. D. (1961). A new walrus from the imperial Pliocene of Southern California: with notes on odobenid and otariid humeri. Los Angeles County Museum Contributions in Science, 44, 1–28. <br /></p><p>Ray, C. E. (1975). The relationships of <i>Hemicaulodon effodiens</i> Cope 1869 (Mammalia: Odobenidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 26, 281–304.<br /></p><p>Repenning, C. A., and Tedford, R. H. (1977). Otarioid seals of the Neogene. US Geological Survey Professional Paper, 992, 1–87. https://doi.org/10.3133/pp992<br /></p></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-54287325926961138052024-01-21T09:07:00.005-07:002024-01-21T09:07:52.275-07:00The Oligocene dolphin Xenorophus, part 1: introduction to Xenorophus sloanii and the Xenorophidae<p>In November I published a rather massive monograph on the fossil dolphin <i>Xenorophus</i> - it's my longest publication to date (166 pages!), and my third published monograph - and one of two published in 2023* (check out my blog summary of my other 2023 monograph on <i>Coronodon </i><a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2023/04/new-fossils-of-coronodon-1-new.html">here</a>, <a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2023/04/new-fossils-of-coronodon-2-two-new.html">here</a>, and <a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2023/05/new-fossils-of-coronodon-3-implications.html">here</a>). This series of posts will be in four parts: 1) an introduction to <i>Xenorophus sloanii </i>and the family Xenorophidae; 2) new specimens of <i>Xenorophus sloanii</i>; 3) the new species <i>Xenorophus simplicidens</i>; and 4) the paleobiology of these dolphins and some of what we've learned about them.<br /></p><p>*<i>I am very tired. <br /></i></p><p><b>The Discovery of <i>Xenorophus sloanii </i></b></p><p>Paleontology in Charleston had an early start - likely owing to the combination of the plantation economy (lots of digging activity) and some of the earliest correctly identified fossil vertebrates from North America in general were found by enslaved Africans on the Stono Plantation in the mid 18th century and identified by them as elephant teeth - later revised to mammoth teeth. During the antebellum years, other finds made by the enslaved and slaveowners include the holotype skull of the Oligocene dolphin <i>Agorophius pygmaeus</i> and the Eocene basilosaurid <i>Dorudon serratus</i>. After the Civil War, the phosphate mining boom resulted in a proliferation of fossil discoveries and widespread stratigraphic confusion that took another century to untangle (see my earlier <a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-ashley-phosphate-beds.html">blog post on the Ashley Phosphate Beds here</a>).</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sT-hnOZDmsgM0853JwSSpsj72MVD_jmlPcLmW_r8SvdFH8hQkF7tJ3rpyLgWgSglboyHSiwTDIIDCClMttsBCLqm-eaKAIyezTN1L7gMVHjv4bBEjXmsUbA2nV_viFhpJqvWv6ga2NwQMRvs1MEa5czsqLCAdAtfv9KnyMyGDuE6LTpu2FAomcg1hxw/s2116/Kellogg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2116" data-original-width="2115" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sT-hnOZDmsgM0853JwSSpsj72MVD_jmlPcLmW_r8SvdFH8hQkF7tJ3rpyLgWgSglboyHSiwTDIIDCClMttsBCLqm-eaKAIyezTN1L7gMVHjv4bBEjXmsUbA2nV_viFhpJqvWv6ga2NwQMRvs1MEa5czsqLCAdAtfv9KnyMyGDuE6LTpu2FAomcg1hxw/w400-h400/Kellogg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i> The holotype skull of </i>Xenorophus sloanii<i>, collected from the Ingleside Mining Pit near Ladson, South Carolina, sometime before Kellogg's (1923) publication.</i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-dPtD74oY7f8OUJKkthG53tonmtE-AkYDqBlRsldL_w7O0jRtxzcO32wGiBLjyC9w4Yx_glYGoPBI4puSdbQpZP-K9nhy9HwcjBE8-HH3wNpvXKR7EPvMfgx_0rswnUH2j3TjF_F2Q_y8n6i_40LX1JaAPKcs79N8FHOkX51yb6ASebTKssGMEw_SX8/s3888/IMG_9979.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="2592" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-dPtD74oY7f8OUJKkthG53tonmtE-AkYDqBlRsldL_w7O0jRtxzcO32wGiBLjyC9w4Yx_glYGoPBI4puSdbQpZP-K9nhy9HwcjBE8-HH3wNpvXKR7EPvMfgx_0rswnUH2j3TjF_F2Q_y8n6i_40LX1JaAPKcs79N8FHOkX51yb6ASebTKssGMEw_SX8/w266-h400/IMG_9979.JPG" width="266" /></a></i></div><i><br /> My own photograph of </i>Xenorophus sloanii<i> - from a 2016 visit to USNM collections with Morgan Churchill and Sarah - just after our colleague Dr. Rachel Racicot's wedding a few miles away!</i><br /><p></p><p>The mining boom had died down by 1890 or so, but a few marl pits continued operating into the early 20th century. One such pit, the Ingleside Mining Pit*, yielded an unusual cetacean skull sometime before 1923 and was acquired by Earl Sloan, the state geologist, who subsequently donated to the Smithsonian for Remington Kellogg to study. Kellogg named the skull <i>Xenorophus sloanii</i>** in 1923 after Sloan just three years before Sloan passed away. The specimen was clearly from the "Cooper Marl" - now known as the Ashley Formation. Kellogg recognized that this specimen represented an early odontocete, which he referred to as a "dolphin" and noted archaic features such as double rooted multicuspate teeth and retention of an intertemporal constriction. However, he also noted that this skull had a very unusual lacrimal bone, and premaxilla. The lacrimal is the bone that houses the tear duct in terrestrial mammals; in most marine mammals the duct is lost and the bone just forms the anterior part of the orbit. In most dolphins, it is relatively small and forms the anteriormost part of the orbit - but is also fused to the jugal bone, stretched into a delicate bone the thickness of a toothpick. Instead, in <i>Xenorophus</i>, the lacrimal is large and triangular and covers the entire front half of the orbit - but on the dorsal side. In most other odontocetes, the dorsal part of the orbit is typically formed by ascending process of the maxilla. <i>Xenorophus</i> also has an ascending process of the maxilla - clearly making it an odontocete. The premaxilla, on the other hand, is also quite strange. In a normal odontocete, the premaxilla forms the tip of the snout, bears a few teeth, forms the middle of the snout (housing the mesorostral groove/gutter) and then wraps around the left and right sides of the blowhole. The premaxilla does all of these things in <i>Xenorophus </i>- but also invades the entire part of the skull between the eye socket and the blowhole and has a large, posteriorly expanding cone-shaped body that is actually exposed ventrally just behind the eye socket where the frontal bone has a large ring-shaped window in it. Normally the premaxilla is a thin plate that lies atop the maxilla around the nares - but in this case, the opposite is true: the maxilla instead lies above the premaxilla. The premaxilla basically occupies a space in the skull normally 'built' by the frontal. All of this is just bonkers-ass crazy, even for dolphins, which already have bizarre skulls. But we're not done: the inflated part of the premaxilla here is also osteosclerotic - extremely dense.<br /></p><p><i>*Coincidentally, on the property of the Ingleside Plantation, the plantation
of Francis Holmes - former curator of the College of Charleston Museum
and the guy who started the phosphate mining boom - and discoverer of </i>Agorophius.</p><p>**Commonly misspelled <i>sloani</i>, but the correct spelling by Kellogg shows it as <i>sloanii</i>. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzA_5uNHHr7NbPreuyb9YKhmfUhioCa4n4_jtWXPoZrzUnjQQRCu12wSiCC5Uqp-PYMQbKqOkC8alsktnZ6WiTR4uS95-jT8w8ea5W5o0g_pgtp_XgHms4TFJQY1prfhctPK_fqPdxu8cRNeaIiZfY0oww2I7wiyB98vUWGKxMx1bLOsKa8KcqhDnQdsc/s932/Squalodon%20pelagius.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="932" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzA_5uNHHr7NbPreuyb9YKhmfUhioCa4n4_jtWXPoZrzUnjQQRCu12wSiCC5Uqp-PYMQbKqOkC8alsktnZ6WiTR4uS95-jT8w8ea5W5o0g_pgtp_XgHms4TFJQY1prfhctPK_fqPdxu8cRNeaIiZfY0oww2I7wiyB98vUWGKxMx1bLOsKa8KcqhDnQdsc/w400-h164/Squalodon%20pelagius.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i> The holotype maxilla fragment of </i>Squalodon pelagius<i> - as figured by Leidy (1869).</i><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><b>Other Early Discoveries of Xenorophidae</b></p><p>Famed American paleontologist Joseph Leidy was a contemporary of Francis Holmes, who sent a small rostrum fragment with a single tooth (found along the Ashley River) to Leidy. Leidy published the specimen in his 1869 monograph, naming it <i>Squalodon pelagius</i>. Leidy almost certainly used the genus <i>Squalodon </i>here as a wastebasket owing to the occurrence of double-rooted triangular teeth. He also noted the presence of what we now call embrasure pits - pits to accommodate the opposing teeth. These pits are unique to the family Xenorophidae, and I think this specimen compares quite well with <i>Echovenator </i>and <i>Albertocetus </i>(see below for more on these taxa). Unfortunately, the specimen is now lost.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjP05NeGa-Q1qxOyGizo1a96emVapnl3wHlI2P1FufeotpEMufpuYHBNRFYYoSaYoVucrxEyYu68Uzh-QNdPDUsO2BHqKGDNGVOK_8rq0l0r5nTBEH04OAgeePGDF3FDxS3FEZAbGQ02Ev5PrTrxr78XQ0l56ca9cFN9jIrUtDGTwdVyQn9Cy-awgSsxQ/s1272/Archaeodelphis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="1272" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjP05NeGa-Q1qxOyGizo1a96emVapnl3wHlI2P1FufeotpEMufpuYHBNRFYYoSaYoVucrxEyYu68Uzh-QNdPDUsO2BHqKGDNGVOK_8rq0l0r5nTBEH04OAgeePGDF3FDxS3FEZAbGQ02Ev5PrTrxr78XQ0l56ca9cFN9jIrUtDGTwdVyQn9Cy-awgSsxQ/w400-h238/Archaeodelphis.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><i> The mysterious skull of </i>Archaeodelphis patrius<i>, from Miller (1921) - my scan of a copy of Ed Mitchell's personal copy of the paper with his labeling and highly distinctive writing - which he had provided to Ewan Fordyce (long before all that </i>Llanocetus <i>nonsense).</i><br /></p><p>Another curious specimen was 'discovered' in the collections of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard around World War 1 and named <i>Archaeodelphis patrius</i> by prominent mammalogist Grover M. Allen. This specimen consists of a braincase somewhat resembling <i>Xenorophus</i>, but with an orbit that is only partially covered by the ascending process of the maxilla - uniquely 'primitive' amongst all fossil odontocetes.* Like <i>Xenorophus</i>, this specimen possesses an intertemporal constriction and a relatively untelescoped skull. However, it doesn't quite have the same sort of highly inflated premaxilla. <i>Archaeodelphis patrius</i> has been needing redescription and reinterpretation for a century - and for the past half century, was locked away in a loan cabinet - while many researchers have considered it one of the most important fossil odontocetes ever discovered. OK, but here's the rub: we have no idea where the damned thing is from or how old it is. In general, the skull "looks" like an Oligocene dolphin - only Oligocene dolphins are as archaic in their morphology. A similar specimen at Charleston Museum, ChM PV 4746, was collected from the Chandler Bridge Formation of South Carolina - but the morphology is an inexact match. Unfortunately, during 100 years of collecting, not a single perfect match has been found - which is admittedly a little bit of a problem, as most of the taxa we have here - named or unnamed - are known by at least a couple of specimens (however, ChM PV 4746 is an exception and is still a singleton). Still, Charleston seems likely for several key reasons: it's the only place in the southeastern USA where fossils of archaic odontocetes were being routinely found in the 19th century. The skull was likely part of the collection Agassiz was studying and at some point divorced from its documentation (and never labeled). Holmes and Leidy never wrote about such a specimen - but perhaps it was discovered late in the 19th century (post-Leidy?) by someone in Charleston and whoever committed the information to memory either died or forgot it, and the skull sat in MCZ collections for some time prior to being 'discovered'. Finding a new <i>Archaeodelphis</i> would really be something.<br /></p><p>*<i>I very strongly suspect that the holotype of </i>Archaeodelphis <i>is a juvenile, however, and some of this may simply be ontogenetic recapitulation of archaic to derived features.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TNSBeZmt7Zlqi-hxIs39SI-BJg9OtxB03BsIWks0rI7O2A3tvTMSuOggBjEs1QAYxz9lzbnuV6QBWE3JxTN42emxtqi-qKZNgB2mH4BKpwlbPzRcI2i6ozYlGG_Gsh8IzEuifKuqLNohxJgtPxd-Z0P5ulxgTParJx0XTmEv-LLGcUxr2azRyHwnJ3w/s1849/Albertocetus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="1849" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TNSBeZmt7Zlqi-hxIs39SI-BJg9OtxB03BsIWks0rI7O2A3tvTMSuOggBjEs1QAYxz9lzbnuV6QBWE3JxTN42emxtqi-qKZNgB2mH4BKpwlbPzRcI2i6ozYlGG_Gsh8IzEuifKuqLNohxJgtPxd-Z0P5ulxgTParJx0XTmEv-LLGcUxr2azRyHwnJ3w/w400-h269/Albertocetus.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> The holotype skull of </i>Albertocetus meffordorum<i>, whitened with ammonium chloride - the skull is nearly black in color. It is much closer in morphology to </i>Xenorophus <i>than it is to </i>Echovenator<i> or </i>Cotylocara<i>. From Uhen (2008).<br /></i><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i> </i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamWXfq0P80PmvBzwb9qDpywim7FWkIG65y2JtoDgL4nTldVLXQ5rhwc-Q2Df7ZeGzAuFkJHpuEQGoSaVVGlCMNlADRg9XaYM2HoU-AVsqdJ2JxikZ8BcqDGn691s9d8g-2cY0hfk2aF9b2dPcJ1SjSWzsZMOISJa4RUtSibREeD-zgcO_IYkx1P_18E4/s2945/Albertocetus%20comparison.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1918" data-original-width="2945" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamWXfq0P80PmvBzwb9qDpywim7FWkIG65y2JtoDgL4nTldVLXQ5rhwc-Q2Df7ZeGzAuFkJHpuEQGoSaVVGlCMNlADRg9XaYM2HoU-AVsqdJ2JxikZ8BcqDGn691s9d8g-2cY0hfk2aF9b2dPcJ1SjSWzsZMOISJa4RUtSibREeD-zgcO_IYkx1P_18E4/w400-h260/Albertocetus%20comparison.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Size comparison of </i>Albertocetus <i>and </i>Xenorophus<i>. Modified from Uhen (2008).<br /></i></p><p><i> </i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEjBV6RGc8nDA1epkvMdCD75cH9mPW0_FXWOWszO4AauK0NX0LTFjdeirAYz9ECGA-0WJDuaMT7hyphenhyphenayvT4hIHe0ipXJDmu0_kap7kO366pQW1Knio3Tm89YtyVdTyVjF0Oo54GCB-hxEMB4730e6ALHODPcnAhk8fcc1E9hE0XQVQ7QZFHXbsoIiFfwo/s2880/Albertocetus%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2236" data-original-width="2880" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEjBV6RGc8nDA1epkvMdCD75cH9mPW0_FXWOWszO4AauK0NX0LTFjdeirAYz9ECGA-0WJDuaMT7hyphenhyphenayvT4hIHe0ipXJDmu0_kap7kO366pQW1Knio3Tm89YtyVdTyVjF0Oo54GCB-hxEMB4730e6ALHODPcnAhk8fcc1E9hE0XQVQ7QZFHXbsoIiFfwo/w400-h310/Albertocetus%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Skull, endocast, earbones, vertebrae, and skeletal reconstruction of </i>Albertocetus meffordorum <i>- images from Boessenecker et al. (2017B).</i><br /></p><p><b>A North Carolina xenorophid: <i>Albertocetus</i></b></p><p>Onslow Beach in coastal North Carolina has long been a location where fossils have been found strewn along the water line. In the early 2000s, several dolphin-bearing concretions were discovered and sent to the Smithsonian. I saw a talk by Mark Uhen in 2006 at the Neoceti symposium at the SVP meeting in Ottawa (my second SVP ever!) reporting these archaic specimens - and in 2008, Uhen published a paper naming <i>Albertocetus meffordorum</i>, the first xenorophid named in 90 years. Like specimens from the famous "Emlong collection" at the Smithsonian, this specimen had to be carefully prepared out of a hard calcareous nodule using air scribes. <i>Albertocetus</i> has a similar facial region to <i>Xenorophus</i>, and a braincase that looks - well, a lot like an archaeocete whale. Critically, it also preserved the first good earbones for the Xenorophidae - a periotic is preserved in <i>Archaeodelphis</i>, but it was not well-figured. Later, in 2017, I reported new specimens of <i>Albertocetus </i>from the Ashley Formation of Charleston - demonstrating that this taxon lived in both the Charleston and Salisbury embayments during the Oligocene - hardly a surprise. These specimens also preserved earbones removed from the skull and associated postcrania.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRCJjZs66yJuNZoZaRdTMAT6buW9GAtmIApv43PJvDleaUI16cZxtSTkK7smwTal7EmehUq2IwUx6NCgbXVeNHkLig3n6tmbY0SS6reR24T4zPBDvpwwBkOBrHkbmeqM5iyNhgZEEqB2g6JchzkhSaR1cQ3YUtVSHTbxbD5jxM9z5-ZZxMOpZWSNyc7w/s1166/Cotylocara%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="1166" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRCJjZs66yJuNZoZaRdTMAT6buW9GAtmIApv43PJvDleaUI16cZxtSTkK7smwTal7EmehUq2IwUx6NCgbXVeNHkLig3n6tmbY0SS6reR24T4zPBDvpwwBkOBrHkbmeqM5iyNhgZEEqB2g6JchzkhSaR1cQ3YUtVSHTbxbD5jxM9z5-ZZxMOpZWSNyc7w/w400-h209/Cotylocara%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The skull of xenorophid </i>Cotylocara macei<i> from the Chandler Bridge Formation of South Carolina, from Geisler et al. (2014).</i><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3qy5IsfaYi7O0RHzlEPzpN7G6mYn11uAn-NO8kb188VDF_AqNIvADdVPi8_Rx2xG43hKA8luphKDxn1-D1LyYwWkgeAxkSoz0eoQbGoKGPmTYJTOz9MxYWEQh5NwKD6ynTUiwFPc64FctXuxYVwy0ts8Y_zhUELB4zGgck5KnqPrbma6NEtTzyG5MsY/s1224/Cotylocara.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="1224" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3qy5IsfaYi7O0RHzlEPzpN7G6mYn11uAn-NO8kb188VDF_AqNIvADdVPi8_Rx2xG43hKA8luphKDxn1-D1LyYwWkgeAxkSoz0eoQbGoKGPmTYJTOz9MxYWEQh5NwKD6ynTUiwFPc64FctXuxYVwy0ts8Y_zhUELB4zGgck5KnqPrbma6NEtTzyG5MsY/w400-h389/Cotylocara.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The holotype skull of </i>Cotylocara macei <i>on display at my former institution - the Mace Brown Museum of Natural History - and a 3D model of the skull with some of the bony sinus fossae on the skull.</i><br /></div><div><p></p><p><b>Xenorophids and the origin of Echolocation: <i>Cotylocara </i>and <i>Echovenator </i></b></p><p>Shortly thereafter witnessed a flurry of papers on xenorophid dolphins from Charleston, South Carolina. The first of these made it into the journal Nature - likely to be the highest profile publication to ever come out of the College of Charleston (very curious). The study, published by Jonathan Geisler et al. (2014), named the new genus and species <i>Cotylocara macei</i> - the holotype of which, CCNHM 101, is the first published specimen from my old institution, the Mace Brown Museum of Natural History at the College of Charleston. <i>Cotylocara macei</i> is clearly a xenorophid, though it has a much narrower snout than <i>Xenorophus</i>, and a wider, dish-shaped facial region. It also has a somewhat more telescoped skull - barely having an intertemporal constriction at all, with the facial bones thrusted posteriorly and overriding most of the anterior part of the braincase. However, it is distinctive in possessing a large pit behind the blowhole, which Geisler et al. named the postnarial fossa. Additionally, the specimen has very well-preserved antorbital fossae, noted previously but not interpreted. These large facial fossae are further lined with low-density bone similar to that lining the air-filled sinuses of extant odontocetes. This suggests that <i>Cotylocara </i>had considerable air-filled sinuses in its facial region, likely connected to diverticulae in the highly modified blowhole and indicating the ability to produce high frequency sounds used in echolocation. However, CT scans of the cochlea of <i>Cotylocara </i>were not informative at the time to confirm whether or not these sounds could be heard. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENKS8vlzspIhE_HhB0tgIARJiBbHOSi2fRdemq8hx9WeLK9atK9T4nhyphenhyphenu3jqBdyIlnpkrZi0CXOfb6bLws_5isp22Usf9PBOkzFBSHtTGAP8HKH-Aj6cFiBd3IcCJj-7IQ-WemLn78eCmkg3pX5l5etexdo5P-eU8yznzmQDjv-dnqcsv4W05dp7zzNc/s400/echo_location_fossiljpg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="400" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENKS8vlzspIhE_HhB0tgIARJiBbHOSi2fRdemq8hx9WeLK9atK9T4nhyphenhyphenu3jqBdyIlnpkrZi0CXOfb6bLws_5isp22Usf9PBOkzFBSHtTGAP8HKH-Aj6cFiBd3IcCJj-7IQ-WemLn78eCmkg3pX5l5etexdo5P-eU8yznzmQDjv-dnqcsv4W05dp7zzNc/w400-h266/echo_location_fossiljpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Travis Park with the North Carolina xenorophid periotic reported by Park et al. (2016) and a modern delphinid periotic - specimen subsequently reidentified as </i>Echovenator<i>.</i><br /></div><div> <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC12rIZTTizuzPToNTuBEhbGUr1gKOkRHUekmEFZyH07FDtNsq5Zq2ICxHY8rim7JDOehk10xP7Z9EQSLYIPA7g4J9VI4f2hsi4cUoFFxP3Qs2c3r850fqcuXAkOcBRR5xg6fSieJDcaNKFviXW9voRscD4KPgUQ8FUNKwZgf9zlrXjOkRVl0o2aX5Msk/s1942/Echovenator.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1489" data-original-width="1942" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC12rIZTTizuzPToNTuBEhbGUr1gKOkRHUekmEFZyH07FDtNsq5Zq2ICxHY8rim7JDOehk10xP7Z9EQSLYIPA7g4J9VI4f2hsi4cUoFFxP3Qs2c3r850fqcuXAkOcBRR5xg6fSieJDcaNKFviXW9voRscD4KPgUQ8FUNKwZgf9zlrXjOkRVl0o2aX5Msk/w400-h306/Echovenator.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The skull, mandible, atlas vertebra, and earbones of </i>Echovenator sandersi<i> - from Churchill et al. (2016).</i><br /></div><div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbVbv70_AOFKM6_ZxbuVFly0FItZd18l04X6jh1j7enJerWwRhHyw4VJiz9O1QIfsjtmjf2ozjjDlij-3BOgp1apxokZLqDi21rWxF2HtDmdW4kNIaWxwSVfletL-yIhRRk0aKYyKMn53vfGg9XMj6yNvGH4Byt2IEhcQAzRc7eNZKLtmqXKX9-tc6cQ/s1920/Echovenator%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1389" data-original-width="1920" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbVbv70_AOFKM6_ZxbuVFly0FItZd18l04X6jh1j7enJerWwRhHyw4VJiz9O1QIfsjtmjf2ozjjDlij-3BOgp1apxokZLqDi21rWxF2HtDmdW4kNIaWxwSVfletL-yIhRRk0aKYyKMn53vfGg9XMj6yNvGH4Byt2IEhcQAzRc7eNZKLtmqXKX9-tc6cQ/w400-h290/Echovenator%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p></div><div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Life restoration of </i>Echovenator sandersi <i>- by Alberto Gennari.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><br /></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCL3o6CkfzyW0yntX8eaGrWbjIW9uMJVmyqzZ6ZUc8uOIv7yYI57Y4hS9vV5pwkIEFOcxtToDpATbeMvzqXZv-HhUVc_KvvWpun0j0n1GFWTsTeyoCtI7iaNix3fH3-8QapoYXEGrx84FRQlhPw4IVQWObqNWtADFqzO0pmsEbLuKD_e3AOtrsZQd7pBE/s2000/Albertocetus%20earbones.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="2000" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCL3o6CkfzyW0yntX8eaGrWbjIW9uMJVmyqzZ6ZUc8uOIv7yYI57Y4hS9vV5pwkIEFOcxtToDpATbeMvzqXZv-HhUVc_KvvWpun0j0n1GFWTsTeyoCtI7iaNix3fH3-8QapoYXEGrx84FRQlhPw4IVQWObqNWtADFqzO0pmsEbLuKD_e3AOtrsZQd7pBE/w400-h140/Albertocetus%20earbones.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Comparison of periotics of </i>Albertocetus <i>from the Ashley Formation of Charleston SC (A-B) and Belgrade Formation of NC (C-D; collected Gary Grimsley in 2016), the North Carolina </i>Echovenator <i>periotic studied by Park et al. (E-F; collected J. Mefford, Onslow Beach NC), and a periotic of cf. </i>Echovenator <i>I collected from Belgrade Quarry in 2017 (G-H) - from Boessenecker et al. (2017B).</i><br /></p><p>High frequency hearing was later confirmed in xenorophid dolphins by two studies that came out in parallel: Park et al. (2016), who scanned an isolated periotic of a xenorophid from Onslow Beach (North Carolina - same site as <i>Albertocetus</i>), and Churchill et al. (2016), who reported another xenorophid, <i>Echovenator sandersi</i>, from the same rock unit as <i>Cotylocara </i>- the Chandler Bridge Formation of South Carolina. The North Carolina periotic had evidence of adaptations for hearing high frequency sounds, but was unidentifiable (at the time) past the family level. The beautifully preserved skull of <i>Echovenator sandersi</i>, on the other hand, had some similar, but more subtle facial sinus fossae like <i>Cotylocara</i>, and well-preserved periotic bones. Morphometric analysis of the scans indicated that <i>Echovenator</i> could hear high frequency sounds; between these two genera, xenorophids in general were clearly able to echolocate. Ironically, Park et al. (2016) and Churchill et al. (2016) were unaware that the other team were working on the same taxon: a year later, I published an article reporting the periotic morphology of <i>Albertocetus</i>, and in it reidentified the North Carolina specimen as <i>Echovenator</i> sp. owing to numerous shared features. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi086bqgu_ZMrKTzKyqP3D25iTyB90DP7PYdWBEyguZECNBYochBnFic3O7GEe2C3B2Kixvq-PBd0MeRNoSi-1x3SIywQGi-smMZQFe32uuySq6YFQzwQqYUB4HS-mcZ1_CMK97Mpu3HylBK9IrswsYXs3ptFESDCKLwyos3UvVJD4FNM9n5YXeUznSFdE/s750/Inermorostrum.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="750" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi086bqgu_ZMrKTzKyqP3D25iTyB90DP7PYdWBEyguZECNBYochBnFic3O7GEe2C3B2Kixvq-PBd0MeRNoSi-1x3SIywQGi-smMZQFe32uuySq6YFQzwQqYUB4HS-mcZ1_CMK97Mpu3HylBK9IrswsYXs3ptFESDCKLwyos3UvVJD4FNM9n5YXeUznSFdE/w400-h234/Inermorostrum.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The partial holotype skull (and referred specimen - E) of the dwarf, snort-snouted toothless suction-feeding dolphin </i>Inermorostrum xenops<i> - from Boessenecker et al. (2017A).</i><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQjt8zemtM0dbY9G89PDfMxTcTmugsaVgAegYfhrNDbsXJ9tFsjI_tgOuy0pjGQQM4ADv82fFrhhEVvjjQ7P8vMO8sZY7E_Xao3Kne4wa_1SsM0grgoPnOYXQ7bjrTYSVbmpaO5bT34qxdCfwMqHyfa8kwF68wmkvLHudoPCkOdoG4fx8tpAjfAUmyVk/s1920/image_5160_1e-Inermorostrum-xenops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="1920" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQjt8zemtM0dbY9G89PDfMxTcTmugsaVgAegYfhrNDbsXJ9tFsjI_tgOuy0pjGQQM4ADv82fFrhhEVvjjQ7P8vMO8sZY7E_Xao3Kne4wa_1SsM0grgoPnOYXQ7bjrTYSVbmpaO5bT34qxdCfwMqHyfa8kwF68wmkvLHudoPCkOdoG4fx8tpAjfAUmyVk/w400-h284/image_5160_1e-Inermorostrum-xenops.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p></p></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>My life restoration of</i> Inermorostrum xenops. <b> </b><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie9mh4KHfNb6oPkHoF-m00yiKeDQHfy4wKTOSr50hM8-cjw5ikjiey9YEq_zIMRIX_zEzV7Ho0YDH37VQF234aEIutVKuHWU4KwQRhZ_dcbf3rMsQieoJn9panlczbPi_irjjuECVjikRzCuqkYoXRJF9sBHM26GHuK222vGp3XVfvNG-2RpR3TZRQ6Jk/s903/Inermorostrum%20rost%20length.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="903" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie9mh4KHfNb6oPkHoF-m00yiKeDQHfy4wKTOSr50hM8-cjw5ikjiey9YEq_zIMRIX_zEzV7Ho0YDH37VQF234aEIutVKuHWU4KwQRhZ_dcbf3rMsQieoJn9panlczbPi_irjjuECVjikRzCuqkYoXRJF9sBHM26GHuK222vGp3XVfvNG-2RpR3TZRQ6Jk/w400-h220/Inermorostrum%20rost%20length.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b> </b>Rostral proportions through time in Odontoceti<b> </b>- </i>Inermorostrum <i>is already one of the most brevirostrine odontocetes, and it evolved within just a few million years of the mysticete-odontocete split. From Boessenecker et al. (2017A).<b><br /></b></i></p><p><b>A xenorophid that really sucked: <i>Inermorostrum</i></b></p><p>One of my first projects at CCNHM was to report this adorable little skull clearly representing an adult dwarf xenorophid. This skull has a vertex with similar skull sutures to <i>Albertocetus, </i>and shared with it and <i>Xenorophus </i>a flat vertex - in other words, lacking the postnarial fossa of <i>Echovenator</i> and <i>Cotylocara</i>. While the small size is distinctive, that pales in comparison to the business end of the skull: the snout is quite short - approximately 1/3 of the length of <i>Cotylocara </i>if you scale it to the width of the snout - and completely toothless. That is not to say the teeth fell out - there are no tooth sockets, either - indicating that the species was completely toothless. We named this new genus and species <i>Inermorostrum xenops </i>- the genus name meaning 'weaponless snout' and the species name meaning strange face, hearkening back to <i>Xenorophus</i> itself and the family. This little dolphin was from the Ashley Formation, a contemporary of <i>Albertocetus</i> and <i>Xenorophus </i>and about 28-30 million years in age; only a single referred specimen exists, a partial vertex in Charleston Museum collections. Analyses of rostrum length evolution through time indicated that longirostry (long snouts) and brevirostry (short snouts) evolved many times in parallel within the Odontoceti, and that xenorophids evolved short snouts very, very early in odontocete evolution, shortly after diverging from the baleen whales. What good is a short, toothless mouth? Reduction of the dentition has occurred in many modern odontocetes including sperm whales (Physeroidea), beaked whales (Ziphiidae), Risso's dolphin (<i>Grampus griseus</i>), and the narwhal (<i>Monodon monoceros</i>). In all such cases, the few teeth that are retained are generally reserved for combat and not used in biting prey. Most also happen to have short snouts. Many toothy dolphins with short snouts also exist. What these all share is the ability to suction feed for soft-bodied prey like squid and fish. The loss of teeth accomplishes two things: streamlines the mouth to improve the flow of water, and in the case of those species that feed on squid, decreases hard points that suckers can attach to easily. A short snout makes for a smaller mouth, which if paired with large lips, increases suction forces as well. The tiny size of <i>Inermorostrum</i> means that it was also a shallow, rather than deep diver: this rules out deep dives for squid. Perhaps <i>Inermorostrum </i>was coastal in its distribution (like most small odontocetes today) and foraged on the shallow sea floor for soft bodied prey like sea cucumbers, octopus, and worms.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9cwcPU1nGQhUWO7d9sI0z-l8aNUSdJp8fVGyc9mNd_ATs2Wys_HxXPWq7DpIA726NC0SxlXd4UMHpSX383vVXXwVWKcJNN-9otVBa9miDx4bde2vmapMQdOTY_XXlrnEJ1YOSDmOgEdO9bEI74xtHEkXj055nW4qvf9N5d7IpJB-NO1BgsT26qv5a6I/s1310/family%20portrait.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1310" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9cwcPU1nGQhUWO7d9sI0z-l8aNUSdJp8fVGyc9mNd_ATs2Wys_HxXPWq7DpIA726NC0SxlXd4UMHpSX383vVXXwVWKcJNN-9otVBa9miDx4bde2vmapMQdOTY_XXlrnEJ1YOSDmOgEdO9bEI74xtHEkXj055nW4qvf9N5d7IpJB-NO1BgsT26qv5a6I/w400-h289/family%20portrait.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">A <i>family portrait of Xenorophidae - from left to right: </i>Xenorophus sloanii, Cotylocara macei, Echovenator sandersi, <i>and </i>Inermorostrum xenops. <br /></div><div><p></p><p><i>In sum, many new xenorophids have been discovered since Kellogg named Xenorophus sloanii in 1923 - but that's obviously not all that's been uncovered. Next up in Part 2, I'll review the new specimens of this new species and some of what we've learned.</i></p><p><b>References </b></p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
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</p>Allen, G.M. A new fossil cetacean. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 1921, 65, 3-14. <br /><br />Allen, J.A. Note on squalodont remains from Charleston, S.C. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 1887, 12, 35-39. </div><div><br />Boessenecker, R.W.; Fraser, D.; Churchill, M.; Geisler, J.H. A toothless dwarf dolphin (Odontoceti: Xenorophidae) points to explosive feeding diversification of modern whales (Neoceti). Proceedings of the Royal Society B 2017A, 284, 20170531<br /><br />Boessenecker, R.W.; Ahmed, E.; Geisler, J.H. New records of the dolphin Albertocetus meffordorum (Odontoceti: Xenorophidae) from the lower Oligocene of South Carolina: encephalization, sensory anatomy, postcranial morphology, and ontogeny of early odontocetes. PLoS ONE 2017B, 12, e0186476. <br /><br />Churchill, M.; Martinez-Caceres, M.; Muizon, C.d.; Mnieckowski, J.; Geisler, J.H. The origin of high-frequency hearing in whales. Current Biology 2016, 26, 2144-2149. <br /><br />Geisler, J.H.; Colbert, M.W.; Carew, J.L. A new fossil species supports an early origin for toothed whale echolocation. Nature 2014, 508, 383-386.<br /><br />Kellogg, R. Description of an apparently new toothed cetacean from South Carolina. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 1923, 76, 1-7. <br /><br />Park, T.; Fitzgerald, E.M.G.; Evans, A.R. Ultrasonic hearing and echolocation in the earliest toothed whales. Biology Letters 2016, 12, 20160060. Uhen, M.D. A new Xenorophus-like odontocete cetacean from the Oligocene of North Carolina and a discussion of the basal odontocete radiation. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 2008, 6, 433-452.<b><br /></b></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-34128473087027904782024-01-13T11:47:00.004-07:002024-01-14T08:25:47.963-07:00Some recent advances in late Cenozoic shark paleontology<div><p>When I first started out in paleontology as an undergraduate in the mid 2000s, I had a background in fossil sharks. I collected shark teeth in high school and they ultimately got me hooked on marine mammals. However, it seemed like most of the publishing effort on fossil sharks at the time, and up until 2014-2015, had focused chiefly on Mesozoic through Eocene sharks and the study of Neogene (Miocene, Pliocene; 23-2.6 Ma) sharks was quite stagnant. One major exception at the time was the hallmark publication by Purdy et al. 2001 in Lee Creek Volume III, on the fossil sharks, rays, and fish from the Pungo River Limestone and Yorktown Formation. However, it feels that recently - since the start of the pandemic - the publishing rate on Neogene sharks has exploded - especially as regards the megatoothed sharks. There are more papers on <i>Carcharocles megalodon</i> in the past five years than the prior thirty (estimate, I'm too lazy to actually count - though I suspect that's actually going to be a conservative figure). So, I figure it's about time to cover some of this territory.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwg50ZzYCWxox1q_TSibgj_4vzF-NfP6h_4sVJd2zGdii6aSWuZWgv-bOyzd36bYp_H8I5EKKJsWL94vj5ExHtMv3ZZ0WAjquH6k_JxFfodi6iWGMBMUhskacylZw_Bo6UjrEO-IY4V1bK4Waw6jOCeHLxPNeiux36hWN10OHcrqWdx31GgS3knhr3xuE/s999/Boessenecker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="804" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwg50ZzYCWxox1q_TSibgj_4vzF-NfP6h_4sVJd2zGdii6aSWuZWgv-bOyzd36bYp_H8I5EKKJsWL94vj5ExHtMv3ZZ0WAjquH6k_JxFfodi6iWGMBMUhskacylZw_Bo6UjrEO-IY4V1bK4Waw6jOCeHLxPNeiux36hWN10OHcrqWdx31GgS3knhr3xuE/w323-h400/Boessenecker.jpg" width="323" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Lamniform sharks (plus </i>Squatina, Hexanchus, and Pristiophorus<i>) from the latest Miocene-late Pliocene aged Purisima Formation in California - from Boessenecker (2011), the first paper I ever wrote, and one of the first ones I ever published.</i><br /></p><p>I started working on my first paper reporting fossil sharks in fall 2006 - eventually submitted sometime in 2010 and published, of all days, on the day of my wedding to Sarah in 2011 (only about an hour before we left for the venue). This paper <a href="https://archives.palarch.nl/index.php/jvp/issue/view/70">(Boessenecker, 2011)</a> in Palarch's Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology reported fossil sharks, skates, bony fish, and some sea bird remains from a formely unstudied locality in the Purisima Formation, and focused on a bunch of fossils I had collected. I had a firmer grasp of the identifications and morphology of the non-mammals, and the marine mammal remains would have to wait. </p><p>While I was in college, not much was published on mid-late Cenozoic sharks - but I'll briefly list some of the more salient articles. <a href="https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app51-477.html">Sylvain Adnet et al. (2006)</a> published an interesting study documenting body size changes in the cow shark <i>Hexanchus </i>through geologic time. Somewhat later, <a href="https://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/njgpa/detail/256/74919/New_fossil_teeth_of_the_White_Shark_Carcharodon_ca">Adnet et al. (2010) </a>reported an unusually large fossil great white shark tooth from Spain suggestive of larger body size in the past. The tired argument regarding whether or not <i>C. megalodon</i> was related to great whites was finally addressed in a morphometric analysis by Nyberg et al. (2006), who found that it is not very similar to <i>Carcharodon carcharias</i>. Catalina Pimiento et al. (2010) reported a <i>Carcharocles megalodon </i>nursery assemblage from the Miocene of Panama and followed it up with a pretty impressive study of the entire shark fauna from the same locality (Pimiento et al., 2013). The infamous "transitional" great white shark dentition from the Pisco Formation of Peru was finally described by Dana Ehret et al. (2009) and shortly thereafter formally named <i>Carcharodon hubbelli</i> (Ehret et al., 2012). <a href="https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-vertebrate-paleontology/volume-30/issue-1/02724630903409063/Variation-in-Composition-and-Abundance-of-Miocene-Shark-Teeth-from/10.1080/02724630903409063.short">Christy Visaggi and Stephen Godfrey (2010)</a> published a survey of shark teeth from Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, comparing ex-situ teeth found on the beach with teeth found in situ from the cliffs and examining issues like collections bias. </p><p>Research seemed to pick up a bit during my Ph.D. program (2011-2015). Bruce Welton returned to publishing after his retirement and published some papers on fossil basking sharks, including naming the archaic genus <i>Keasius </i>(Welton, 2013). The extinct megamouth shark from the Oligocene of Pyramid Hill, California, was finally named as <i>Megachasma applegatei</i> <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2013.803975">(Shimada et al., 2014)</a>. A number of shark assemblages from South America, Central America, and the Caribbean were reported (<a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0182740">Aguilera et al., 2017</a>; <a href="https://bioone.org/journals/ameghiniana/volume-53/issue-2/AMGH.26.10.2015.2931/A-New-Early-Miocene-Aquitanian-Elasmobranchii-Assemblage-from-the-la/10.5710/AMGH.26.10.2015.2931.short">Carillo-Briceno et al., 2016;</a> <a href="http://palaeo-electronica.org/content/pdfs/664.pdf">Carillo-Briceno et al., 2016</a>; <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0895981115000279?via%3Dihub">Carillo-Briceno et al., 2015</a>; <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0139230">Carillo-Briceno et al., 2015</a>; <a href="https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/136058">Staig et al., 2015</a>; <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0895981114000029?via%3Dihub">Carrilo-Briceno et al., 2014</a>). <a href="https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app000662014.html">Jurgen Kriwet et al. (2014)</a> named a new genus for <i>Isurus</i>/<i>Cosmopolitodus escheri, </i>placing it in <i>Carcharomodus</i>. Perhaps the most important study published in the interim was by <a href="https://scholarlypress.si.edu/store/all/the-geology-and-vertebrate-paleontology-of-calvert-cliffs-maryland-usa-volume-2-turtles-and-toothed-whales/">Kent (2018)</a>, who reported the shark and ray fauna of Calvert Cliffs in <a href="https://scholarlypress.si.edu/store/life-sciences-biodiversity/geology-and-vertebrate-paleontology-calvert-cliffs/">Calvert Cliffs Volume I</a>. Most critically, and perhaps preceding the recent flourishing of research on Neogene sharks, was a flurry of articles on megatoothed sharks including a statistical analysis supporting a relatively recent extinction for <i>Carcharocles megalodon</i> <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0111086">(Pimiento and Clements, 2014)</a>, a study of body size change in <i>Carcharocles</i> <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/paleobiology/article/bodysize-trends-of-the-extinct-giant-shark-carcharocles-megalodon-a-deeptime-perspective-on-marine-apex-predators/03A62B39329A8595DD129EEC9BE8A065">(Pimiento and Balk, 2015)</a>, the naming of a new dwarf megatoothed shark <i>Megalolamna </i><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2016.1236795">(Shimada et al., 2016)</a>, a study of paleogeographic distribution of <i>Carcharocles megalodon </i><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jbi.12754">(Pimiento et al., 2016)</a>, and a report of long-forgotten <i>C. megalodon</i> teeth from California and a comprehensive reanalysis of its extinction (supporting a much older, "mid" Pliocene extinction) by yours truly <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/6088/">(Boessenecker et al., 2019)</a>.</p><p>This blog post will focus on summarizing some of (but certainly not all) of the papers since the Covid-19 pandemic started that report new occurrences, assemblages, and findings on Neogene sharks - and Oligocene sharks as well (since Oligocene assemblages have more in common with Miocene than Eocene assemblages). If I've missed something you'd like me to include, please let me know in the comments and I'll consider updating the article!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1V2CL09bOmEudMABRyjCp0kpubcwXx7A179NSn2U_zLwUHm7TuscvdPGKMsgKg4TI9QI3_fOrEDZ27i9F23VHK5ToCqgyTVVm2l8Vy9qGNxC1p5I-xQ-IUx4M9uAiphzN7RJIut-CI2I022vgLXCV9_98wgoURZbtrx8BY-ENGlHAqqmrA3h7q-Z8as/s1843/Chavez-Hoffmeister.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1381" data-original-width="1843" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1V2CL09bOmEudMABRyjCp0kpubcwXx7A179NSn2U_zLwUHm7TuscvdPGKMsgKg4TI9QI3_fOrEDZ27i9F23VHK5ToCqgyTVVm2l8Vy9qGNxC1p5I-xQ-IUx4M9uAiphzN7RJIut-CI2I022vgLXCV9_98wgoURZbtrx8BY-ENGlHAqqmrA3h7q-Z8as/w400-h300/Chavez-Hoffmeister.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Examples of fossil sharks and the rarefaction analysis from Chavez-Hoffmeister and Villafana (2022).</i><br /></p><p></p><p><b><u>Shark Assemblages</u></b></p><p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S089598112300041X">Chavez-Hoffmeister and Villafana (2022)</a> report an aggregate fossil assemblage of sharks and rays from three different formations along the northern coast of Chile - the Coquimbo Formation, La Portada Formation, and the famous Bahia Inglesa Formation (near Caldera, Chile). The study is more of a checklist and identification guide than a formal description of a chondrichthyan assemblage - but that's actually the goal of the study. The study acknowledges the extractive role of illegal fossil digging in Chile that led to large numbers of shark teeth being sold, without provenience, on the black market. Fortunately, this has slowed considerably and permitted Chilean researchers to actually collect specimens with stratigraphic data. For context - there is considerable confusion as to the stratigraphic record of <i>Carcharodon carcharias</i> within the Bahia Inglesa Formation, no doubt a cause of the 1) poor stratigraphic control over the years and 2) poor collection of stratigraphic data by illegal fossil diggers. This study also used a rarefaction analysis to estimate how many additional species may await discovery, suggesting that only 3/4 of the fauna had been detected.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UfyjJ16J1ZuwW-cuVn1du0yrkShLXck5EcCqB6kKYxM3PgBTo0wh6MSJKrSICfS2XpveR0EV5np2hUsxftPrLmCL0VZ9cBw8XLKmB-85A1uLL7GD_4AkLL88PE51ncQklfQaHuUVebydPwDc7nJKGSSNq8DkygAbdtc91ZqIueSeraWuF41rcj5hAfE/s3660/Carillo-Briceno%20Ecuador.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="3660" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UfyjJ16J1ZuwW-cuVn1du0yrkShLXck5EcCqB6kKYxM3PgBTo0wh6MSJKrSICfS2XpveR0EV5np2hUsxftPrLmCL0VZ9cBw8XLKmB-85A1uLL7GD_4AkLL88PE51ncQklfQaHuUVebydPwDc7nJKGSSNq8DkygAbdtc91ZqIueSeraWuF41rcj5hAfE/w400-h220/Carillo-Briceno%20Ecuador.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Oligo-Miocene sharks from Ecuador, reported by Carillo-Briceno et al. (2020).</i><br /></p><p>An assemblage from the Oligocene-Miocene boundary (~23 Ma; Montanita-Olon) of Ecuador was reported by <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/9051/">Carillo-Briceno et al. (2020)</a>. Like other Pacific assemblages covered elsewhere in this post, there's much more in the way of deep water sharks present, including Heptranchias, Centrophorus, Echinorhinus, Mitsukurina, and Pristiophorus. Some of the regular suspects are present as well - Carcharocles chubutensis/angustidens, Carcharias, Odontaspis, Parotodus, Carcharhinus, Galeocerdo, Alopias, Hemipristis, etc. This study reports many new records for the Tropical east Pacific and South America.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOL3SSZYwfeYKZgXXCtnJsWmlq9DlyfvlfD2nxKJfahuvPicEVizYeGRW1MPvNKa8mavo9bC-VyHcM5Du_T_dYbI5G-csONDKUiVkozLW42cPTeAW4pmB2u9GcO3T-iBgr6o4aGNFyzplMfHQkpV43QS2HN1K5JXRhqKbwHXYwrxh0Ud5sxanendaTeQ/s1910/Miller.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="1910" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOL3SSZYwfeYKZgXXCtnJsWmlq9DlyfvlfD2nxKJfahuvPicEVizYeGRW1MPvNKa8mavo9bC-VyHcM5Du_T_dYbI5G-csONDKUiVkozLW42cPTeAW4pmB2u9GcO3T-iBgr6o4aGNFyzplMfHQkpV43QS2HN1K5JXRhqKbwHXYwrxh0Ud5sxanendaTeQ/w400-h304/Miller.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The sample of </i>Carcharocles angustidens <i>teeth from the original Chandler Bridge excavation, along with our reconstructed body length curves - clearly dominated by juvenile sharks. From Miller et al. (2021).</i><br /></p><p>In 2021 my student <a href="https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2021/3372-oligocene-shark-nursery">Addie Miller, Matt Gibson (natural history curator at Charleston Museum), and I published a paper </a>reporting an assemblage of <i>Carcharocles angustidens</i> teeth from the Chandler Bridge Formation here in South Carolina. The teeth are from a location where only we had access (and given my frequent visits, there were very few if any folks who snuck onto the property). Mostly all we found were small teeth. Addie reconstructed the body sizes from each tooth by identifying the likely tooth position, plugging each measurement into a different tooth-by-tooth set of equations developed earlier by Kenshu Shimada for great white sharks. Then, she generated a size distribution curve - and determined that nearly all of the specimens were from individuals that were only half grown in body size or smaller. She also did the same for a larger assemblage of teeth from the original Chandler Bridge excavation, briefly mentioned in a 1996 book chapter by Bob Purdy - and duplicated the results. Two different localities in the same rock unit, a couple of miles apart, collected nearly 50 years apart by different researchers! These results indicate that the Charleston Embayment was likely used as a nursery area by megatoothed sharks in the Oligocene. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNALFVRyDQYkS7YtlTf6MgUyvTJvyjPzloaa854M4u8KD-Nuw96NGIKV6EyjfaHTAhPXo1Em-_Kt2lkqRLeQhgDRJn-1WcMWVw5TRa6ZAiXYgYkMdxssDJcze7JeoP1mtO1HG_dchgpIV5s865PAQOQNiwMhbaxqMW6Un-081k2rM1WEYBT5d63UX4S1s/s1881/Villafana%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1357" data-original-width="1881" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNALFVRyDQYkS7YtlTf6MgUyvTJvyjPzloaa854M4u8KD-Nuw96NGIKV6EyjfaHTAhPXo1Em-_Kt2lkqRLeQhgDRJn-1WcMWVw5TRa6ZAiXYgYkMdxssDJcze7JeoP1mtO1HG_dchgpIV5s865PAQOQNiwMhbaxqMW6Un-081k2rM1WEYBT5d63UX4S1s/w400-h289/Villafana%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Analysis of body size distribution in </i>Carcharodon carcharias<i> teeth from three different localities in the Pliocene of South America: Pisco Formation of Peru, Coquimbo and Caldera in Chile - from Villafana et al. (2020).</i><br /></div><div><p></p><p>Another nursery area was reported by <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-65101-1">Villafana et al. (2020)</a> for the extant great white shark (<i>Carcharodon carcharias</i>) from the Coquimbo Formation of Chile. Teeth from the Pisco Formation of Peru and the Bahia Inglesa Formation further north at Caldera (Chile) are dominated by subadults and adults. This is the first well-documented nursery area for <i>Carcharodon carcharias</i> in the fossil record, and I suspect many more have yet to be identified and studied.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqvDnntNKmm7OSDu9054zwv0h2Ce01HIamOErHR9Cebi5GHdOrMJAoDlZuqPzQl9a0FxwNJJgP57ExWgfnIJ5QEN7XAG9uDCmIP64Km-PppbqiJ0Z0IMBCew7NWJxYmkhixJqnc21xUcPwRDs5jchIRjll1kljdKDZzNpUpXyiIbCnEERJy1GGzRxJXk/s4063/Villafana%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2102" data-original-width="4063" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqvDnntNKmm7OSDu9054zwv0h2Ce01HIamOErHR9Cebi5GHdOrMJAoDlZuqPzQl9a0FxwNJJgP57ExWgfnIJ5QEN7XAG9uDCmIP64Km-PppbqiJ0Z0IMBCew7NWJxYmkhixJqnc21xUcPwRDs5jchIRjll1kljdKDZzNpUpXyiIbCnEERJy1GGzRxJXk/w400-h208/Villafana%203.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Fossil sharks from the lower Miocene molasse of Switzerland, reported by Villafana et al. (2020).</i></p><p>A diverse assemblage of sharks from the early Miocene aged Achen Formation in the Molasse of Switzerland was reported by <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12542-020-00518-7">Villafana et al. (2020)</a>. This assemblage includes 37 taxa, some of which are deep water species like <i>Chlamydoselachus</i>, <i>Notorhynchus</i>, <i>Squalus</i>, <i>Deania</i>, <i>Isistius</i>, <i>Mitsukurina</i>, <i>Scyliorhinus</i>, <i>Pachyscyllium</i>, <i>Paragaleus</i>, and <i>Chaenogaleus</i>. Other more typical shelf-inhabiting (or otherwise shallow water) sharks like <i>Alopias</i>, <i>Carcharias</i>, <i>Carcharhinus</i>, <i>Squatina</i>, <i>Galeocerdo</i>, <i>Physogaleus</i>, <i>Sphyrna</i>, <i>Rhizoprionodon</i>, <i>Myliobatis</i>, <i>Rhinoptera</i>, <i>Dasyatis</i>, and others.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIULgt_HG3g0qQzIobCKYfDwr3wSl4gL5bdxP8-C0Xouwe29NhgOJ6WC1ZIFDDH7oRYs4Z3btbzlloCvoZtedVnPm_iJeBelIMXNUQplHOfP66CGg1Pj3CwuUKFk-pdHJz2zyqEoktB4BiJMkCDFiRtBOOsttgpODQCJQt2gJzj5GNoIJoaI4sQk904M/s3154/Lin%20et%20al..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1598" data-original-width="3154" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIULgt_HG3g0qQzIobCKYfDwr3wSl4gL5bdxP8-C0Xouwe29NhgOJ6WC1ZIFDDH7oRYs4Z3btbzlloCvoZtedVnPm_iJeBelIMXNUQplHOfP66CGg1Pj3CwuUKFk-pdHJz2zyqEoktB4BiJMkCDFiRtBOOsttgpODQCJQt2gJzj5GNoIJoaI4sQk904M/w400-h203/Lin%20et%20al..jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Fossil sharks from the Liuchungchi Formation of Taiwan, from Lin et al. (2022).</i><br /></p><p><a href="https://peerj.com/articles/14190/">Lin et al. (2022) </a>report a rare example of a shark assemblage from the early Pleistocene - and better yet, from an unusual location: Taiwan. Owing to low sea level in general and the repeated and rapid changes in sea level, Pleistocene marine vertebrate-bearing fossil assemblages are quite rare because they are either underwater, never deposited, or have been completely eroded away. In this case, there are abundant specimens of <i>Carcharodon carcharias</i>, and some of the first Pleistocene records of <i>Hemipristis serra</i> from the Pacific basin - now completely extinct.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-xR8hes6c1ZHsJhdtbUleLGqK0CgR8N0S4X1BBoY6rvAMgU0fA11zk-WfYr8Hy1hzqgl96YCmY9uHrygeiCJM96E0DvVT_xh1tioxLsks9zHKAnKl_OgLDWaMsB2g8l-xS25HwTIrOFT8A5wgiuVxn3L23KSHGbXXt_54sw0pT0bXGmi_Uc-2zCg2r8/s2064/Malyshkina%20korea.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1159" data-original-width="2064" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-xR8hes6c1ZHsJhdtbUleLGqK0CgR8N0S4X1BBoY6rvAMgU0fA11zk-WfYr8Hy1hzqgl96YCmY9uHrygeiCJM96E0DvVT_xh1tioxLsks9zHKAnKl_OgLDWaMsB2g8l-xS25HwTIrOFT8A5wgiuVxn3L23KSHGbXXt_54sw0pT0bXGmi_Uc-2zCg2r8/w400-h225/Malyshkina%20korea.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> Sharks from the Duho Formation of South Korea - reported by Malyshkina et al. (2023).</i><br /></p><p>A somewhat older shark assemblage from another unusual western North Pacific location - the Duho Formation of South Korea - was reported by <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08912963.2022.2110870">Malyshkina et al. (2023)</a>. They report a mixed pelagic and deep marine assemblage including kitefin sharks (<i>Dalatias</i>), cow sharks (<i>Hexanchus</i>), basking sharks (<i>Cetorhinus</i>), makos (<i>Isurus </i>sp. 1 and 2, <i>Cosmopolitodus hastalis</i> and "<i>Isurus</i>" <i>planus</i>), megatoothed sharks <i>C. megalodon</i> and <i>Parotodus benedeni</i>, a bunch of reef sharks (<i>Carcharhinus</i> spp.) and a tiger shark (<i>Galeocerdo aduncas</i>). </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuOZeAxZ_k3izKTq3SC3MXpO_PKB36TyqajORa2PpfIHAn1hMUqwmqXUWG_-zkVS8lG33D4uCrcoiMKgvfuHQ68Rs7YEVqAPSL_ZoVE6Oif7p7KqB5VEsrT28Qcsk3Wne3Qpl03W6HAbNMQjaJguIzxFOdL71O8yONAMMJNb7mghocSPDA1-O8ztlbyw/s2180/Clinton.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2087" data-original-width="2180" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuOZeAxZ_k3izKTq3SC3MXpO_PKB36TyqajORa2PpfIHAn1hMUqwmqXUWG_-zkVS8lG33D4uCrcoiMKgvfuHQ68Rs7YEVqAPSL_ZoVE6Oif7p7KqB5VEsrT28Qcsk3Wne3Qpl03W6HAbNMQjaJguIzxFOdL71O8yONAMMJNb7mghocSPDA1-O8ztlbyw/w400-h383/Clinton.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Shark and ray teeth found ex situ on beaches of the northeastern Gulf coast (MI/FL) - from Clinton et al. (2023).</i><br /></p><p>An ex-situ assemblage was reported from the coastline of Mississippi and the panhandle of Florida by <a href="https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/692615">Clinton et al. (2023)</a>. These fossils are likely from Pliocene and Pleistocene marine strata - several different formations are possible sources. These teeth were all collected by beachcombing - picking up fossil teeth on beaches on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts is a very popular hobby. I've found a single tooth this way on the Pacific coast, and thousands here in South Carolina alone; about 700 such teeth were reported from this survey. Taxa include the usual suspects for the southeast: <i>Carcharhinus</i>, <i>Negaprion</i>, <i>Galeocerdo</i>, <i>Rhinoptera</i>, <i>Aetobatus</i>, and others. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1_kTiHwbasuj61JvYgqy_BalEnkhSwkoJ287lABMWU9SMTvoltzUbUVItdUifqS2y2eNglpjl9BGc3mXdpft3Zvk7dygv57aO34MWOWRo74qQ8WjKP6_E2a1_nXqMjx-u-dD9EWLriZFZCqtJUH_mIyFN6R_nF4luunbnMNAFs0OrSbIA4wgkJMJkgI/s1804/Shimada%20megalolamna.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1804" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1_kTiHwbasuj61JvYgqy_BalEnkhSwkoJ287lABMWU9SMTvoltzUbUVItdUifqS2y2eNglpjl9BGc3mXdpft3Zvk7dygv57aO34MWOWRo74qQ8WjKP6_E2a1_nXqMjx-u-dD9EWLriZFZCqtJUH_mIyFN6R_nF4luunbnMNAFs0OrSbIA4wgkJMJkgI/w333-h400/Shimada%20megalolamna.jpg" width="333" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>New specimens of the tiny megatoothed shark </i>Megalolamna paradoxodon <i>from the Miocene Maryland (A-H) and Oligocene of South Carolina (I-M), from Shimada et al. (2023).</i><br /></p><p></p><p><b><u>More on <i>Carcharocles megalodon </i>and friends</u></b></p><p></p><p>Just last week, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2023.2282664">Kenshu Shimada, Victor Perez, Bretton Kent, and I published a new article </a>reporting new records of the tiny megatoothed shark <i>Megalolamna paradoxodon</i> from the Miocene Calvert Formation of Maryland and the Oligocene Chandler Bridge Formation of South Carolina. The first is a first record for the state of Maryland, but the second extends the range of <i>Megalolamna</i> well into the Oligocene epoch (though I'll note that one specimen from the Jewett Sand at Pyramid Hill is from right around the Oligocene-Miocene boundary, and the locality has been considered to be of Oligocene age in the past and only recently revised).</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQ6HizNCqzV3fHOBzJg0YTPOaOqxXNB95ylV3RW9E-qqGKrDvyKCLd-8Ekp8tacdkEhRTmSSqOHLApYKn6Arovj7StdQVrJeg5JaURHkp7C3d5DhmSDOWpVHmoEB5__6sj6_mYZX5vvTXeCXdH_nCrJ9xiIeXddMp1mffcLfve6s66PaaNfy-W6jn9FE/s1642/Shimada%20meg%20growth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="1642" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQ6HizNCqzV3fHOBzJg0YTPOaOqxXNB95ylV3RW9E-qqGKrDvyKCLd-8Ekp8tacdkEhRTmSSqOHLApYKn6Arovj7StdQVrJeg5JaURHkp7C3d5DhmSDOWpVHmoEB5__6sj6_mYZX5vvTXeCXdH_nCrJ9xiIeXddMp1mffcLfve6s66PaaNfy-W6jn9FE/w400-h190/Shimada%20meg%20growth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i><i>Growth lines in the vertebra of C. megalodon - from Shimada et al. (2020).</i> <br /></p><p></p><p>A couple of papers from 2020 dove into the life history and body size of <i>C. megalodon</i>. The first of these by <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2020.1861608">Shimada et al. (2020)</a> studied the growth of <i>C. megalodon</i> using growth lines in a vertebra from an associated set of vertebrae from the Miocene of Belgium. The first growth band was laid down at a relatively large size, indicating a size at birth of about two meters! Enormous babies like this indicate that C. megalodon likely achieved such large fetal sizes through intrauterine cannibalism - one fetal shark swimming around inside the uterus for quite some time and eating successive rounds of eggs - such in some extant mackerel sharks. Another study by Shimada et al. (2020) evaluated recent hypotheses of 'regional endothermy' from prior studies of body size modeling. Shimada et al. reconstructed the maximum body length of <i>C. megalodon</i> at about 14.5 meters (~48 feet). Endothermy has previously been hypothesized for explaining gigantism in C. megalodon and other lamiform sharks - but Shimada et al. point out that this may have been in turn driven by live birth and intrauterine cannibalism.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdexTYKeCf5mqGzBB4Le15MjS0JDqYPhyphenhyphenWUMT3-mf9o1Col7qwAyGuHUuBaMBVD_Q5DEcBTtqpQ3cVDc_imesqpzCE8OIOOYlPkpW8Cy5cxn5eY3ICC6tCm690YTuHTUpKXgfztRbr9Wi5ma2ayEVszpGMm3VuD05Nl_zoh4Q6r0uaOQ2d5UI6ytkxMi0/s579/Cooper%202021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="579" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdexTYKeCf5mqGzBB4Le15MjS0JDqYPhyphenhyphenWUMT3-mf9o1Col7qwAyGuHUuBaMBVD_Q5DEcBTtqpQ3cVDc_imesqpzCE8OIOOYlPkpW8Cy5cxn5eY3ICC6tCm690YTuHTUpKXgfztRbr9Wi5ma2ayEVszpGMm3VuD05Nl_zoh4Q6r0uaOQ2d5UI6ytkxMi0/w400-h361/Cooper%202021.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Possible life reconstruction of </i>Carcharocles megalodon <i>based on the allometry of modern lamniform sharks - from Cooper et al. (2020).</i><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: left;">A recent study by doctoral student <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-71387-y">Jack Cooper and colleagues (2020)</a> produced a new two dimensional reconstruction of the body proportions of <i>C. megalodon</i>. They studied the proportions of the fins and tail throughout growth (allometry: change in proportions during growth) of five modern mackerel sharks including great whites (<i>Carcharodon</i>), both species of makos (<i>Isurus</i>), and two species of <i>Lamna</i>, in order to <i>predict </i>what the proportions would be in such a gigantic shark. Based on these <i>predictions</i>, they hypothesized that <i>C. megalodon</i> was a rapid, active swimmer. However, this was recently criticized by <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2021.2025228">Sternes et al. (2022)</a> given that none of this was based on actual fossil data. Sternes et al. further highlighted a lack of correlation between body form in lamniform sharks and their thermophysiology, suggesting a limited implication of these models on understanding the life history and behavior of <i>C. megalodon</i>. Modeling is great, but in this case I feel like it was pretty far divorced from what we can actually know from the fossils.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLwRaT9sNrpGrvVsIv29SJZBVZEsBoFIvxJa5VAp776JJIz5s953Ma_qCMErjAZN84ZOdDWizcuFuOpUoxFysf99zEteDnIiHqVYVrBLb0M6u14eOemmPf3gXlYUTHxoxDeN-2X5h5JVUSx8MqPN8alW8TZz80T9Kf3F2V5iXD4MGY5a6dLJRxamXOjs/s1627/Herraiz%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1627" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLwRaT9sNrpGrvVsIv29SJZBVZEsBoFIvxJa5VAp776JJIz5s953Ma_qCMErjAZN84ZOdDWizcuFuOpUoxFysf99zEteDnIiHqVYVrBLb0M6u14eOemmPf3gXlYUTHxoxDeN-2X5h5JVUSx8MqPN8alW8TZz80T9Kf3F2V5iXD4MGY5a6dLJRxamXOjs/w400-h166/Herraiz%20et%20al.jpg" width="400" /></a> <br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Nursery assemblage of juvenile </i>C. megalodon<i> teeth from Spain and other assemblages from around the world - from Herraiz et al. (2020).</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: left;">A short paper by <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0746">Herraiz et al. (2020) </a>reported several nursery assemblages of <i>C. megalodon </i>from around the world, including a new assemblage from Spain - but also the Calvert Formation of Maryland, Bone Valley Formation of Florida, and the Chucunaque Formation of Panama. Each of these assemblages was found to be dominated by juvenile sized teeth. This study generated a response by <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2022.2032024">Shimada et al. (2021)</a>, who indicated that some degree of this might be influenced by latitude, with larger individuals possibly inhabiting higher latitudes, and smaller individuals at lower latitudes - an example of Bergmann's Rule.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-dQFi3pDusLoliQ_Lp22KZBTPtdBx6gdEiDLcO3AnscKG6M9qBNiomuxTvYUG_rbNqg66mSvEUNckNC7zzwr0sE6AqaEBgQbPZjVOoq5CS3Jg38wUZmAb49Gz9wJLy5PCCWvPoL6rpSkUlxjL3dZASyWG6QPXIR5KdVqo3rArn8yiEhfvN8kQOCp4Nw/s2016/Cooper%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1954" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-dQFi3pDusLoliQ_Lp22KZBTPtdBx6gdEiDLcO3AnscKG6M9qBNiomuxTvYUG_rbNqg66mSvEUNckNC7zzwr0sE6AqaEBgQbPZjVOoq5CS3Jg38wUZmAb49Gz9wJLy5PCCWvPoL6rpSkUlxjL3dZASyWG6QPXIR5KdVqo3rArn8yiEhfvN8kQOCp4Nw/w388-h400/Cooper%20et%20al.jpg" width="388" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>3D modeling of the body form of </i>C. megalodon<i> by Cooper et al. (2022).</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">This was shortly thereafter revisited by <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abm9424">Cooper et al. (2022)</a>, who did a somewhat more data-based approach and attempted to reconstruct the 3D body form of C. megalodon based on a known set of associated vertebrae from the Miocene of Belgium and also an attempted reconstruction of the cranium and jaws based on a fossil tooth set of C. megalodon from the USA and scaling up the cartilaginous chondrocranium of a great white shark. The results surprisingly differ quite a bit from the reconstruction by Cooper et al. (2020), as the pectoral and tail fins seem quite a bit smaller than the prior reconstruction. Again, acknowledging that there is an enormous amount of wiggle room here is being overly modest: we don't know what the body of <i>C. megalodon</i> looked like and likely never will, and I'm not certain how repeatable this is. However, another study did report new fossils that can actually test this... <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbupklJPd9y46C4ZocZlRa59OEJsmkhSQNQ5UMv_4SYUoPTNZFGYFhWKROYOaRaCGHHPVt4iovkI9ObPuwdZgDWh29aIT2xPyQmydacTz0exgGggqwGWMhFBGdFqzd5RVfZbbdyoCE20iVVuIo7OJ-p0QOzgs5PWN0Hbca0_CbE9NaG5bXUEuplWWCHU/s2359/Shimada%20meg%20scales.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2359" data-original-width="2126" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbupklJPd9y46C4ZocZlRa59OEJsmkhSQNQ5UMv_4SYUoPTNZFGYFhWKROYOaRaCGHHPVt4iovkI9ObPuwdZgDWh29aIT2xPyQmydacTz0exgGggqwGWMhFBGdFqzd5RVfZbbdyoCE20iVVuIo7OJ-p0QOzgs5PWN0Hbca0_CbE9NaG5bXUEuplWWCHU/w360-h400/Shimada%20meg%20scales.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Representative examples of placoid scales from the Japanese </i>C. megalodon <i>specimen, from Shimada et al. (2023).</i><br /></p><p>Another recent study by <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2023.2211597">Kenshu Shimada et al. (2023)</a> weighed in on the recent controversy over the ecology of <i>C. megalodon</i> by reporting the first assemblage of placoid scales (denticles) from the species. One of the few specimens of <i>C. megalodon</i> consisting of associated teeth that had been competently collected is an associated tooth set reported in the late 1980s from the Miocene of Japan. One of the preparators of the specimen had the foresight to save large samples of matrix from the specimen. Kenshu asked for the matrix and screened through it - revealing a spectacular assemblage of 589 (!!!) scales, from only about 30 cubic centimeters of matrix. They also report a number of cartilage fragments. The individual carilaginous tesserae (prisms of prismatic cartilage) are the same size and structure of regular-sized modern sharks, indicating that gigantism in sharks does not require an increase in the size of the tesserae. The placoid scales of this specimen are noteworthy because they give us some unprecedented information about the swimming speed of <i>C. megalodon</i> - scale morphology in sharks is generally linked to their life habits. Scales are generally similar in morphology to mako sharks, but large in size and comparable to some pelagic carcharhiniforms like blue sharks (<i>Prionace</i>) and reef sharks (<i>Carcharhinus</i>). Analysis of the distance between keels on the scales suggests that <i>C. megalodon</i> was actually a somewhat slow cruising swimmer with the occasional burst of speed.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwu-pZHZ-KtVouD93YJTpivPoRwubm3LycOVbeOpuEdMXOpZfnOPKQ17Zvyd8JgxJm9O1mKt0HnPiE0kgUWzXPSCG9tfxal07ZCM0X5tSpRbRq6_qYE_7MOJDGxkCgaX7rhx80uqNX9743nzH9nTSPbka6Wk1KVLRzSBpkApaIxAdphoLuTQlOx-AUs8/s1250/Pollerspock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="1250" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwu-pZHZ-KtVouD93YJTpivPoRwubm3LycOVbeOpuEdMXOpZfnOPKQ17Zvyd8JgxJm9O1mKt0HnPiE0kgUWzXPSCG9tfxal07ZCM0X5tSpRbRq6_qYE_7MOJDGxkCgaX7rhx80uqNX9743nzH9nTSPbka6Wk1KVLRzSBpkApaIxAdphoLuTQlOx-AUs8/w400-h395/Pollerspock.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A manganese oxide-encrusted C. megalodon tooth from the deep sea floor reported by Pollerspock et al. (2023).</i></p><p>A new study by Pollerspock et al. (2023) reports the first discovery of a <i>C. megalodon </i>tooth found in situ on the seafloor. Many such specimens have been reported over the past 150 years, including specimens found on the expedition by the HMS Challenger - but all previous examples were dredged from their context. This specimen was found by an ROV on the top of a seamount at a depth of three kilometers (still quite deep!). These authors point out that the coastal ecology of <i>C. megalodon </i>inferred from the fossil record may be biased towards deposits above sea level, and that future discoveries from the deep sea might adjust these hypotheses somewhat.<br /> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpAMLwzkp8UNmtDR75dnBLFzPkx8ub0us-zYRo5YbjPEipyMSvwuAacaBTszH9qRI1eqnxArcM542fWoUTfmPvHUelb61D-LprxbvT9JD3XGNzz0R1ixu1aB_xrtAKG_CIEVoHqYz3eKdgTF_H_qInmOuw-hoIoJqt1UI50yFtUJtMzPNDQ15NevVhCYU/s737/Collareta%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="705" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpAMLwzkp8UNmtDR75dnBLFzPkx8ub0us-zYRo5YbjPEipyMSvwuAacaBTszH9qRI1eqnxArcM542fWoUTfmPvHUelb61D-LprxbvT9JD3XGNzz0R1ixu1aB_xrtAKG_CIEVoHqYz3eKdgTF_H_qInmOuw-hoIoJqt1UI50yFtUJtMzPNDQ15NevVhCYU/w383-h400/Collareta%201.jpg" width="383" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Mediterranean specimens of the "false mako" </i>Parotodus benedeni<i> from Collareta et al. (2023).</i><br /></p><p>A more obscure paper on "the other megatooth" - <i>Parotodus</i> (aka false mako) - was published just a few months ago by <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/11/10/1990">Alberto Collareta et al. (2023)</a>* - this study reports new specimens of <i>Parotodus benedeni</i> from the Pliocene of Italy and took the opportunity to review the state of knowledge of the paleobiology of this species. They indicate a maximum body size of around 7 meters (roughly 20-22 feet), support a pelagic (open ocean) lifestyle for this shark owing to its rarity in shallow marine deposits, and likely very different feeding ecology as compared to its bigger cousin <i>C. megalodon </i>given the stouter unserrated teeth and relatively limited pattern of tooth breakage/chipping - perhaps suggesting feeding on soft prey such as rotting whale carcasses (a very Hornerian style hypothesis, <i>a la</i> scavenging <i>T. rex</i>). <br /></p><p><i>*funny story, I've been talking with Kenshu Shimada about some proposed research on this shark, and when I ran into him the first day of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology conference he asked me if I had read the most recent paper on it. "No?", I responded. He said "Wait, I've got a paper copy, I just finished reading it" and handed me a printout. I did not recognize the title and so I looked for the publication date - "Kenshu, this was published yesterday! There's no way I would have seen it!" We had a good laugh about it and he gave me the copy, which I read on the elliptical after I got home to Charleston.</i></p><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Noteworthy studies reporting one or two taxa</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWYPxWKr_OaKSIXUGbOnKJ6-AzwQvwn7irMCiZu3MUTj1cAZYdw9MZOMbKe9Ugm-lZU19ihaUzs9L80FMyOLcGcyvNFDZg2oOp-ULbMwCDucsD1_H1UQpTI7J8nQf6VPXOBCL5HzBrl6AFAyz6uB62Z8szleOZeUjqd21zbJbIw4NDiKrpQkrK2j6jNU/s1639/Yun%202021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="1639" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWYPxWKr_OaKSIXUGbOnKJ6-AzwQvwn7irMCiZu3MUTj1cAZYdw9MZOMbKe9Ugm-lZU19ihaUzs9L80FMyOLcGcyvNFDZg2oOp-ULbMwCDucsD1_H1UQpTI7J8nQf6VPXOBCL5HzBrl6AFAyz6uB62Z8szleOZeUjqd21zbJbIw4NDiKrpQkrK2j6jNU/w400-h189/Yun%202021.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /> <i>Late Miocene sharks from South Korea reported in various papers by Yun (2020, 2021).</i><br /></div><div><p></p><p>A number of fossil occurrences of sharks from South Korea were recently reported by <a href="https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/article/view/92">Yun (2020)</a>, <a href="https://actapalrom.geo-paleontologica.org/APR_v_18_1/Chan_Cosmopolidus_planus.pdf">Yun (2021)</a>, and <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2bea/46a9d0d7bc10fd9f4014cc993e71d8b92387.pdf">Yun (2021)</a> including the ancestral great white <i>Carcharodon hastalis</i>, "hooktooth mako" <i>Cosmopolitodus planus</i>, goblin shark <i>Mitsukurina lineata</i>, and kitefin shark <i>Dalatias licha</i>. In one of these papers, Yun formally transferred the species Isurus planus to <i>Cosmopolitodus</i>, a genus that was originally designated for the species <i>Isurus hastalis</i>. Yun disagreed with the placement of 'hastalis' within <i>Carcharodon </i>(e.g. Ehret et al., 2009), and stuck it back in <i>Cosmopolitodus</i> - the genus for the broad toothed makos. Owing to the similarity with <i>C</i>. <i>hastalis</i>, '<i>planus</i>' was also transferred to this genus. Additionally, see Malyshkina et al. (2022) above.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8PFXQ-wH8VSVajCLvwan1wTv0jtZ3jbSz_8qKFgrpXyiagTwmkhCCX1BlO6CSQNmkg2_BfO0mbYnycBsIChQaw609-NH1qhQOLX15AhSRBkzj5h3DzSIjegjHaCTBY4yeu1SRnK_H_sfuf-bM-9vA-YhdWAbuIssNTHqwR25dqUIjOzl2NurfMv5Ou0/s2043/Malyshkina.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1225" data-original-width="2043" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8PFXQ-wH8VSVajCLvwan1wTv0jtZ3jbSz_8qKFgrpXyiagTwmkhCCX1BlO6CSQNmkg2_BfO0mbYnycBsIChQaw609-NH1qhQOLX15AhSRBkzj5h3DzSIjegjHaCTBY4yeu1SRnK_H_sfuf-bM-9vA-YhdWAbuIssNTHqwR25dqUIjOzl2NurfMv5Ou0/w400-h240/Malyshkina.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The oldest known </i>Cosmopolitodus planus <i>specimen, early Miocene, Sakhalin, Russia - from Malyshkina et al. (2023).</i></div><p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S0032945224010144">Malyshkina et al. (2023)</a> report the oldest known specimen of <i>Cosmopolitodus planus</i>, the extinct and poorly understood "hooktooth mako" as it's called in California. This species is widely known from the Pacific coast of North America, particularly from Sharktooth Hill; I've collected many such specimens from there and the Santa Margarita Sandstone near Santa Cruz. Additional records are known from Japan and Australia (and New Zealand; sea below!). Unfortunately, whether this occurrences is from the earliest or late early Miocene is unclear as the deposits in Sakhalin and Kamtchatka require considerable further stratigraphic study.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6b8Q5yWJ7EsVr7z_8btCYuEJddht90wu_3yVwG1pBUTiWPo861e7tLHs3wdtBKw1MLDXaPMRqQNfTzlJ0VBxOOnvNqjwrTXyB-MKPwoYV8JtlLjVlRU6r3gunbQ5n2PR5xN6XMnthVbPvCJrD_mVnZby_iu14XszHQsUsQKmgrvjEMqO-Wpd8B-GPe8/s2242/Ehret%20et%20al..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="2242" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6b8Q5yWJ7EsVr7z_8btCYuEJddht90wu_3yVwG1pBUTiWPo861e7tLHs3wdtBKw1MLDXaPMRqQNfTzlJ0VBxOOnvNqjwrTXyB-MKPwoYV8JtlLjVlRU6r3gunbQ5n2PR5xN6XMnthVbPvCJrD_mVnZby_iu14XszHQsUsQKmgrvjEMqO-Wpd8B-GPe8/w400-h118/Ehret%20et%20al..jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The first records of </i>Carcharodon hubbelli <i>and </i>Carcharodon planus <i>from New Zealand - from Ehret et al. (2023).</i> <br /></p><p>A recent paper (that actually came out shortly before Malyshkina et al., 2023) by <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03036758.2023.2278730">Dana Ehret, Marcus Richards, Alan Tennyson, and myself</a> reported some specimens of sharks including the first records of <i>Carcharodon hubbelli</i> and <i>Cosmopolitodus planus</i> from New Zealand. The record of C. hubbelli is noteworthy as it has previously been reported from Peru, California, Japan, and perhaps Australia - further suggesting a Pacific-only transition for the great white, followed by a dispersal to other ocean basins like the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian oceans. The new records of <i>C. planus</i> further illustrate a similar Pacific basin distribution - though we note the lack of this species from the Pacific coast of South America. In this paper, we further acknowledged the similarities between "<i>planus</i>" and "<i>hastalis</i>", and formally transferred "<i>planus</i>" to <i>Carcharodon</i>, forming the new combination <i>Carcharodon planus</i>. We also reported the oldest known specimen of this species that is well-dated, and very possibly older than the Sakhalin specimen above - one specimen from the Kaipuke Siltstone has an age determination of lower Waitakian, corresponding to Aquitanian and a likely age of 22.7 Ma (earliest Miocene).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-E1bHEiUwqasf1Fl2JXt4E9nDUrfFWsiLomaMb5eEb7V3dLK31csmYao4L3Tsn3Meap1af91_pDPlKLG_-nqg4Zy-8BeWMkfUngrzFXtHh9HKBI1sdSjoC7rcuI7ffGzQV_GVVZ2Aha1uk_FqDzLNwy3IcSCCBP68ssrZXh0reVxg-J1LlgiDo2gfrIk/s2023/Villafana%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1359" data-original-width="2023" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-E1bHEiUwqasf1Fl2JXt4E9nDUrfFWsiLomaMb5eEb7V3dLK31csmYao4L3Tsn3Meap1af91_pDPlKLG_-nqg4Zy-8BeWMkfUngrzFXtHh9HKBI1sdSjoC7rcuI7ffGzQV_GVVZ2Aha1uk_FqDzLNwy3IcSCCBP68ssrZXh0reVxg-J1LlgiDo2gfrIk/w400-h269/Villafana%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Thresher sharks (</i>Alopias<i>, left) and mackerel sharks (</i>Lamna<i>, right) reported from Bahia Inglesa, Chile by Villafana et al. (2023).</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Another similar paper by <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08912963.2023.2259409">Villafana et al. (2023)</a> reports the first fossil records of the porbeagle shark <i>Lamna nasus </i>and thresher shark <i>Alopias vulpinus </i>from the Neogene of South America. These specimens were collected from the Bahia Inglesa Formation near Caldera in Chile. This is the first report of the genus <i>Lamna </i>in the fossil record of the Americas, and one of only a few records - period.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzKhrfpAh-ILtBtkrg82KNJBqNVMlBnU6JmiMCsUpzMSfT9Piv4chk41xdgm9KK0S7pPi2EEbMt1xiVcM8KY5gp4B1v0gZACOFanPFRxo3h0vK6qbobDo7Q8uFHdz2jd-9Keltqx47wh9dqgxDJL4JgxVTjchqmO7wu7hO_QBtwc1QJcjZ8r4xOK8RpQ/s1589/Collareta%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="1589" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzKhrfpAh-ILtBtkrg82KNJBqNVMlBnU6JmiMCsUpzMSfT9Piv4chk41xdgm9KK0S7pPi2EEbMt1xiVcM8KY5gp4B1v0gZACOFanPFRxo3h0vK6qbobDo7Q8uFHdz2jd-9Keltqx47wh9dqgxDJL4JgxVTjchqmO7wu7hO_QBtwc1QJcjZ8r4xOK8RpQ/w400-h199/Collareta%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Mediterranean Pliocene specimens of </i>Carcharodon carcharias<i> and presumed changes in food webs since the Pliocene, from Collareta et al. (2023).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;">A short paper by <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/10/2085">Collareta et al. (2023) </a>reviews the record of Pliocene great white sharks (<i>Carcharodon carcharias</i>) from the Mediterranean. This study synthesizes fossil and molecular data, highlighting an arrival of the species sometime in the earliest Pliocene and more recent dispersal (~3 Ma) from an ancestral Australian/Pacific stock for the current population. A review of tooth size in Pliocene Italian specimens suggests considerably larger body lengths in the past versus modern shark specimens. The loss of many 'medium sized' whales in the Mediterranean during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition suggests that great whites have weathered some major trophic changes - perhaps corresponding to a decrease in body size.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYlCLasHNsmEOU-ye21UFgy-ihMSTq1DtDZwevvUeeZN8xMYnglqCnwVNXL1kY05IuBaTLIgz-vH8V5ckSieymyu-ctMICnrK86ttmcLC4-1Rnd-VOzocGnJCo-lqA9-woUmiWnqHH5fOse9wwkFK90PR8dzZoP8_iSOyJd1Zw0StIumGXC1tgbFgZrI/s1442/De%20Schutter%20et%20al.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1442" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYlCLasHNsmEOU-ye21UFgy-ihMSTq1DtDZwevvUeeZN8xMYnglqCnwVNXL1kY05IuBaTLIgz-vH8V5ckSieymyu-ctMICnrK86ttmcLC4-1Rnd-VOzocGnJCo-lqA9-woUmiWnqHH5fOse9wwkFK90PR8dzZoP8_iSOyJd1Zw0StIumGXC1tgbFgZrI/w400-h156/De%20Schutter%20et%20al.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Comparison of teeth of </i>Isurus subserratus <i>(A-D), </i>Carcharodon carcharias <i>(E), and </i>Carcharocles<i> </i>megalodon <i>(F), from De Schutter et al. (2021).</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">In addition to the transitional great white <i>Carcharodon hubbelli </i>from the upper Miocene of the Pacific, there is also "<i>Isurus</i>" <i>escheri </i>from the mid-upper Miocene of the eastern North Atlantic - a narrow-toothed mako-like form with faintly serrated teeth. This species was recombined as <i>Carcharomodus escheri</i> a few years ago by Kriwet et al. (2014). A new study by <a href="https://natuurtijdschriften.nl/pub/1020183">De Schutter et al. (2021)</a> reports new specimens of this taxon from the mid-upper Miocene of the Netherlands. However, they point out that <i>Isurus subserratus</i> and <i>Isurus escheri </i>were named on the same page of Agassiz (1843 - page 260), but subserratus was named earlier on the page - and therefore technically has priority over escheri. So, they sweep both <i>Carcharomodus </i>and <i>escheri </i>under the rug and synonymize everything with <i>Isurus subserratus</i>. Teeth of Isurus subserratus have much finer serrations than anything in the <i>Carcharodon</i> lineage, and start out narrow like shortfin mako teeth, and become gradually broader and more similar to <i>Carcharodon </i>in successively younger strata - and the authors group these from different horizons into Type 1, 2, 3, and 4. Unfortunately, many of the specimens (plates 5-6) reside in a private collectin (and, IMO, should not have been published upon).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xz0wyKVBCYlAI2WrZ0P-X-ygQRZ1p1ZU1v9phn7qbDV8l6PGvErxNjs8q4wuqnSmtcpvVT9ks5tqhcTep0s3ZGeTnIuolr1BhZurc_NQs9l3G4-SNrGGWuMfeQCwekFMg8y-hsDi5d-gBRjG0QJpTjRpcKVbr21sy3noBhyphenhyphenoBvfkGhzQZMzy5SijzJQ/s1377/Turtscher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="1377" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xz0wyKVBCYlAI2WrZ0P-X-ygQRZ1p1ZU1v9phn7qbDV8l6PGvErxNjs8q4wuqnSmtcpvVT9ks5tqhcTep0s3ZGeTnIuolr1BhZurc_NQs9l3G4-SNrGGWuMfeQCwekFMg8y-hsDi5d-gBRjG0QJpTjRpcKVbr21sy3noBhyphenhyphenoBvfkGhzQZMzy5SijzJQ/w400-h236/Turtscher.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Geologic range of "valid" (bold) and "invalid" species of </i>Galeocerdo, <i>and a comparison of </i>Galeocerdo aduncas <i>(A-B) and </i>Physogaleus contortus (C) <i>- from Turtscher et al. (2021).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">A new morphometric study by Turtscher et al. (2021) evaluated the taxonomy of different species of fossil tiger sharks in the genus <i>Galeocerdo. </i>This study resulted in the synonymy of many species, recognizing the following as diagnosable and senior synonyms: the extant <i>Galeocerdo cuvier</i> of course, <i>Galeocerdo eaglesomei</i> (Eocene), <i>Galeocerdo clarkensis </i>(Eocene), <i>Galeocerdo mayumbensis </i>(Miocene), <i>Galeocerdo aduncas </i>(Oligocene-Miocene), <i>Galeocerdo capellinii </i>(Pliocene). This study also resurrects <i>Physogaleus contortus</i>, formerly considered a synonym of <i>Galeocerdo aduncas</i>, through careful attention to the serrations: the teeth of <i>Physogaleus contortus</i> and probable lower teeth of <i>Galeocerdo aduncas</i> both have long narrow crowns, but the crown heel (behind the distal notch) is coarsely serrated in Galeocerdo aduncas but very finely serrated in <i>Physogaleus </i>- requiring some careful observations before an identification can be made.<br /></div></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-78158466860840035452023-12-30T16:51:00.002-07:002023-12-31T08:14:43.600-07:002023 in review: advances in marine mammal paleontology<p><i>2023 has been the worst year of my adult life. Within the span of a month, we lost our cat Burt Reynolds to a stroke (we got him in New Zealand), we lost my father-in-law to brain cancer, and the work environment we had formerly enjoyed had deteriorated so much that it reached a tipping point and we both resigned from CofC. Later this fall, my Ph.D. adviser, Dr. R. Ewan Fordyce, passed away - robbed of a long, peaceful, and productive retirement. This year has really been a crucible - and what has emerged for us is a complete lack of tolerance for mismanagement, wage theft, academic bullying, and other issues we've faced in the past. This whole experience has been an exercise in taking punishment and setting boundaries. It hasn't been all bad: I got two enormous monographs published this year - one on the toothed mysticete </i>Coronodon <i>and the other on the early dolphin </i>Xenorophus, both from the Oligocene of South Carolina. </p><p><i>Aside from those studies, this year has seen a number of great papers - another monograph on stem odontocetes by Jorge Velez-Juarbe on Washingtonian simocetid dolphins. Two new spectacular basilosaurids were reported: the tiny </i>Tutcetus<i>, and the absolutely monstrous </i>Perucetus colossus <i>- the latter with body mass estimates overlapping with and exceeding the blue whale. Our Ukrainian colleagues have managed to resume research life now that the situation over there has improved quite a bit - Svitozar Davydenko has succeeded in publishing three papers on archaeocete limbs this year. Calvert Cliffs volume II came out this year, five years after volume I, and includes a monograph reporting all of the fossil odontocetes known from the cliffs. Amber Coste has published two long-awaited papers on 'waipatiid' grade dolphins from the Oligocene of New Zealand from her thesis research - these new tusked dolphins, </i>Nihohae <i>and </i>Nihoroa<i>, are welcome additions to our pantheon of Oligocene whales. It was a slow year for pinnipeds and sirenians, unfortunately (but don't fret: there are some great papers that will be coming out next year!).</i></p><p><i>Now: I have possibly, if not probably, missed something. If I have, please let me know in the comments! But!: <a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2023/01/2022-in-review-advances-in-marine.html">please check the 2022 review </a>to make sure it was not a paper that came out in 2022 with 'online early' status and formally published this year. The usual disclaimers apply: I absolutely will not update the posts to shift a 2022 online early publication to this year; multiple papers by the same author are not necessarily in alphabetical order and you just have to accept that; lastly, the study must report fossil (or subfossil) material. Papers by paleontologists reporting modern osteological specimens are not paleontological studies and therefore do not make the cut. Also: I have not, and will not, type all of these out into journal reference format. And yes: I've been asked to do all of these things. Papers I formally reviewed are marked with an asterisk (a surprising minority this year!).<br /></i></p><p><i> </i><br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_ivlc2IJmOWrYtVCIFmVwbOEpc49qval1zi_ZGgbHAuI0-9Xl6QKnlWNpPtCNaTFAGbunFZC_p4pQWyLipJUNHj3oX75vF-EDlkvWZgtluCEtTA3IOebxgzrfdvZvuRI5POMf0XTcDwOBJfKYd_C2cKVfRf3d779D1DwwrvQFV9SztDmH3-6FrTZTwE/s1007/Ando%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1007" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_ivlc2IJmOWrYtVCIFmVwbOEpc49qval1zi_ZGgbHAuI0-9Xl6QKnlWNpPtCNaTFAGbunFZC_p4pQWyLipJUNHj3oX75vF-EDlkvWZgtluCEtTA3IOebxgzrfdvZvuRI5POMf0XTcDwOBJfKYd_C2cKVfRf3d779D1DwwrvQFV9SztDmH3-6FrTZTwE/w400-h244/Ando%20et%20al.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.palaeo-soc-japan.jp/en/publications/fossil/vol-113/">Ando et al.: Discovery of a whole skeleton of a paleoparadoxiid from the Shukunohora Formation of the Mizunami Group in Kamado-cho, Mizunami City, Gifu, Japan.</a></p><p>[Abstract in Japanese] 2022年6月5日,岐阜県瑞浪市釜戸町の土岐川河床に 分布する中新統瑞浪層群宿洞層からパレオパラドキシア 科(束柱目)の骨格化石が発見された(図1).骨格は少 なくとも腰椎,仙椎,右後肢が関節した状態で保存され,さらに一連の左肋骨遠位端の整然とした露出状況や頭部 も非常に近い位置に保存されていたことから胸部~頭部 の骨格も関節状態で保存されていることが予測され,さ らに河床に露出しているため標本流出の恐れがあったこ とから,6月10日に緊急発掘を実施した(図2). 現在,瑞浪市役所・教育委員会の関係課と研究者が連<br />携し,あわせて市内外の方々から様々な支援を受けなが ら「瑞浪産パレオパラドキシア全身骨格化石復元プロジェ クト」を実施し,瑞浪市化石博物館で標本の剖出を進め ている.その結果,前肢を除くほぼ全身の骨格が関節 した状態を残して保存されていること,パレオパラドキ シア科に特徴的な円柱を束ねたような歯冠の低い臼歯が 上下顎に植立した状態で保存されていることが判明した (図3, 4).今後,骨格の復元,系統分類学的な位置づけ,古生態の復元,埋没過程の解明,古環境の解明など多岐 の分野にわたる研究を進めていく予定である.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlY4wbW36G2O8KnsGv0Zfst7jXbFpNCxF3SNWAbFhiJteF2n_4jnpByorv7Y18zL_Y7Q48ImVa-QS0pHgp6jGbgKd9kdXeg6rIKdoFChZ-LUwhx5LKXlKPuJpfckj2N0x34i5_3d7F8RyRVetZxJPYgbGpvtkV14dHR5Jn6COHbvysmshqwmx5Y4XNZs/s3460/Antar%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="3460" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlY4wbW36G2O8KnsGv0Zfst7jXbFpNCxF3SNWAbFhiJteF2n_4jnpByorv7Y18zL_Y7Q48ImVa-QS0pHgp6jGbgKd9kdXeg6rIKdoFChZ-LUwhx5LKXlKPuJpfckj2N0x34i5_3d7F8RyRVetZxJPYgbGpvtkV14dHR5Jn6COHbvysmshqwmx5Y4XNZs/w400-h145/Antar%20et%20al.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-04986-w">Antar et al.: A diminutive new basilosaurid whale reveals the trajectory of the cetacean life histories during the Eocene.</a><p></p><p>Soon after whales originated from small terrestrial artiodactyl
ancestors, basal stem forms (archaeocetes) came to inhabit more
specialized aquatic ecologies and underwent a tremendous adaptive
radiation that culminated in the adoption of a fully aquatic lifestyle.
This adaptive strategy is first documented by the geographically
widespread extinct family Basilosauridae. Here we report a new
basilosaurid genus and species, <i>Tutcetus rayanensis</i>, from the
middle Eocene of Fayum, Egypt. This new whale is not only the smallest
known basilosaurid, but it is also one of the oldest records of this
family from Africa. <i>Tutcetus</i> allows us to further test hypotheses
regarding basilosaurids’ early success in the aquatic ecosystem, which
lasted into the latest Eocene, and their ability to outcompete
amphibious stem whales and opportunistically adapt to new niches after
they completely severed their ties to the land. <i>Tutcetus</i> also
significantly expands the size range of the basilosaurids and reveals
new details about their life histories, phylogeny, and
paleobiogeography.</p><p><i>Comments: A great new paper by my Egyptian colleagues, many of whom were coauthors on our earlier Phiomicetus paper led by Abdullah Gohar. The specimen itself is surprisingly small - scarcely larger than a bottlenose dolphin - and old, one of the older basilosaurid specimens. This alone is interesting as it overlaps in size with earlier protocetids. However, what I find most interesting about this new work is the discussion on ontogeny and dental eruption - Tutcetus - yes, named after King Tut - has permanent teeth that erupt relatively early in growth and suggest a precocial lifestyle. I see papers like this that delve into life history as a welcome expansion of topics we should be discussing in marine mammal paleontology (and they're topics I think about a lot).</i><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_4X52IrZeHB8s5dhDDy2HXdIhRhkPxzaJ7xxZPOuhau680I5llAlnqVZpYPjXwzg3adSJzJ7HH-UdOaA3H0jKZcKtWmFVAtBwKkm0dNzbeTK1SzCnrxLCReam3BygWRPMGnorSzcc4Bl5trX2RDInBji8d9D4Qn7e4AaPEhFHGrcHPgQABLrIcpvoS8/s804/Bakker%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="731" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_4X52IrZeHB8s5dhDDy2HXdIhRhkPxzaJ7xxZPOuhau680I5llAlnqVZpYPjXwzg3adSJzJ7HH-UdOaA3H0jKZcKtWmFVAtBwKkm0dNzbeTK1SzCnrxLCReam3BygWRPMGnorSzcc4Bl5trX2RDInBji8d9D4Qn7e4AaPEhFHGrcHPgQABLrIcpvoS8/s320/Bakker%20et%20al.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><a href="https://wtkg.org/tijdschriften/afzettingen">Bakker et al.: Een voor de Noordzee nieuwe doejong, <i>Halitherium</i> sp. (Mammalia, Sirenia), van de Westerschelde-monding</a><br /><p></p><p>In this article we describe a first find of a seacow, <i>Halitherium </i>sp. A marine mammal best known from Oligocene deposits from the Mainz Basin, Germany, among others. It concerns the proximal portion of a right upper arm bone, a humerus, heavily fossilized and graybrown in color, which was trawled from the estuary of the Western Scheldt, Zeeland, the Netherlands. We know that it was trawled by fishermen from the mouth of the Western Scheldt, but that area is quite large and includes, among others, the fossil sites of ‘De Wielingen’ (the Netherlands) and, as an extension of that navigational route, ‘Het Scheur’ (Belgium). Based on morphological differences and size, this proximal humerus can be easily distinguished from other Sirenia. In this article we also give an overview of the different members of the seacows (Sirenia) and their evolution.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSzt2-bEEAOa-FxtS5O9RF2aIGtMfy1LvErzSTZecJgQ4HILaGehLt1uLy0e0o17RPbt0ZDF4vitRoCsT9IGDA7BwLdW0Ntx8XPH3xKQweE6bDSdx960kwj-PmwTKkMHc0oM2mhjCvDII_q8oak6pYsZQ5OOrqBPVg6s8h-g2S8RpTH4yo2Fod00Feqc/s822/Beatty.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="822" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSzt2-bEEAOa-FxtS5O9RF2aIGtMfy1LvErzSTZecJgQ4HILaGehLt1uLy0e0o17RPbt0ZDF4vitRoCsT9IGDA7BwLdW0Ntx8XPH3xKQweE6bDSdx960kwj-PmwTKkMHc0oM2mhjCvDII_q8oak6pYsZQ5OOrqBPVg6s8h-g2S8RpTH4yo2Fod00Feqc/w400-h216/Beatty.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app009902022.html">Beatty: Further desmostylian remains from the upper Oligocene of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.</a></p><p>The North Pacific rim was home to an extinct group of semiaquatic
marine mammals, the order Desmostylia, which
superficially resembled hippos. Desmostylians are an uncommon
fossil vertebrate in most localities where they occur,
and Oligocene taxa particularly so. Beyond the type
dentition and two femora of <i>Cornwallius sookensis</i>, and
the skull and postcrania of <i>Behemotops proteus</i>, both previously
described from the region of Muir Creek locality
of the upper Oligocene Sooke Formation of southern coast
of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, no other
records from this site have been reported. Additional specimens
of teeth have now been found in the Royal British
Columbia Museum and Canadian Museum of Nature, including
a long-forgotten and unreported paratype. In total,
three additional teeth, one of <i>B. proteus</i> and two possibly
belonging to <i>C. sookensis</i>, are reported here from its type
locality. More importantly, the upper molar reported here,
as well as UCMP 36078 from Baja California and USNM
181740 from Oregon, all resemble each other but should be
considered as belonging to <i>Cornwallius</i> only with caution.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitBVHlYIztpCmabCASmU1BBIG-khknz0QMnWpAu-Q3ExeUTpBVXiD0EnVpkOQl0coFAX2FYHc3lsOKxSPsAzotai0YUyAd4d3eQGIfWXtCrkSYpUhUG_v-cZcan5OnGR3R8EAOwZVRBQMELavIhVc3U-kO1BDhczN6WhQnW3s6YwcCkS-GspfW92wPwWU/s740/Benites%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="740" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitBVHlYIztpCmabCASmU1BBIG-khknz0QMnWpAu-Q3ExeUTpBVXiD0EnVpkOQl0coFAX2FYHc3lsOKxSPsAzotai0YUyAd4d3eQGIfWXtCrkSYpUhUG_v-cZcan5OnGR3R8EAOwZVRBQMELavIhVc3U-kO1BDhczN6WhQnW3s6YwcCkS-GspfW92wPwWU/w400-h338/Benites%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0124">Benites-Palomino et al.: Bridging two oceans: small toothed cetaceans (Odontoceti) from the Late Miocene Chagres Formation, eastern Caribbean (Colon, Panama).</a></span></p><p>Fossil cetaceans are often found in Miocene marine outcrops across the
globe. However, because this record is not homogeneous, the dissimilar
increase in occurrences, along with the sampling bias has created
regions with extensive records and others with great scarcity. Among
these, the Caribbean has remained enigmatic due to the lack of
well-preserved cetacean fossils. Here, we report new Caribbean fossil
cetaceans from the Upper Miocene Chagres Formation exposed along Piña
beach, Eastern Panama, including a scaphokogiine kogiid, an <i>Acrophyseter</i>-like physeteroid and the phocoenid <i>Piscolithax</i>. Along with previous records of the iniid <i>Isthminia panamensis</i> and the kogiine <i>Nanokogia isthmia</i>,
the Chagres cetacean fauna shows some similarities with other Late
Miocene cetacean communities such as the Californias in the North
Pacific, although their closest affinities lie with the eastern South
Pacific Pisco Formation, Peru. Such findings indicate that though deep
and intermediate Caribbean–Pacific water interchange was reduced by the
Middle Miocene due to the shallowing of the Central American Seaway,
shallow waters marine connection that persisted until the Pliocene might
have facilitated the dispersal of coastal species across both sides of
the Isthmus.</p><p><i>Comments: Not exactly on California fossils, but still an extremely welcome addition to eastern Pacific whaleontology: this study helps fill in a bit of a geographic gap during the late Miocene. Some of these taxa are known from the upper Miocene of California, like Piscolithax - and we find teeth of an Acrophyseter-like sperm whale from these deposits as well. Back in 2013 I compared and contrasted Pliocene/late Miocene marine mammal assemblages from around the world, and it's nice to see similar studies chasing that up (and getting into high profile journals, for that matter).</i><br /></p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJkcOZ7v1KUbhA_tohkfZWiCDfbrdPwgmBnSlWXWm8t7PyRx8-SbsZj4HH3MWULbZwM_-kVUrhDCOxWwq5YtvWIQ7Dz_UTYSuds3x-sNvG_F5T5goJqAd8VOlXwLwvI0EogSe5VNg-Uyt7Wr0elUHQa1Sc8uF3H9qMaZL7JmE7Xd180Myy3XfPPv4xaE/s729/Bianucci.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="729" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJkcOZ7v1KUbhA_tohkfZWiCDfbrdPwgmBnSlWXWm8t7PyRx8-SbsZj4HH3MWULbZwM_-kVUrhDCOxWwq5YtvWIQ7Dz_UTYSuds3x-sNvG_F5T5goJqAd8VOlXwLwvI0EogSe5VNg-Uyt7Wr0elUHQa1Sc8uF3H9qMaZL7JmE7Xd180Myy3XfPPv4xaE/w400-h395/Bianucci.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06381-1"> Bianucci et al.: A heavyweight early whale pushes the boundaries of vertebrate morphology.</a><p></p><p>The fossil record of cetaceans documents how terrestrial animals
acquired extreme adaptations and transitioned to a fully aquatic
lifestyle<sup>1,2</sup>.
In whales, this is associated with a substantial increase in maximum
body size. Although an elongate body was acquired early in cetacean
evolution<sup>3</sup>, the maximum body mass of baleen whales reflects a recent diversification that culminated in the blue whale<sup>4</sup>. More generally, hitherto known gigantism among aquatic tetrapods evolved within pelagic, active swimmers. Here we describe <i>Perucetus colossus</i>—a
basilosaurid whale from the middle Eocene epoch of Peru. It displays,
to our knowledge, the highest degree of bone mass increase known to
date, an adaptation associated with shallow diving<sup><a aria-label="Reference 5" data-test="citation-ref" data-track-action="reference anchor" data-track-label="link" data-track="click" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06381-1#ref-CR5" id="ref-link-section-d449645777e713" title="Buffrénil, V. de, Canoville, A., D’Anastasio, R. & Domning, D. P. Evolution of sirenian pachyosteosclerosis, a model-case for the study of bone structure in aquatic tetrapods. J. Mamm. Evol. 17, 101–120 (2010).">5</a></sup>. The estimated skeletal mass of <i>P. colossus</i>
exceeds that of any known mammal or aquatic vertebrate. We show that
the bone structure specializations of aquatic mammals are reflected in
the scaling of skeletal fraction (skeletal mass versus whole-body mass)
across the entire disparity of amniotes. We use the skeletal fraction to
estimate the body mass of <i>P. colossus</i>, which proves to be a
contender for the title of heaviest animal on record. Cetacean peak body
mass had already been reached around 30 million years before previously
assumed, in a coastal context in which primary productivity was
particularly high.</p><p><i>Comments: I was asked to comment on this by several journalists the day I tendered my resignation from CofC - my first day as a 'free agent' I spent traveling to spend time with my family at Lake Tahoe and speaking on the phone with journalists during my layover at O'Hare. Needless to say this paper has left an indelible imprint on me. It's become somewhat controversial and I don't really understand why: </i>Perucetus<i> is a colossal basilosaurid whale, and while it's not terribly complete, I think the estimates and methods used are appropriate. Most of the folks complaining about this study are dino-weenies who are probably just mad that yet another whale has outranked dinosaurs as the largest/heaviest animals ever.</i></p><p><i>Now, on a scientific level: just like </i>Tutcetus<i>, this gives a surprising expansion to the range of body forms in basilosaurid whales. </i>Perucetus <i>is as large or possibly even larger than </i>Basilosaurus cetoides<i>, and given how incredibly inflated and dense/heavy the bones are, it almost certainly had a very different ecology than other basilosaurid whales. The authors suggest three possibilities: shallow water benthic foraging on seagrasses or algae like sirenians, foraging on marine invertebrates, and scavenging on carcasses. The authors rightly indicate that herbivory is quite unlikely: the last prior herbivorous "cetacean" was </i>Indohyus <i>and such an ecology is otherwise unknown in cetaceans. The latter I think is unlikely - but admittedly quite similar to the T. rex as a scavenger hypothesis by Jack Horner. As a walrus expert, I am sympathetic to the second hypothesis - but all of these will require further discoveries from Peru to be made and most importantly, a skull with teeth.</i> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8bRQK_V4k5i2ov1IH3XTrf7j1I0YgGMh3mvwWErjL3BbqwJ0UYWgUnoPTNS3wstSaFXgnXeLzE5r_s0Msi8JmZXcB35Swacpf0Tg8eB9lzs1KWVXiVSjlW3DwYQ9yUsNI6bYyvGObwqGZ3NOf7gJueZB3ukJe1fW-uVIOa45e-BAY_8zUYXEOg7Lpmk/s1007/Bianucci%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1007" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8bRQK_V4k5i2ov1IH3XTrf7j1I0YgGMh3mvwWErjL3BbqwJ0UYWgUnoPTNS3wstSaFXgnXeLzE5r_s0Msi8JmZXcB35Swacpf0Tg8eB9lzs1KWVXiVSjlW3DwYQ9yUsNI6bYyvGObwqGZ3NOf7gJueZB3ukJe1fW-uVIOa45e-BAY_8zUYXEOg7Lpmk/w400-h376/Bianucci%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app010762023.html">Bianucci et al.: A new diminutive fossil ziphiid from the deep-sea floor off northern Chile and some remarks on the body size evolution and palaeobiogeography of the beaked whales.</a></p><p>The evolutionary history of the beaked whales (Ziphiidae), odontocetes nowadays adapted to deep diving, is well known
thanks to a significant fossil record mainly from the deep ocean floors. A partial cranium of a ziphiid recovered from
Plio-Pleistocene deep sea deposits (about 1000 m) off the port of Pisagua, northern Chile, during fishing activity is here
described and referred to the new species <i>Ihlengesi changoensis</i>. <i>Ihlengesi changoensis</i> differs from the type species
<i>Ihlengesi saldanhae</i>, from the sea floor off South Africa, by having a more elongated premaxillary sac fossa and consequently
a more anteriorly located premaxillary foramen; dorsal margin of each premaxillary crest sloping markedly
ventrolaterally and generating an acute dorsal profile of the vertex in anterior view; less anterolateral extension of the
right nasal forming part of the premaxillary crest; lateral margins of the nasals not anteriorly diverging but weakly convex;
nasofrontal suture anteriorly pointed. The phylogeny supports a sister-taxon relationship between <i>I. changoensis</i> and
<i>I. saldanhae</i>, both members of the crown ziphiids Hyperoodontinae. <i>Ihlengesi changoensis</i> shares with<i> I. saldanhae</i> and
other fossil ziphiids a small body size (estimated length 3.5 m) supporting the hypothesis that in the past small beaked
whales (<4 m) were more common than today. Such recent shift of the ziphiids towards a larger size could be the result
of a progressive change of diet from fish to cephalopods, to the competition with the delphinids, and the predatory impact
of the white shark <i>Carcharodon carcharias</i> and/or of the killer whale <i>Orcinus orca</i>. This new Chilean ziphiid further
supports the hypothesis that crown beaked whales originated and firstly dispersed in the oceanic waters of the Southern
Hemisphere. Their radiation and geographical distribution could have been driven by the southern oceanic circulation
and related localized concentration of trophic resources in high productivity upwelling areas.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpo3jfZaP_oc6wQVMo5WF0odm0BHk6OTYnRq5XD5ta2KqsGNYb2ax8Rl8Cw-hX_DtNEebiqw19Ow_izNCOU6HrnkVPQ_QuLmNgtxQa8c6_mWgw0mnn1UfzoT_DyBd6EWVvz2BQN0P5hzM2KyLCKVkr96uX4CoyzBJI9ubc8B4EmS9KJ9kBbu5OQ2lFP-8/s3951/Bisconti%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2602" data-original-width="3951" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpo3jfZaP_oc6wQVMo5WF0odm0BHk6OTYnRq5XD5ta2KqsGNYb2ax8Rl8Cw-hX_DtNEebiqw19Ow_izNCOU6HrnkVPQ_QuLmNgtxQa8c6_mWgw0mnn1UfzoT_DyBd6EWVvz2BQN0P5hzM2KyLCKVkr96uX4CoyzBJI9ubc8B4EmS9KJ9kBbu5OQ2lFP-8/w400-h264/Bisconti%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012825223000624?via%3Dihub">Bisconti et al.<span class="title-text">The chronology of mysticete diversification (Mammalia, Cetacea, Mysticeti): Body size, morphological evolution and global change.</span></a></p><p><span>A comprehensive revision of the localities of discovery of fossil<span> mysticetes is presented together with a highly inclusive phylogenetic
analysis in order to provide the basis for a chronology of the main
mysticete diversification events. The results suggest that the origin of
Mysticeti (that include earlier toothed taxa together with today
baleen-bearing cetaceans) occurred </span></span><i>c.</i> 38 Ma; the origin of Chaeomysticeti (that include only baleen-bearing cetaceans) occurred <i>c.</i> 28 Ma; the origin of Balaenomorpha (crown mysticetes) occurred <i>c.</i><span><span>
23.3 Ma. Additional chronological inferences are provided. Within this
chronological framework, we analyzed diversity trends, origination and
extinction patterns and body size evolution, and looked for eventual
causal relationships between evolutionary processes, marine and
terrestrial ecological turnovers and geodynamic<span>
events. We found four main diversification events corresponding to
peaks in originations and, in a few cases, with the origin of different
feeding strategies adopted by the differen mysticete families. We found
that different mechanisms are correlated to specific diversification
events and these include changes in temperature and ocean circulation
patterns, nutrient availability in the water column and diatom abundance
and diversity. Resuming, no single mechanism explains all the
diversification events occurred during mysticete evolution; rather, we
found that each diversification event was correlated to different
combinations of biotic and abiotic factors, suggesting that this group experienced major adaptation processes to the changing </span></span>paleoenvironments in the last 38 Ma.</span> <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGL6lcFI0DpKGmh2E0YymV7CuFVdphquH2u50HR-UWaxANe0qShcT9KgNNwpcLUrZXQLG9Uxq9MLfsLfiSefaZNDJnswOCUrMltkyjGamnczvnMhaK1TpAcgYwkrSKa-ORlt1Ji1NVDzY0Ox1CbBvXRSGSK-ESzs8teLXRfjvVqthUZ38k4ZWsFN3N5w/s2951/Bisconti%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2692" data-original-width="2951" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGL6lcFI0DpKGmh2E0YymV7CuFVdphquH2u50HR-UWaxANe0qShcT9KgNNwpcLUrZXQLG9Uxq9MLfsLfiSefaZNDJnswOCUrMltkyjGamnczvnMhaK1TpAcgYwkrSKa-ORlt1Ji1NVDzY0Ox1CbBvXRSGSK-ESzs8teLXRfjvVqthUZ38k4ZWsFN3N5w/w400-h365/Bisconti%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><a href="https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/RIPS/index">Bisconti et al.: Taphonomy, osteology and functional morphology of a partially articulated skeleton of an archaic Pliocene right whale from Emilia Romagna (NW Italy).</a></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">A partial skeleton of a Pliocene balaenid whale (Mammalia, Cetacea, Mysticeti) is described and compared to a large set of extant and fossil Balaenidae. The specimen (MCRE 232834) includes a jugal, both mandibular rami and part of the postcranial skeleton including several vertebrae, complete ribs, hyoid, pelvis, a single scapula and a single partial forelimb. The specimen was found at a site in the vicinity of the San Valentino Castle, about 16 km S from Reggio Emilia, close to the town of Castellarano, Emilia Romagna (northern Italy). Molluscs and foraminifers indicate a late Zanclean age for MCRE 232834, constrained between 3.8 and 3.6 Ma. A taphonomic analysis revealed that after death the individual sunk on the sea floor upside down and underwent a series of biostratinomic processes eventually leading to the collapse of the ribcage and to the disarticulation of the posterior thoracic, lumbar and caudal vertebrae, together with the loss of several skeletal elements including the skull. Shark teeth and encrusting molluscs demonstrate that the specimen was exploited by different organisms during its decay. The study of the skeleton revealed that MCRE 232834 shows an abruptly converging anterior ends of the mandibular rami, well-developed olecranon process in the ulna, peculiar morphology of the cervical vertebrae and enlarged attachment sites for axial muscles in the ribs. Based on the morphology of the cervical vertebrae, mandible and scapula, MCRE 232834 can be assigned to a new genus and species of the family Balaenidae, i.e., <i>Charadrobalaena valentinae</i> n. gen., n. sp., which is part of a primitive clade of balaenids that is the sister group of the crown balaenid whales. A functional analysis of the vertebral column revealed that it was able of comparatively faster and more agile swimming with respect to the extant balaenid species.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8HWcvQIdMMbT-1DcOUeqoRfwWmg_UV3BXTElLw9kadyyqeYECRE92WegT5aUSt1No-NQ7pTNOBJ6olWmsu2ho3JXkai38NyxwhbS7dLjyhO9aYO3EHQUNgjTUQ4zOTzRajbT58zauvp7EtOcysF6ZpycFQBQ3oWu4aKheTuJTMmy8u8Kw-kfDZjWe_Sk/s782/Coronodon%20family%20portrait%20labeled.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="782" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8HWcvQIdMMbT-1DcOUeqoRfwWmg_UV3BXTElLw9kadyyqeYECRE92WegT5aUSt1No-NQ7pTNOBJ6olWmsu2ho3JXkai38NyxwhbS7dLjyhO9aYO3EHQUNgjTUQ4zOTzRajbT58zauvp7EtOcysF6ZpycFQBQ3oWu4aKheTuJTMmy8u8Kw-kfDZjWe_Sk/w400-h278/Coronodon%20family%20portrait%20labeled.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><a href="https://peerj.com/articles/14795/"><span style="font-size: small;">Boessenecker et al.: </span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">New specimens and species of the Oligocene toothed baleen whale <i>Coronodon</i> from South Carolina and the origin of Neoceti.</span></a><p></p><p>Baleen whales (Mysticeti) are gigantic filter-feeding cetaceans
possessing the unique soft tissue structure baleen and lacking adult
teeth; Oligocene fossils have revealed a wealth of early diverging
tooth-bearing mysticetes highlighting the transition from archaeocete
ancestors to early toothless baleen-bearing eomysticetid whales. The
archaeocete-like, toothed mysticete <i>Coronodon havensteini</i> from
the lower Oligocene Ashley Formation of South Carolina possesses a
number of peculiar aspects of feeding morphology suggesting dental
filter-feeding in the earliest diverging mysticete lineage. New fossils
of <i>Coronodon</i> are described in detail, including (1) supplementary description of the holotype skull and skeleton of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>; (2) description of two new juvenile skulls of <i>C. havensteini</i> and a partial skull and postcranial skeleton of an adult; (3) description of the new species <i>Coronodon planifrons</i> n.sp.; and (4) description of the new species <i>Coronodon newtonorum</i>. New specimens of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>
include a partial adult skeleton preserving new elements for the
species including incisors, numerous upper premolars and molars, lower
m4, scapula, lumbar, and caudal vertebrae, and two juvenile skulls with
tympanoperiotics and teeth. Fossils from the overlying unit, the
Chandler Bridge Formation, represent two new species: <i>Coronodon newtonorum</i> n. sp. and <i>Coronodon planifrons</i> n. sp. <i>Coronodon newtonorum</i>
possesses a concave-up alveolar profile, a mandibular condyle elevated
far above the toothrow, and a gracile periotic resembling those of
juvenile <i>C. havensteini</i>. <i>Coronodon planifrons</i> n. sp.
possesses a horizontal supraorbital process, successively smaller upper
molars, massively inflated periotic, and longer intertemporal region. <i>Coronodon planifrons</i>
n. sp. preserves one of the most complete vertebral columns among
toothed mysticetes, indicating nine thoracic vertebrae, ten lumbar
vertebrae, and at least 20 caudal vertebrae. The column exhibits a
somewhat stabilized caudal peduncle with enlarged lumbocaudal vertebrae,
and rectangular terminal caudals indicate the presence of tail flukes.
Juvenile skulls reveal several ontogenetic trends in <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>,
including the anterior migration of the orbitotemporal crest,
anteroposterior elongation of the intertemporal region, inflation of the
body of the periotic, enlargement of the tympanic bulla, and continued
postnatal emergence of the premolars and molars from their alveoli.
Disarticulated skulls suggest a degree of rostral kinesis in this genus.
Phylogenetic analysis of the largest assembled supermatrix of Mysticeti
(<i>n</i> =138 OTUs; four archaeocetes, 10 odontocetes, 124 mysticetes;
391 morphological and 27,225 molecular characters) confirms placement
of <i>Coronodon</i> as the earliest diverging lineage of Mysticeti under equally weighted analyses whereas implied weighting places <i>Coronodon</i> and similar taxa outside Neoceti, prompting a review of character transformations at the base of Neoceti.</p><p><i>Comments: This is one of two monographs I published this year (I am very tired). This one started out in January 2022: we had an invitation to submit an article to a special volume, and we were initially going to publish the results of an analysis we reported on at the 2018 SVP meeting in Albuquerque, NM - reporting several new specimens of the toothed baleen whale </i>Coronodon <i>along with new phylogenetic analyses and a study of microwear in these whales in order to evaluate hypotheses of feeding behavior in early Mysticeti. Well, by July 2022 the descriptions were nearly completed and everything else had kind of ballooned and we realized we needed at least two different manuscripts - by October, the deadline, we realized we needed three different manuscripts as the descriptive paper (on its own) was already going to be a monographic-length work. As it turned out, we assumed because the journal was online and open access that there wouldn't be page limits, and the descriptive paper ended up being four times longer than the page limit - so we submitted it to PeerJ instead.</i></p><p><i>This study is the culmination of about five years of observations, but really only one year of writing. There's nothing much else research-wise that I spent doing in 2022, with the exception of the even-longer monograph published seven months later (see below!) and a cute 'little' paper comin<u>g</u> out early 2024. This paper reports the first growth series for any toothed mysticete, names two new species of </i>Coronodon <i>from the Chandler Bridge Formation, </i>Coronodon planifrons<i> and </i>Coronodon newtonorum<i>. The latter was based on a manuscript name used by the late Al Sanders - 'newtoni'</i> - <i>except that we didn't know which member of the Newton family (who found the fossil - ChM PV 2778) - was to be honored by the name. So, at the last minute - literally during page proofs - we changed the name to 'newtonorum'.</i></p><p><i>We published this in April, and presented data from one of our two follow-up papers at this year's SVP meeting in Cincinatti, which was well-received - and as soon as the holidays are over, the three of us are going to get it wrapped up and start finalizing the tooth wear manuscript as well. </i><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsmnn8Xya6W_BTpy836BZunCuNt7N658mw7BBg5QyPLRE3aZDZ1sPiWw_3E6yyiLgSiscz0hyphenhyphen7rhBP1Bq3J9BDyf_FxEgCd6sg4WLpY2HfvPjVz13s81v3FWXLSu3gttHXzrPOPobRoE1i6ucBcLs3EM5UpqEPMIp6oMmIux1PbnK-_OcnAmc9Ol8MIY/s4441/Xenorophus%20v.2%20life%20restoration%20higher%20contrast.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3382" data-original-width="4441" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsmnn8Xya6W_BTpy836BZunCuNt7N658mw7BBg5QyPLRE3aZDZ1sPiWw_3E6yyiLgSiscz0hyphenhyphen7rhBP1Bq3J9BDyf_FxEgCd6sg4WLpY2HfvPjVz13s81v3FWXLSu3gttHXzrPOPobRoE1i6ucBcLs3EM5UpqEPMIp6oMmIux1PbnK-_OcnAmc9Ol8MIY/w400-h305/Xenorophus%20v.2%20life%20restoration%20higher%20contrast.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/11/1154">Boessenecker and Geisler: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">New Skeletons of the Ancient
Dolphin <i>Xenorophus sloanii </i>and <i>Xenorophus simplicidens </i>sp. nov. (Mammalia,
Cetacea) from the Oligocene of South Carolina and the Ontogeny, Functional
Anatomy, Asymmetry, Pathology, and Evolution of the Earliest Odontoceti.</span></a></p><p>The early diverging, dolphin-sized, cetacean clade Xenorophidae are a
short-lived radiation of toothed whales (Odontoceti) that independently
evolved two features long thought to be odontocete synapomorphies: the
craniofacial and cochlear morphology underlying echolocation and
retrograde cranial telescoping (i.e., posterior migration of the
viscerocranium). This family was based on <span class="html-italic"><i>Xenorophus</i> <i>sloanii</i></span>,
which, for the past century, has been known only by a partial skull
lacking a braincase and tympanoperiotics, collected around 1900 from the
Ashley Formation (28–29 Ma, Rupelian) near Ladson, South Carolina. A
large collection of new skulls and skeletons (ChM PV 5022, 7677; CCNHM
104, 168, 1077, 5995) from the Ashley Formation considerably expands the
hypodigm for this species, now the best known of any stem odontocete
and permitting evaluation of intraspecific variation and ontogenetic
changes. This collection reveals that the holotype (USNM 11049) is a
juvenile. <span class="html-italic"><i>Xenorophus sloanii</i></span><i> </i>is a
relatively large odontocete (70–74 cm CBL; BZW = 29–31 cm; estimated
body length 2.6–3 m) with a moderately long rostrum (RPI = 2.5), marked
heterodonty, limited polydonty (13–14 teeth), prominent sagittal crest
and intertemporal constriction, and drastically larger brain size than
basilosaurid archaeocetes (EQ = 2.9). Dental morphology, thickened
cementum, a dorsoventrally robust rostrum, and thick rugose enamel
suggest raptorial feeding; oral pathology indicates traumatic tooth loss
associated with mechanically risky predation attempts. Ontogenetic
changes include increased palatal vomer exposure; fusion of the
nasofrontal, occipito-parietal, and median frontal sutures; anterior
lengthening of the nasals; elaboration of the nuchal crests; and
blunting and thickening of the antorbital process. The consistent
deviation of the rostrum 2–5° to the left and asymmetry of the palate,
dentition, neurocranium, mandibles, and vertebrae in multiple specimens
of <span class="html-italic"><i>Xenorophus sloanii</i></span><i> </i>suggest novel
adaptations for directional hearing driven by the asymmetrically
oriented pan bones of the mandibles. A second collection consisting of a
skeleton and several skulls from the overlying Chandler Bridge
Formation (24–23 Ma, Chattian) represents a new species, <i><span class="html-italic">Xenorophus simplicidens</span> </i>n. sp., differing from <i><span class="html-italic">Xenorophus sloanii</span>
</i>in possessing shorter nasals, anteroposteriorly shorter supraorbital
processes of the frontal, and teeth with fewer accessory cusps and less
rugose enamel. Phylogenetic analysis supports monophyly of <i><span class="html-italic">Xenorophus</span></i>, with specimens of <span class="html-italic"><i>Xenorophus simplicidens</i></span><i> </i>nested within paraphyletic <span class="html-italic"><i>X. sloanii</i></span>;
in concert with stratigraphic data, these results support the
interpretation of these species as part of an anagenetic lineage. New
clade names are provided for the sister taxon to Xenorophidae
(Ambyloccipita), and the odontocete clade excluding Xenorophidae, <i><span class="html-italic">Ashleycetus</span></i>, <i><span class="html-italic">Mirocetus</span></i>,
and Simocetidae (Stegoceti). Analyses of tooth size, body size,
temporal fossa length, orbit morphology, and the rostral proportion
index, prompted by well-preserved remains of <i><span class="html-italic">Xenorophus</span></i>, provide insight into the early evolution of Odontoceti.</p><p>Comments: I have not poured this much effort into any other project. I worked on this beast for five years, with much of the work being done in 2020.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNR8_cdid-tJHeLF17o1seUCLWYQ2m01bOrBuziVgIOhbN7BDBcx_gAa_jTmcbgynsN3rprtoYPcPyqZOG39tU8EG2uT3vk_Z_H1qJaoHDcYRcFnDprzRmwuLqrjVL8-RmG1x956hQtPehe0KlCDbFPYui7KY561BK3TXaxJvcNigEUm7yr1n0p5PlQM/s1003/Burin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1003" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNR8_cdid-tJHeLF17o1seUCLWYQ2m01bOrBuziVgIOhbN7BDBcx_gAa_jTmcbgynsN3rprtoYPcPyqZOG39tU8EG2uT3vk_Z_H1qJaoHDcYRcFnDprzRmwuLqrjVL8-RmG1x956hQtPehe0KlCDbFPYui7KY561BK3TXaxJvcNigEUm7yr1n0p5PlQM/w400-h356/Burin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)00302-0?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982223003020%3Fshowall%3Dtrue">Burin et al.: The dynamic adaptive landscape of cetacean body size.</a></span><p></p><p>Adaptive landscapes are central to evolutionary theory, forming a conceptual bridge between micro- and macroevolution. Evolution by natural selection across an adaptive landscape should
drive lineages toward fitness peaks, shaping the distribution of
phenotypic variation within and among clades over evolutionary
timescales.<sup> </sup>The location and breadth of these peaks in phenotypic space can also evolve,<sup> </sup>but whether phylogenetic comparative methods can detect such patterns has largely remained unexplored.
Here, we characterize the global and local adaptive landscape for total
body length in cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and relatives), a trait
that spans an order of magnitude, across their <math altimg="si1.gif"><mrow><mo linebreak="goodbreak" linebreakstyle="after">∼</mo><mn>53</mn></mrow></math>-million-year evolutionary history. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, we analyze shifts in long-term mean body length<sup> </sup>and directional changes in average trait values<sup> </sup>for 345 living and fossil cetacean taxa. Remarkably, we find that the
global macroevolutionary adaptive landscape of cetacean body length is
relatively flat, with very few peak shifts occurring after cetaceans
entered the oceans. Local peaks are more numerous and manifest as trends
along branches linked to specific adaptations. These results contrast
with previous studies using only extant taxa,<sup> </sup>highlighting the vital role of fossil data for understanding macroevolution. Our results indicate that adaptive peaks are dynamic and are associated
with subzones of local adaptations, creating moving targets for species
adaptation. In addition, we identify limits in our ability to detect
some evolutionary patterns and processes and suggest that multiple
approaches are required to characterize complex hierarchical patterns of
adaptation in deep time. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzPCqJNYmdtLrFa8Q-ooAPHJbAUZ34f0-7bbFBJ2y9eUfVJnTRYuNqh6DocVfG8dTVyh-UK66T2G0e5Nn7qFDbFCxo1PzCQQyHScw5lA3EGMGWLkzZvmItUOPtpTpo05S-J6258nlZ2GsQZ7z17K-UxQ_Z6nx_Kwxlpsvx8rYK2AarR_POC82jf9MykA/s1300/Carrasco%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="1300" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzPCqJNYmdtLrFa8Q-ooAPHJbAUZ34f0-7bbFBJ2y9eUfVJnTRYuNqh6DocVfG8dTVyh-UK66T2G0e5Nn7qFDbFCxo1PzCQQyHScw5lA3EGMGWLkzZvmItUOPtpTpo05S-J6258nlZ2GsQZ7z17K-UxQ_Z6nx_Kwxlpsvx8rYK2AarR_POC82jf9MykA/w400-h248/Carrasco%20et%20al.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mms.13031"> Carrasco et al.: Ecological traits of the franciscana dolphin (<i>Pontoporia blainvillei</i>) from the Late Pleistocene to the present days based on stable isotope analysis.</a><p></p><p>Late Pleistocene fossils from southern Brazil provide a unique
opportunity to study the diet and habitat use of the extant franciscana
dolphin (<i>Pontoporia blainvillei</i>) prior to human influence. Here,
we subject 19 fossil and 21 contemporary specimens to stable carbon and
oxygen isotope analysis (after first ruling out diagenesis via Fourier
transform infrared spectroscopy). The two groups differ in their
isotopic composition (PERMANOVA, <i>p</i> < .01), with fossils yielding more disparate δ<sup>13</sup>C values and recent samples more disparate δ<sup>18</sup>O values. Their isotopic niches show an overlap of ~20%, with that of the fossils being slightly wider (SEAc = 2.25‰<sup>2</sup> versus 1.84‰<sup>2</sup>). We attribute these differences to impoverished modern fish communities and temporal changes in freshwater influx.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTmykZIa_RNl15d7Sm5sQZ4GxHgyEhkqz_HOP2JptS4_tk8WLVb7L1g53emUKFOWsFIhhocbkydrdEATv90ji0IxO4ZSztpYHepsP-DnL185HBr7F-7e5th4O8FCB37x7ry83SXoUqagZlKELum1X-yYKLsWE-xYBe70n6NoRlEaOfZidW4KWzSnBuG4/s1050/Collareta.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="1050" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTmykZIa_RNl15d7Sm5sQZ4GxHgyEhkqz_HOP2JptS4_tk8WLVb7L1g53emUKFOWsFIhhocbkydrdEATv90ji0IxO4ZSztpYHepsP-DnL185HBr7F-7e5th4O8FCB37x7ry83SXoUqagZlKELum1X-yYKLsWE-xYBe70n6NoRlEaOfZidW4KWzSnBuG4/w400-h268/Collareta.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/2/327">Collareta et al.: Polyplacophoran Feeding Traces on Mediterranean Pliocene Sirenian Bones: Insights on the Role of Grazing Bioeroders in Shallow-Marine Vertebrate Falls.</a><p></p><p>Chitons (Polyplacophora) include some of the most conspicuous bioeroders
of the present-day shallow seas. Abundant palaeontological evidence for
the feeding activity of ancient chitons is preserved in the form of
radular traces that are usually found on invertebrate shells and
hardgrounds. We report on widespread grazing traces occurring on partial
skeletons of the extinct sirenian <span class="html-italic">Metaxytherium subapenninum</span>
from the Lower Pliocene (Zanclean) of Arcille (Grosseto Province,
Tuscany, Italy). These distinctive ichnofossils are described under the
ichnotaxonomic name <span class="html-italic"><i>Osteocallis leonardii</i></span><i>
</i>isp. nov. and interpreted as reflecting substrate scraping by
polyplacophorans. A scrutiny of palaeontological literature reveals that
similar traces occur on fossil vertebrates as old as the Upper
Cretaceous, suggesting that bone has served as a substrate for chiton
feeding for more than 66 million years. Whether these bone modifications
reflect algal grazing, carrion scavenging or bone consumption remains
unsure, but the first hypothesis appears to be the most parsimonious, as
well as the most likely in light of the available actualistic data. As
the role of bioerosion in controlling fossilization can hardly be
overestimated, further research investigating how grazing organisms
contribute to the biostratinomic processes affecting bone promises to
disclose new information on how some marine vertebrates manage to become
fossils.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1psRkv8ST64BHlcMfMt_rlvklkQFgYbE574UQc3ygba9-Nz4dncD7ERGgclmE-Dn7MVN-Y0RgVnJ3GFyJYs-FpKCMFFIx7HVVWofQc-1fSSdX2Premx2_JBoJ8Y8shQ3yCsl5cVrUl49A60xxl2-R1HqipkGkqaVWWz4KsEEE4LZELg9EUbWGW2NmRk/s774/Coombs%20et%20al.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="774" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1psRkv8ST64BHlcMfMt_rlvklkQFgYbE574UQc3ygba9-Nz4dncD7ERGgclmE-Dn7MVN-Y0RgVnJ3GFyJYs-FpKCMFFIx7HVVWofQc-1fSSdX2Premx2_JBoJ8Y8shQ3yCsl5cVrUl49A60xxl2-R1HqipkGkqaVWWz4KsEEE4LZELg9EUbWGW2NmRk/w400-h316/Coombs%20et%20al.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982223016445">Coombs et al.: Drivers of morphological evolution in the toothed whale jaw.</a> <br /></p><p>Toothed whales (odontocetes) emit high-frequency underwater sounds
(echolocate)—an extreme and unique innovation allowing them to sense
their prey and environment. Their highly specialized mandible<span><span> (lower jaw) allows high-frequency sounds to be transmitted back to the inner ear. Echolocation
is evident in the earliest toothed whales, but little research has
focused on the evolution of mandibular form regarding this unique
adaptation. Here, we use a high-density, three-dimensional geometric
morphometric analysis of 100 living and extinct cetacean species
spanning their ∼50-million-year evolutionary history. Our analyses
demonstrate that most shape variation is found in the relative length of
the jaw and the mandibular symphysis. The greatest morphological
diversity was obtained during two periods of rapid evolution: the
initial evolution of archaeocetes (stem whales) in the early to
mid-Eocene as they adapted to an aquatic lifestyle, representing one of
the most extreme adaptive transitions known, and later on in the
mid-Oligocene odontocetes as they became increasingly specialized for a
range of diets facilitated by increasingly refined echolocation. Low
disparity in the posterior mandible suggests the shape of the acoustic
window, which receives sound, has remained conservative since the advent
of directional </span>hearing
in the aquatic archaeocetes, even as the earliest odontocetes began to
receive sounds from echolocation. Diet, echolocation, feeding method,
and dentition type strongly influence mandible shape. Unlike in the
toothed whale cranium, we found no significant asymmetry in the
mandible. We suggest that a combination of refined echolocation and
associated dietary specializations have driven morphology and disparity
in the toothed whale mandible.</span></p><p><span> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrbf-v1BtnuGXFeyaB8Rh4snX8qAQHtkjTdeqCm6kx1lT7SZinsHJNnfOmmZ7Za9-lN01JsD-CiLgICK5NFvVBJBVPEibiAUUuEqZJTpzsrC2oAan5ICfSN3aSIyLwZUHGZjXTwwPrY_9TQmhrbKzITE8a2PAp4M3idVYd6-3P-nEY4GIzzUo1etxmtk/s576/Cooper.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="576" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrbf-v1BtnuGXFeyaB8Rh4snX8qAQHtkjTdeqCm6kx1lT7SZinsHJNnfOmmZ7Za9-lN01JsD-CiLgICK5NFvVBJBVPEibiAUUuEqZJTpzsrC2oAan5ICfSN3aSIyLwZUHGZjXTwwPrY_9TQmhrbKzITE8a2PAp4M3idVYd6-3P-nEY4GIzzUo1etxmtk/w400-h383/Cooper.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-35651-3_4">Cooper et al.: Cetacean Evolution: Copulatory and Birthing Consequences of Pelvic and Hindlimb Reduction.</a> <br /></p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">The earliest fossil cetaceans (archaeocetes) dramatically shifted the
shape and articulation of the pelvis and hindlimbs during the
land-to-sea transition. Archaeocetes were mostly semi-aquatic “walking
whales” that used powerful hindlimbs to walk on land and swim to reach
new aquatic sources of food. However, skeletons of the latest diverging
lineages of archaeocetes, the basilosaurids, showed that the pelvis
initially lost articulation with the sacrum, and hindlimbs were reduced
and encased within the body wall. Consequently, basilosaurids were no
longer able to bear their weight on land and probably had a different
mating strategy compared to the other archaeocetes. Basilosaurid mating
behaviors were probably consistent with those of modern cetaceans,
including lateral- and ventral-facing copulation. Moreover, a pelvic
girdle that was no longer constrained by vertebral and limb attachments
likely freed fetal development from size constraints at birth, allowing
for the birth of large fetuses. This study reports new data showing
growth of the pelvis with age in modern bowhead whales (<i>Balaena mysticetus</i>)
and their implications for left-right asymmetry and sex difference in
pelvic dimensions among modern cetaceans. Reproductive structures
present in modern cetaceans and artiodactyls were probably present in
archaeocetes, including pelvic attachment of muscles associated with
erection and mobility of the penis, the ischiocavernosus, in males and
the clitoris of females. Within females, transverse folds along the
vaginal canal are present in some terrestrial artiodactyls, modern
cetaceans, and probably archaeocetes. Vaginal folds were probably
exapted to assist in successful aquatic copulation in all fossil and
modern cetaceans as they may protect some sperm from the lethal effects
of sea water. Taken together, shifts in the pelvic girdle of cetaceans
occurred over 40 million years ago and probably required changes in
mating behaviors that were consistent with those seen in modern
cetaceans.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92fuAYzf7NUe8RiYHdfj9DrShEsLPeUvdx0LsABP83rjVhLO-9K-nV3cD5s1NM1bPzSiNy-MG9eC7PbOsUt2ooDE6xS69HtSxCID74wv7hAEgXAQtcBCGcliW7GZ016Ne5GgUrdL3mXBmjXzYT7WWQjFcOTSEYFStO3dGmrMmrw7gaoWcukZEbaekmOo/s1097/Coste%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="1097" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92fuAYzf7NUe8RiYHdfj9DrShEsLPeUvdx0LsABP83rjVhLO-9K-nV3cD5s1NM1bPzSiNy-MG9eC7PbOsUt2ooDE6xS69HtSxCID74wv7hAEgXAQtcBCGcliW7GZ016Ne5GgUrdL3mXBmjXzYT7WWQjFcOTSEYFStO3dGmrMmrw7gaoWcukZEbaekmOo/w400-h314/Coste%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><a href=" https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03036758.2023.2267456">Coste et al.: </a><span class="NLM_article-title hlFld-title"><a href=" https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03036758.2023.2267456">A new fossil dolphin with tusk-like teeth from New Zealand and an analysis of procumbent teeth in fossil cetaceans.</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">Studies involving anatomical description and taxonomy of fossil
odontocetes offer insights into their evolutionary history and
diversity. This study analyses tusk-like teeth in odontocetes including
the description of a new species, <i>Nihoroa reimaea</i>, from the Waitaki valley, North Otago, New Zealand. Dental features of <i>Nihoroa reimaea</i>,
a gracile, longirostrine odontocete with procumbent tusk-like anterior
teeth and slightly denticulate cheek teeth, are described in detail. A
comparative analysis of tusk-like teeth from New Zealand specimens and
from elsewhere in the world was performed allowing a classification of
tusk-like teeth in odontocetes and highlighting the differences between
true tusks and rooted procumbent teeth. Correlation analyses revealed
significant associations between rostrum proportions and tooth crown
morphology. This study contributes to the understanding of tusk-like
teeth and illuminates their significance in odontocete evolution. <i>Nihoroa reimaea</i>
expands our knowledge of fossil cetaceans and highlights the importance
of New Zealand's exceptional fossil record of odontocetes with
tusk-like teeth.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span class="NLM_article-title hlFld-title"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span class="NLM_article-title hlFld-title"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span class="NLM_article-title hlFld-title"><span class="open_science_badges"></span></span></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbDIWojhr4r0qIbCIiTYM0YbKZhurS2AjYoNYmVOxZZ0geIJfdULyWOXpeZmbQHbl_TkFOiiENV1Xeo6xb6MMQX3GMz6K_z3BW35pwoG_dAmdmn16V-hjSLa7JIOBYcZtAi93RoRgAop5hv1ZQNTv1kQw7HmMFNWeiOdpJMAaLaTIyIFAPYQld8pko0U/s763/Coste%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="731" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbDIWojhr4r0qIbCIiTYM0YbKZhurS2AjYoNYmVOxZZ0geIJfdULyWOXpeZmbQHbl_TkFOiiENV1Xeo6xb6MMQX3GMz6K_z3BW35pwoG_dAmdmn16V-hjSLa7JIOBYcZtAi93RoRgAop5hv1ZQNTv1kQw7HmMFNWeiOdpJMAaLaTIyIFAPYQld8pko0U/w384-h400/Coste%201.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2023.0873">Coste et al.: A new dolphin with tusk-like teeth from the late Oligocene of New Zealand indicates evolution of novel feeding strategies.</a>*</p><p>All extant toothed whales (Cetacea, Odontoceti) are aquatic mammals with
homodont dentitions. Fossil evidence from the late Oligocene suggests a
greater diversity of tooth forms among odontocetes, including
heterodont species with a variety of tooth shapes and orientations. A
new fossil dolphin from the late Oligocene of New Zealand, <i>Nihohae matakoi</i>
gen. et sp. nov., consisting of a near complete skull, earbones,
dentition and some postcranial material, represents this diverse
dentition. Several preserved teeth are horizontally procumbent,
including all incisors and canines. These tusk-like teeth suggest
adaptive advantages for horizontally procumbent teeth in basal dolphins.
Phylogenetic analysis places <i>Nihohae</i> among the poorly constrained basal waipatiid group, many with similarly procumbent teeth. Features of <i>N. matakoi</i>
such as its dorsoventrally flattened and long rostrum, long mandibular
symphysis, unfused cervical vertebrae, lack of attritional or occlusal
wear on the teeth and thin enamel cover suggest the rostrum and
horizontally procumbent teeth were used to injure and stun prey though
swift lateral head movements, a feeding mode that did not persist in
extant odontocetes.</p><p><i>Comments: The incredible tusked waipatiid is finally named! This was by far and away the most spectacular of the unpublished fossils in the Fordyce collection at University of Otago, and I'm very glad that it was published this year. Now known to the world as </i>Nihohae matakoi<i>, this </i>Waipatia<i>-like dolphin is hypothesized to have used its teeth a bit like a sawfish or sawshark with lateral sweeping movements of the neck and head to impale fish on its laterally projecting tusks.</i><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtbJLiyQrIof5tVVyo6X4dJBbu0X_Et0FE55IhWaTwbCoA5XbmdOSlaDTsc2tE2MfW8h1uxJfkdkjVRaie2ZouFmBEoSE2sc0OiGvky40bvA61uLmJE0OdYUR23HesvzomqzkclXN315b64XioebYHMJI5VVwmPZE_9l4cTLjrJZF20V_TBpHFgvfm1k/s1993/Davydenko%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1993" data-original-width="1488" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtbJLiyQrIof5tVVyo6X4dJBbu0X_Et0FE55IhWaTwbCoA5XbmdOSlaDTsc2tE2MfW8h1uxJfkdkjVRaie2ZouFmBEoSE2sc0OiGvky40bvA61uLmJE0OdYUR23HesvzomqzkclXN315b64XioebYHMJI5VVwmPZE_9l4cTLjrJZF20V_TBpHFgvfm1k/w299-h400/Davydenko%201.jpg" width="299" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12542-023-00653-x">Davydenko et al.: Gross
and microscopic anatomy of a tibia tentatively attributed to a cetacean
from the Middle Eocene of Europe, with a note on the artiodactyl <i>Anoplotherium</i> and on the perissodactyl <i>Lophiodon.</i></a><p></p><p>Transition of cetaceans from a semi-aquatic to a fully aquatic lifestyle
during the Eocene involved numerous transformations of their anatomy,
including reduction of the hind limbs. The earliest fully aquatic
cetaceans retained externally protruding, possibly functional hind
limbs. Being extremely rare, every find of archaeocete hind limb
elements can improve our knowledge on the evolution of locomotor
strategies in cetaceans. Here, we describe the anatomy and inner
microstructure of an isolated tibia fragment, that has been found in the
Middle Eocene of Helmstedt, present-day Germany, with comments on its
affinities and function. Assignment to an archaeocete is most probable,
as other, presently known taxa could be excluded, because of the shape
of the distal epiphyseal side and the internal architecture.
Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out with complete certainty that this
isolated tibia belongs to a taxon that is new, or is at this moment
unknown from coeval sediments of Europe. Well-developed, distally
extended tibial crests could indicate the capability of movements with
the foot and thus feet-induced aquatic locomotion. The tibia fragment
may belong to a large member of semi-aquatic cetaceans (Protocetidae) or
to a member of Basilosauridae, early fully aquatic whales. It shares
gross and inner morphological features with tibiae of Protocetidae. In
this case, it could be from a large protocetid, certainly more than 4 m
long, and would be the first protocetid find in Europe as well as the
northernmost record of this family in the world. Alternatively, the
tibia may belong to a representative of Basilosauridae, which have been
found in different parts of Europe, including the region of Helmstedt.
If so, it would imply that early basilosaurids had large,
protocetid-like hind limbs. This record shows that large quadrupedal
cetaceans inhabited the seas of Northwestern Europe by the late Middle
Eocene. Not-related finds of our studies are that the terrestrial
lifestyle of the artiodactyl <i>Anoplotherium</i> is confirmed by the inner structure of its long bones, and that some species of the perissodactyl <i>Lophiodon</i> were most probably semi-aquatic, as shown by the inner microstructure of the tibia.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaBhXWdTCfCX-aUiXr9l9jl0DO8sKF6NL_4wJ6tPXDwQ5IVnm_ParwO8J8xswAfD_MSN-7MjUdSCz7xkCjDhZ5DokAhRW_G1xlDPq0E56l6M20SB8JgrqPDlPM-qdrvvsCZ9xS5j1dUuP0M1MXKCGUX-6wimMB_3MqkJ5B3IGFKlJ6tKesFclwGjKPDs/s2661/Davydenko%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2485" data-original-width="2661" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaBhXWdTCfCX-aUiXr9l9jl0DO8sKF6NL_4wJ6tPXDwQ5IVnm_ParwO8J8xswAfD_MSN-7MjUdSCz7xkCjDhZ5DokAhRW_G1xlDPq0E56l6M20SB8JgrqPDlPM-qdrvvsCZ9xS5j1dUuP0M1MXKCGUX-6wimMB_3MqkJ5B3IGFKlJ6tKesFclwGjKPDs/w400-h374/Davydenko%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><a href="https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/biolinnean/blad131/7334594?redirectedFrom=fulltext">Davydenko et al.: A cetacean limb from the Middle Eocene of Ukraine sheds light on mammalian adaptations to life in water.</a></p><p>There are a few mammalian lineages secondarily adapted to life in water
throughout their evolutionary history. Of them, only sirenians and
cetaceans evolved as fully aquatic organisms. This transition was
accompanied by changes in swimming mode, from foot paddling to
tail-powered propulsion, with the forelimbs acting as efficient
hydrofoils and the gradual loss of external hindlimbs. Here, we describe
an isolated limb from the Middle Eocene of Ukraine, 43–42 Mya,
identified as a hindlimb of a fully aquatic cetacean and being the
earliest cetacean reported from Europe. It is represented by flattened,
jointly articulated bones, identified as the tibia and fibula with a
partly reduced knee joint and loose connection to the pes, and by
flattened phalanges. This anatomy reveals a hitherto only presumed
cetacean morphotype, showing that some of the early fully aquatic
cetaceans were four-legged animals with functional hindlimbs that could
be involved in advanced styles of swimming. They used either body
undulation or lift-based propulsion powered by the tail or feet and
could also use a transitional swimming style combining these modes.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVU32a1X4nQf8yvWFAV0wMyrmTUocgMQc04X8a_KFCMiA-ISvJgWhmJr3vj4ha7pNFPn63MKaeVacL3Q_TcsNzO1DXRkIiGyM8mpAz9D5Lft1l41xtve-g16PsvLHwqMYSRrXuYrH6aITIKbIL_WcM0tTeu-skMQpQS5vgPLpPxPfFXMm7XocurqOTWuU/s1599/Davydenko%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVU32a1X4nQf8yvWFAV0wMyrmTUocgMQc04X8a_KFCMiA-ISvJgWhmJr3vj4ha7pNFPn63MKaeVacL3Q_TcsNzO1DXRkIiGyM8mpAz9D5Lft1l41xtve-g16PsvLHwqMYSRrXuYrH6aITIKbIL_WcM0tTeu-skMQpQS5vgPLpPxPfFXMm7XocurqOTWuU/w363-h400/Davydenko%203.jpg" width="363" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1168681/full">Davydenko et al.: Diverse bone microanatomy in cetaceans from the Eocene of Ukraine further documents early adaptations to fully aquatic lifestyle.</a><p></p><p>Basilosauridae, fully aquatic archaeocetes from the Eocene, had
osteosclerotic or pachyosteosclerotic structure of ribs and, sometimes,
other bones. Such a structure is far different from osteoporotic-like
bones of modern cetaceans. A microanatomical and histological study was
conducted on axial and limb skeleton of several basilosaurid specimens
assigned to the genus <i>Basilotritus</i>, from Bartonian (late middle
Eocene) deposits of Ukraine, remarkable for its pachyostotic bones. The
postcranial skeleton of these specimens is a complex mosaic of diverse
types of bone structure, which include pachyosteosclerotic,
osteosclerotic and cancellous elements. The vertebrae have a
pachyostotic layered cortex reaching its greatest thickness in the
lumbar region. This cortex was strongly vascularized, and its layered
structure is due to concentric circles mostly made by longitudinal
vascular canals, in addition to cyclical growth lines. Heavy bones are
concentrated in the dorsal and ventral areas. Swollen distal ends of
thoracic ribs are interpreted as serving as ballast in the ventral area,
as also previously proposed for <i>Basilosaurus cetoides</i>.
Cortical bone tissue in vertebrae and ribs showed signs of intensive
resorption and remodeling. This indicates the use of the axial skeleton
not only for buoyancy control but also possibly for calcium and
phosphorus recycling.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72R9_oV_4UpqQUIfBsKYtglsgAsuTMRYlWBBFDh-so0QKQngTbfq_-rMaH8Nk5wnR6ZB1t135bkgE_b26xVY-eaDJR8n3BhwYMbs0oWWf854fB8trK8kHYUERBM07EUrkWmdZWU7ntNdIX6trZExrhsxC9eIQ_J5J0kYDHmCHwLxWwmsPd9Hm95EVz1U/s1500/Esteban%20et%20al..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1500" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72R9_oV_4UpqQUIfBsKYtglsgAsuTMRYlWBBFDh-so0QKQngTbfq_-rMaH8Nk5wnR6ZB1t135bkgE_b26xVY-eaDJR8n3BhwYMbs0oWWf854fB8trK8kHYUERBM07EUrkWmdZWU7ntNdIX6trZExrhsxC9eIQ_J5J0kYDHmCHwLxWwmsPd9Hm95EVz1U/w400-h226/Esteban%20et%20al..jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10914-023-09650-y">Esteban et al.: Investigating the land‑to‑sea transition in carnivorans from the evolution of sacrum morphology in pinnipeds.</a></p><p>The form and function of the sacrum are of great relevance to understand
the evolution of locomotion in tetrapods because it is a key piece of
the vertebrate skeleton. The sacrum connects the caudal and presacral
regions of the vertebral column and the hindlimbs through the pelvis.
Here, we investigate sacrum shape evolution in pinnipeds (Carnivora:
Pinnipedia) in relation to terrestrial mammalian carnivorans
(fissipeds), and we include crown and stem taxa to quantify the
morphological changes they experience in relation to the aquatic
environment they inhabit. We use 3D geometric morphometric methods to
explore the morphological variability and disparity of the sacrum in a
set of terrestrial and aquatic carnivoran species. Our results show that
the morphology of the sacrum of each pinniped family is remarkably
different and that these differences may be related to the aquatic mode
of locomotion (pectoral or pelvic oscillation), the use of hindlimbs to
support body weight on land (otariids in contrast with phocids), and the
presence or absence of a functional tail. In addition,
disparity-through-time analyses indicate that the sacrum of pinnipeds is
less constrained than that of fissipeds, which suggests a gravitational
origin of such constraints in fissipeds. In conclusion, our results
give further support to the important role played by this skeletal
structure in the locomotory adaptations of mammals.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTh_iUKVgwgjWSIO9dQZKI6Y_rS9wJ9JIQpmOl13fu6foRJlMmCJNeGCcdNeSnWSv-R8VEnL5fsZydLSkVi75mfhf-orsmWVM3PqYU6o1Vztu99OjQGxwAWHN0EBdkNx7df2IsNRgMM4UYWunE9Ga3OFub_cbobNKV2TTZd3dLzC51MO2uDE_QDm3tbW0/s1547/Farroni%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="1547" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTh_iUKVgwgjWSIO9dQZKI6Y_rS9wJ9JIQpmOl13fu6foRJlMmCJNeGCcdNeSnWSv-R8VEnL5fsZydLSkVi75mfhf-orsmWVM3PqYU6o1Vztu99OjQGxwAWHN0EBdkNx7df2IsNRgMM4UYWunE9Ga3OFub_cbobNKV2TTZd3dLzC51MO2uDE_QDm3tbW0/w400-h265/Farroni%20et%20al.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08912963.2023.2212385">Farroni et al.: Sedimentological and stratigraphically controlled preservation styles and distribution of<br />fossil cetaceans from a new Early Miocene fossiliferous locality, Patagonia, Argentina.</a></p><p>Prospecting fieldwork in a new fossiliferous locality of the marine
Early Miocene Gaiman Formation (Patagonia, Argentina) results in the
discovery of abundant fossil cetaceans (n = 29). We analyse
stratigraphic, sedimentologic, palaeontologic, and taphonomic data with
the aim of understanding the factors that control the preservation and
distribution of these specimens. The cetacean sample is dominated by
small odontocetes exhibiting five different preservation categories.
Based on sedimentological features, three distinct facies were
recognised in the stratigraphic section. Stratigraphically condensed
deposits of facies C, related to a ravinement surface and subsequent
transgressive deposits, enclose 52% of the specimens, grading from
isolated postcranial elements to articulated and associated postcranial
and cranial elements. In contrast, facies A and B exhibit predominantly
isolated postcranial elements. Facies C shows higher degrees of
corrosion, encrustation and fragmentation than those specimens from
facies A and B, reflecting differences in preservation quality among the
facies. The higher abundance and evidence of long exposure times
recorded for facies C seems to be resulted mostly from physico-chemical
factors after stratigraphic condensation. Finally, intrinsic biological
features and ecological preferences of the specimens could explain the
dominance of small-sized odontocetes in a restricted inner shelf to
lower shoreface environmental setting.</p><p><i>Comments: I really need to read this one, but it was very satisfying to see conceptual figures like the one above like those that I published in my master's thesis on the taphonomy of the Purisima Formation.</i> <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMB1U3EFuV5b-EPgMUn0CkjM6sz55xuHierpku-GwuVrBhHK7k-xvPVe3CMNqaXGyd36qT-TQlLlAYkRwEZsY9fe8qpvVs2fdJ4csYJg79S3iarcOiJ8nZfc1nv05TMBtOQ-y-xnpz-r1wd-p5293D4rEUvLXOjmgE5JLLtm8QyZLS3N-tvQ84ouLZ8a8/s4039/Gaetan%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3525" data-original-width="4039" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMB1U3EFuV5b-EPgMUn0CkjM6sz55xuHierpku-GwuVrBhHK7k-xvPVe3CMNqaXGyd36qT-TQlLlAYkRwEZsY9fe8qpvVs2fdJ4csYJg79S3iarcOiJ8nZfc1nv05TMBtOQ-y-xnpz-r1wd-p5293D4rEUvLXOjmgE5JLLtm8QyZLS3N-tvQ84ouLZ8a8/w400-h349/Gaetan%20et%20al.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2023.2232425">Gaetan et al.: A new squaloziphiid-like odontocete from the Early Miocene of Patagonia expands the<br />cetacean diversity in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. </a><p></p><p>The Early Miocene Gaiman Formation, from Argentina, houses a taxonomic
variety of odontocetes, mainly dominated by platanistoids and
physeteroids. In this work, we describe a new medium-sized odontocete, <i>Crisocetus lydekkeri</i>
gen. et sp. nov., based on a partial skull, which expands the diversity
of odontocetes in the Early Miocene beds of Patagonia (Argentina). The
phylogenetic analyses placed <i>C. lydekkeri</i> within the crown Odontoceti, stemward to delphinidans, ziphiids, and physeteroids. <i>Crisocetus lydekkeri</i> displays a set of characters that are shared with the members of the Squaloziphiidae family (i.e., <i>Squaloziphius emlongi</i> and <i>Yaquinacetus meadi</i>),
such as a massive postglenoid process of the squamosal, ventrally
longer than the posttympanic process and the exoccipital; apex of
postglenoid process anteroposteriorly longer than transversely thick;
presence of a deep emargination by a neck muscle fossa on the posterior
end of the zygomatic process; basioccipital crests forming an angle of
circa 70–90°; and a basioccipital width wider than 51% of the skull
width in ventral view. Thus, we recognize a squaloziphiid-like
morphology shared by <i>C. lydekkeri</i>, <i>S. emlongi</i>, <i>Y. meadi</i>, and even <i>Dolgopolis kinchikafiforo</i>. Our phylogenetic analyses partially support the inclusion of <i>C. lydekkeri</i> within Squaloziphiidae, however this family is recovered with low support. Finally, the presence of <i>C. lydekkeri</i> and even <i>D. kinchikafiforo</i>
in the Early Miocene of Patagonia expands the paleogeographic
distribution of squaloziphiid-like forms to the southwest coast of the
Atlantic Ocean, suggesting that these taxa had an almost antitropical
distribution.</p><p><i>Comments: I really, really wish this specimen had a periotic!</i> <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsirvoB1nFQ6a-aOlVgDV7s7uU_5spQVOAbOhryiApm9M_rZrrbuYzAF09-rhbwKGfF2mXXd1qCVMRKChOGHwqMZTcs9KY7tmxsJuXx8b4B5Pnj3V-sJohI281SP6aMWO0N6rzuqHA349c_yi90F8mk_PjGyqwXfwmxNjhfCYycWsfJq-JPfPu1SMa4D8/s3855/Godfrey%20and%20Lambert.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2548" data-original-width="3855" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsirvoB1nFQ6a-aOlVgDV7s7uU_5spQVOAbOhryiApm9M_rZrrbuYzAF09-rhbwKGfF2mXXd1qCVMRKChOGHwqMZTcs9KY7tmxsJuXx8b4B5Pnj3V-sJohI281SP6aMWO0N6rzuqHA349c_yi90F8mk_PjGyqwXfwmxNjhfCYycWsfJq-JPfPu1SMa4D8/w400-h265/Godfrey%20and%20Lambert.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://scholarlypress.si.edu/store/all/the-geology-and-vertebrate-paleontology-of-calvert-cliffs-maryland-usa-volume-2-turtles-and-toothed-whales/">Godfrey and Lambert: Miocene toothed whales (Odontoceti) from Calvert Cliffs, Atlantic Coastal Plain, USA.</a></p><p>[Abstract for entire Volume] This volume is a follow-on to a work published by Smithsonian
Institution Scholarly Press in 2018 on the Miocene vertebrate fauna from
Calvert Cliffs, Maryland, USA. Two chapters are included in this
compendium, one on turtles (chelonians) and the other on toothed whales
(odontocetes). It is anticipated that at least one more volume will be
needed to complete the taxonomic review. Robert E. Weems details the
occurrence of 19 kinds of chelonians that have been discovered in the
Miocene and Pliocene marine strata of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia,
USA, 13 of them in the Calvert Cliffs. The most commonly found remains
are those of an extinct sea turtle, <i>Trachyaspis lardyi</i>. Remains of four other marine turtles, <i>Procolpochelys grandaeva</i>, <i>Lepidochelys</i> sp., a generically indeterminate cheloniid, and a leatherback turtle (<i>Psephophorus polygonus</i>),
are far less common. The other 14 chelonian taxa are nonmarine forms
that inhabited the land, rivers, and marshes west of the Mid-Atlantic
Seaboard during the Miocene. They were washed into the coastal marine
environments that were then accumulating the sediments exposed today as
the strata in the Calvert Cliffs. Stephen J. Godfrey and Olivier Lambert
review the taxonomically diverse odontocete fauna of 29 named species.
Nine of these Miocene taxa represent newly named species. Fragmentary
remains hint at even greater diversity. Reviewed taxa are restricted to
those known from along the Calvert Cliffs and other Miocene age deposits
on the Atlantic Coastal Plain in Maryland and Virginia, USA. They range
in age from approximately 22 to 8 Ma and derive from the Calvert,
Choptank, and St. Marys Formations. This fauna preserves one of the most
abundant and diverse assemblages of extinct toothed whales known. None
of the named odontocete species included in this review are known from
beyond the North Atlantic Ocean. In terms of their chronostratigraphic
distribution, collectively, they range in age from the Aquitanian
through the Tortonian, with the large majority occurring within the
Burdigalian, Langhian, and Serravallian stages (the latter two being the
most speciose). The greatest taxonomic diversity occurred during the
Middle Miocene Climate Optimum, a time (ca. 17–15 Ma) when global
average temperatures were as much as 4°C to 5°C above today’s average
temperatures, at least for much of that interval. </p><p><i>Comments: Another monumental paper for 2023 on fossil odontocetes! It's been a very good year for odontocetes, with </i>Xenorophus<i>, simocetids, and waipatiids very well represented. This study names a bunch of new taxa, including the new shark-toothed dolphin </i>Squalodon murdochi<i>, the new platanistids </i>Grimadelphis spectorum<i> and </i>Pomatodelphis santamaria<i>, the new kentriodontids </i>Herbeinodelphis nancei<i>, </i>Cammackacetus hazenorum<i>, </i>Pictodelphis kidwellae<i>, </i>Westmorelandelphis tacheroni<i>, the </i>Eoplatanista<i>-like </i>Caolodelphis milleri<i>, and the utterly bizarre </i>Enigmatocetus posidoni<i>. The study also includes a formal revision of Calvert eurhinodelphinids, now identified as </i>Xiphiacetus bossi<i>, </i>Xiphiacetus cristatus<i>, </i>Schizodelphis barnesi<i>, and </i>Schizodelphis morckhoviensis<i>. The kentriodontid dolphin </i>Delphinodon dividum <i>has been redescribed and reassigned to the new genus </i>Brevirostrodelphis<i>, and recombined as </i>Brevirostrodelphis dividum<i>. In a similar vein, Liolithax pappus has been reassigned to the new genus </i>Miminiacetus - and great new specimens are referred to this species<i>. The kentriodontids </i>Hadrodelphis <i>and </i>Macrokentriodon <i>have been re-figured, which is excellent because the original figures are missing some views and the quality of the photographs is not great. Also, new specimens of certain odontocetes include quite a bit more material - including the first periotic for the platanistoid </i>Araeodelphis natator<i>. The periotic of the kentriodontid Lophocetus calvertensis has also been finally figured. Altogether, a phenomenal contribution - this study did stop short of reporting isolated periotics from Calvert Cliffs - which is assuredly a gargantuan task.<br /></i></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8D19PHv2FilrPVv2Toc7Ez6Qgu0DGkNZCOhC803v0XMN41OanBz65SMtKujv2MBBtiOpJF1hJjPjhP5trXq8fNsB_RG640USWfdOeMbnBdGC3jzzWDYtw3g9QM554UnTfZodzUEmJ93f3VLKIAyspMXLYOcsnLzbpQoscLz7lz8FD83vmAeKY1S6TLo/s3215/Govender%20and%20Marx.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="3215" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8D19PHv2FilrPVv2Toc7Ez6Qgu0DGkNZCOhC803v0XMN41OanBz65SMtKujv2MBBtiOpJF1hJjPjhP5trXq8fNsB_RG640USWfdOeMbnBdGC3jzzWDYtw3g9QM554UnTfZodzUEmJ93f3VLKIAyspMXLYOcsnLzbpQoscLz7lz8FD83vmAeKY1S6TLo/w400-h255/Govender%20and%20Marx.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.1058104/full">Govender and Marx: New cetacean fossils from the late Cenozoic of South Africa.</a></p><p>Marine sediments from the western coast of southern Africa record the
origin of the Benguela Upwelling System, one of the most productive in
the world. High productivity, in turn, is reflected in a diverse marine
mammal fossil assemblage, comprising whales, dolphins and a phocid seal.
Here, we describe new records of baleen whale (mysticete) fossils from
the early Pliocene localities of Saldanha Steel, Milnerton and
Langebaanweg, as well as several potentially younger specimens trawled
from offshore sediments. The presence of the extinct rorquals <i>Diunatans</i> and <i>Fragilicetus</i>
suggests biogeographical links with the eastern North Atlantic and,
thus, potentially antitropical population structuring. The trawled
specimens also include rorquals (e.g., the blue whale, <i>Balaenoptera</i> cf. <i>musculus</i>), as well as a right whale (<i>Eubalaena</i>) and a pygmy right whale (<i>Caperea</i>).
The latter is the first fossil of this family every discovered in
Africa, and only the seventh specimen to be reported worldwide.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJ2V8RUxO8vD0JJzIg5QzMnM8BKCRlbPbCsywCvoljCjimdhInq0zxJ5D-u1GzwhItbZk5Ef4Mps7REQb9IDdBNPaiBQ5q2Gc5jQPw7loTthTpg6iq_b_v2QRgFQXZ5Y-oQ2jF0GeaohJRHLF7TBrbjh65c9H0CCEU-tlqjFKc27tXQFo8dNceRFFVwA/s3007/Guo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1886" data-original-width="3007" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJ2V8RUxO8vD0JJzIg5QzMnM8BKCRlbPbCsywCvoljCjimdhInq0zxJ5D-u1GzwhItbZk5Ef4Mps7REQb9IDdBNPaiBQ5q2Gc5jQPw7loTthTpg6iq_b_v2QRgFQXZ5Y-oQ2jF0GeaohJRHLF7TBrbjh65c9H0CCEU-tlqjFKc27tXQFo8dNceRFFVwA/w400-h251/Guo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0280218">Guo and Kohno: An Early Miocene kentriodontoid (Cetacea: Odontoceti)
from the western North Pacific, and its implications for their phylogeny
and paleobiogeography.</a><p></p><p>So–called ‘kentriodontids’ are extinct dolphin–like odontocetes known
from the Early to Late Miocene worldwide. Although recent studies have
proposed that they were monophyletic, their taxonomic relationships
still remain controversial. Such a controversy exists partly because of
the predominance of primitive morphologies in this taxon, but the fact
is that quite a few ‘kentriodontids’ are known only from fragmentary
skulls and/or isolated periotics. A new ‘kentriodontid’ <i>Platysvercus ugonis</i>
gen. et sp. nov. is described based on a nearly complete skull from the
upper Lower Miocene Sugota Formation, Akita Prefecture, northern Japan.
Based on the phylogenetic analysis of <i>P</i>. <i>ugonis</i>
described here, the monophyly of the ‘kentriodontids’ is confirmed, and
it is recognized as the superfamily Kentriodontoidea. This new
superfamily is subdivided into two families as new ranks:
Kentriodontidae and Lophocetidae. Based on the paleobiogeographic
analysis of the Kentriodontoidea, their common ancestor emerged in the
North Pacific Ocean and spread over the Northern Hemisphere. Initial
diversification of the Kentriodontidae in the North Pacific Ocean and
the Lophocetidae in the North Atlantic Ocean was recognized as a
vicariance event. The diversification and extinction of the
Kentriodontoidea could have been synchronously influenced by climate
events during the Middle Miocene.</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEb0N2THzdOuZXFYCi0t595dr9utBJ8yla80VfifHD7Tf9QxrjmJotRLwrh5GyGZClCkLcbaDDUv8aQxPUU9CYWw_ohUuoYgF1Yt0v8OPrYLUxKk5wjU-tmtfbhYwxca1vkvPhc1nZbPdD_f2BasnjPRBxVjk8DlH9iaZpZKSK8EHzk2trkX4d1b7tLAA/s951/Hautier.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="951" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEb0N2THzdOuZXFYCi0t595dr9utBJ8yla80VfifHD7Tf9QxrjmJotRLwrh5GyGZClCkLcbaDDUv8aQxPUU9CYWw_ohUuoYgF1Yt0v8OPrYLUxKk5wjU-tmtfbhYwxca1vkvPhc1nZbPdD_f2BasnjPRBxVjk8DlH9iaZpZKSK8EHzk2trkX4d1b7tLAA/w400-h384/Hautier.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2023.1932">Hautier et al.: From teeth to pad: tooth loss and development of keratinous structures in sirenians.</a><p></p><p>Sirenians are a well-known example of morphological adaptation to a
shallow-water grazing diet characterized by a modified feeding apparatus
and orofacial morphology. Such adaptations were accompanied by an
anterior tooth reduction associated with the development of keratinized
pads, the evolution of which remains elusive. Among sirenians, the
recently extinct Steller's sea cow represents a special case for being
completely toothless. Here, we used μ-CT scans of sirenian crania to
understand how motor-sensor systems associated with tooth innervation
responded to innovations such as keratinized pads and continuous dental
replacement. In addition, we surveyed nine genes associated with dental
reduction for signatures of loss of function. Our results reveal how
patterns of innervation changed with modifications of the dental
formula, especially continuous replacement in manatees. Both our
morphological and genomic data show that dental development was not
completely lost in the edentulous Steller's sea cows. By tracing the
phylogenetic history of tooth innervation, we illustrate the role of
development in promoting the innervation of keratinized pads, similar to
the secondary use of dental canals for innervating neomorphic
keratinized structures in other tetrapod groups.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6XAsRUcZrHuO4eJmaAa6ObVkB7kLQS089qKMvtvmyCAdNtfpys-ODon8Ye4R24XDVG7s5B8XHh7MBJoJ76n1kZpat3UbeZIpz9V1B6zVqk7cQFeVEUx0Z_d8gZwO2hyphenhyphenHuRJgMyOolUwywYE2k1J5sOHXee-KaxTBHfMGaGMNZ9tlu1c_yz0gk-uJkCg/s1772/Helmy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1772" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6XAsRUcZrHuO4eJmaAa6ObVkB7kLQS089qKMvtvmyCAdNtfpys-ODon8Ye4R24XDVG7s5B8XHh7MBJoJ76n1kZpat3UbeZIpz9V1B6zVqk7cQFeVEUx0Z_d8gZwO2hyphenhyphenHuRJgMyOolUwywYE2k1J5sOHXee-KaxTBHfMGaGMNZ9tlu1c_yz0gk-uJkCg/w400-h259/Helmy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00531-023-02304-7">Helmy et al.: Valley of Whales, Fayum oasis, Egypt: an Eocene window in the evolution of Cetaceans.</a></p><p>The present-day Mediterranean Sea is the remnant of the Tethys Ocean a
former tropical body of saltwater that separated the continental blocks
of Laurasia from Gondwana during much of the Mesozoic and early Cenozoic
Era. The Tethys Sea extended far south into Gondwana (i.e., northern
Africa) and gradually retreated north depositing thick layers of
fossiliferous marine sediments (sandstone, limestone and shale) of early
Palaeogene age in the area of northern Egypt. This slow regression
through millions of years created a northward moving shoreline
separating between terrestrial and marine environments. Palaeomagnetic
studies (Lotfy and Van der Voo 2007)
suggest that this retreating shoreline crossed equatorial
palaeo-latitudes in a tropical setting. A plethora of marine
invertebrate and vertebrate faunal remains (including numerous skeletons
of early whales, Fig. 1)
as well as mangrove roots, were deposited in the shallow marine
near-shore sediments at the Valley of Whales (Wadi Al-Hitan) area in the
Western Desert of Egypt. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnnuDPmOT3VPCoJCDhsj5qHC7G7UOhD7ZnQAIhpIFt91MqrLIN4aY3nzWc1pDO8Pz5fGOnlBK0GKTN4LND-MiqxMEnjTSyAHSntcEsvVS-Ha4dLCXNWFV0SPvIPRunLIQl0F1tDxenwog55ENcstU5zKTnb7eLpuCFF-CIVHQa0dL6besat4S4L_6Y_I/s847/van%20den%20Hurk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="622" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnnuDPmOT3VPCoJCDhsj5qHC7G7UOhD7ZnQAIhpIFt91MqrLIN4aY3nzWc1pDO8Pz5fGOnlBK0GKTN4LND-MiqxMEnjTSyAHSntcEsvVS-Ha4dLCXNWFV0SPvIPRunLIQl0F1tDxenwog55ENcstU5zKTnb7eLpuCFF-CIVHQa0dL6besat4S4L_6Y_I/w294-h400/van%20den%20Hurk.jpg" width="294" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.230741">van den Hurk et al.:<span class="crossmark crossmark--mobile citation__top__item"></span> The
prelude to industrial whaling: identifying the targets of ancient
European whaling using zooarchaeology and collagen mass-peptide
fingerprinting.</a></p><p>Taxonomic identification of whale bones found during archaeological
excavations is problematic due to their typically fragmented state. This
difficulty limits understanding of both the past spatio-temporal
distributions of whale populations and of possible early whaling
activities. To overcome this challenge, we performed zooarchaeology by
mass spectrometry on an unprecedented 719 archaeological and
palaeontological specimens of probable whale bone from Atlantic European
contexts, predominantly dating from <i>ca</i> 3500 BCE to the eighteenth century CE. The results show high numbers of Balaenidae (many probably North Atlantic right whale (<i>Eubalaena glacialis</i>)) and grey whale (<i>Eschrichtius robustus</i>)
specimens, two taxa no longer present in the eastern North Atlantic.
This discovery matches expectations regarding the past utilization of
North Atlantic right whales, but was unanticipated for grey whales,
which have hitherto rarely been identified in the European
zooarchaeological record. Many of these specimens derive from contexts
associated with mediaeval cultures frequently linked to whaling: the
Basques, northern Spaniards, Normans, Flemish, Frisians, Anglo-Saxons
and Scandinavians. This association raises the likelihood that early
whaling impacted these taxa, contributing to their extirpation and
extinction. Much lower numbers of other large cetacean taxa were
identified, suggesting that what are now the most depleted whales were
once those most frequently used.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyeMUBRaUz1EogsY4O70O86jfe15Se7UUnTS0JqYtDJuzFHXwGTGGTyscE5k4SJ04Ddl0W1EYuJh7d82vBSySXOMnJd5pAr4_wO1EEelYs_qNV3lnfTyKxNthr2sSSqkUu6eHnms6fooeljo8ZpSNpEGO04k8_uSji1zz87OzijFWOZdfE5ToHNL2pNc/s753/Kampouridis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="753" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyeMUBRaUz1EogsY4O70O86jfe15Se7UUnTS0JqYtDJuzFHXwGTGGTyscE5k4SJ04Ddl0W1EYuJh7d82vBSySXOMnJd5pAr4_wO1EEelYs_qNV3lnfTyKxNthr2sSSqkUu6eHnms6fooeljo8ZpSNpEGO04k8_uSji1zz87OzijFWOZdfE5ToHNL2pNc/w400-h225/Kampouridis.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-95637-0_14">Kampouridis et al.: The Eocene–Oligocene Vertebrate Assemblages of the Fayum Depression, Egypt.</a></p><p>The Fayum has yielded one of the oldest and richest records of fossil
mammals from Africa. Today, the Fayum Depression represents an oasis in
the Western Desert of Egypt, south of Cairo, and contains several
localities that are world renowned for their diverse Eocene to Oligocene
vertebrate assemblages. The fossil sites of the Fayum area have
provided numerous extraordinarily well-preserved vertebrate remains
including complete skulls and partial skeletons of turtles, crocodiles,
birds, and mammals. Thus, the Fayum Depression has shed light onto the
evolution and biogeography of vertebrates during the Paleogene leading
to the establishment of two new orders, several new families and
subfamilies, and numerous new species of mammals. In recent years, these
fossils have provided clues about ecological aspects of some groups
using new methods such as stable isotope analysis and µCT scanning.
Despite the fact that the Fayum Depression represents a historical
excavation site that has been excavated and studied by numerous famous
palaeontologists since the nineteenth century, the area continues to
provide new insights into the evolution of mammals during the Eocene to
Oligocene, greatly improving our understanding of early Cenozoic
vertebrate evolution. This chapter presents a historical review of the
excavations in the Fayum Depression and a taxonomic overview of its
fossil fauna. Special focus was placed on the taxonomy and, where
applicable, ecology of terrestrial mammals from the historical Paleogene
Fayum localities.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rJuOuYbDWt5SjNDVTpYhqXggiGbGh79ANaMGNjc7xCxPUFrENF84w3fmFekF79m5eX4sn-mz-6IbGsiu-PZtk92xNsZSbpc_FbggFr4yiYi1fMMT5yfAAfDHSa1YjWRtDCb4tTOQ2TXW0b58vtTcWAOUwbieGIpnTnO99lCnPBGsCLL34hzyKNW6Ths/s3084/Kimura%20and%20Hasegawa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1983" data-original-width="3084" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rJuOuYbDWt5SjNDVTpYhqXggiGbGh79ANaMGNjc7xCxPUFrENF84w3fmFekF79m5eX4sn-mz-6IbGsiu-PZtk92xNsZSbpc_FbggFr4yiYi1fMMT5yfAAfDHSa1YjWRtDCb4tTOQ2TXW0b58vtTcWAOUwbieGIpnTnO99lCnPBGsCLL34hzyKNW6Ths/w400-h258/Kimura%20and%20Hasegawa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Kimura and Hasegawa: Additional rostrum fragments of the holotype of <i>Miophyseter chitaensis</i>. <p></p><p><a href="https://www.gmnh.pref.gunma.jp/research/report_rese/">Note: the original Bulletin of the Gunma Museum of Natural History directory now seems to be missing from the GMNH website - though I cannot read any Japanese, the website has changed and I can't see an obvious link to it.</a></p><p><i>Miophyseter chitaensis</i> is a primitive physeteroid, which were found from the lower Miocene Morozaki<br />Group, central Japan. Kimura and Hasegawa(2022)described the cranium of the holotype (TMNH10785) which lacks most of the rostrum. In this short note, we describe three additional fragments of the rostrum of TMNH10785. The rostrum fragments were found from the matrix of the holotype of <i>M. chitaensis. </i>One of the fragments perfectly fits the already described rostrum fragment of the holotype, clearly suggesting that the fragments originated from the same individual of TMNH10785. An additional part of the rostrum fragments clearly suggests that M. chitaensis had a bottleneck-shaped rostrum. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTajQZVuuJ1pihKOzFAvOAyhSoJCGflZajowTNnKImTJ00dgKWzSXCk1fNFE3ZkTaKsRnoEd1RjZVGH-Uv2MLE0yRERYla20L8Cptto9dVhLrVoHodknHEXaGlaYq9bPqTXxJKpJyM8E0l4Kf4zrRl8NdJbbpVBeVKrSN0_bd5exR-YHB_PBecqjM4V-s/s818/Kimura%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="818" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTajQZVuuJ1pihKOzFAvOAyhSoJCGflZajowTNnKImTJ00dgKWzSXCk1fNFE3ZkTaKsRnoEd1RjZVGH-Uv2MLE0yRERYla20L8Cptto9dVhLrVoHodknHEXaGlaYq9bPqTXxJKpJyM8E0l4Kf4zrRl8NdJbbpVBeVKrSN0_bd5exR-YHB_PBecqjM4V-s/w400-h351/Kimura%20et%20al.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/kaseki/114/0/114_37/_article/-char/en">Kimura et al.: A new Pleistocene physeterid specimen from the Kazusa Group in the western part of Kanto Plain and a review of the fossil cetaceans from the Pleistocene of Japan.</a></p><p>This study describes a previously undescribed fossil physeterid from the
Pleistocene of Tokyo. This fossil physeterid was recovered from the
Early Pleistocene, Fukushima Formation (ca. 1.60‒1.77 Ma), Kazusa Group
in 1971 and has long been known as “Hino Kujira” without detailed
descriptions. The specimen consists of fragments of the left maxilla,
and we estimate the original size of the maxilla can reach at least 3 m
long, suggesting an individual at least 11.5 m long. The maxilla is
dorsoventrally thick (eroded, but at least 188 mm), and such a thick
maxilla clearly differs from that of mysticetes but is similar to that
of the modern sperm whale, <i>Physeter macrocephalus</i>. In addition,
the average size of each pore on the spongy bone under the compact bone
layer is prominent (10 to 15 mm in diameter), consistent with the
macroporous structure of the maxilla of modern <i>Physeter macrocephalus</i>. We then provisionally make the taxonomic assignment of this Pleistocene specimen as <i>Physeter</i>
sp. Besides, we review seventy-three documented fossil cetaceans from
the Pleistocene of Japan, suggesting that the known paleodiversity of
the Japanese Pleistocene cetaceans (12 genera) is much lower than that
of modern composition (26 genera). This evident discrepancy likely
results from the research effort that currently only produces an
inadequately known fossil record of cetaceans. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjksM_mvvHMy1zZN4GFB_l7BZL-tbJoN38wpN8bJWW2RlId09leSSk9WDnOJBS43BPXR92eVUw_CwV7LghHHyaIJF8kCjF9H3XGn9Yip8jh7pc06MzDg7fN7vlBIdHB_rlWZgGNYBRKJY9mmYpOoGRa6udVNgm-KZKbibSLmuQD6O5-W-Brh4IXUZhnVZE/s1417/Kuma%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1417" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjksM_mvvHMy1zZN4GFB_l7BZL-tbJoN38wpN8bJWW2RlId09leSSk9WDnOJBS43BPXR92eVUw_CwV7LghHHyaIJF8kCjF9H3XGn9Yip8jh7pc06MzDg7fN7vlBIdHB_rlWZgGNYBRKJY9mmYpOoGRa6udVNgm-KZKbibSLmuQD6O5-W-Brh4IXUZhnVZE/w400-h225/Kuma%20et%20al.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/geosoc/129/1/129_2022.0050/_article/-char/ja/">Kuma et al.: The formation conditions of gigantic dolomite concretions including whale bones exposed in Unosaki coast, Oga peninsula, Japan.</a></p><p>Carbonate concretions occur in sedimentary rocks of widely varying
geological ages throughout the world. Recently, more than 100 gigantic
carbonate concretions with diameters ranging from 1 to 9 m have been
identified along the Unosaki coast of Oga Peninsula, Akita Prefecture,
Japan. The formation process of such gigantic concretions, some of which
along the Unosaki coast contain whale bones, remains uncertain. A
mineral composition analysis reveals that the major mineral of the
concretions is dolomite. Considering the location of dolomite
precipitation, their composition implies that the concretions were
formed in a reducing environment in which sulfate ions were removed.
Stable carbon and oxygen isotopic analysis reveals that the CaCO3 of
whale bone and concretions contains light δ13C and heavy δ18O,
suggesting that whale organic matter contributed to the formation of the
concretions. The gigantic carbonate concretions were presumably formed
by the accumulation and burial of whale carcasses with high
sedimentation rates, and subsequent reaction of carbon decomposed by
benthic and microbial activity with seawater.</p><p><i>Remarks: I can't read the majority of this article, but I will note that there are large dolomitic whale-bearing concretions in the Purisima Formation at Point Reyes (Marin County) - sometimes these concretions are up to about 5 meters across. Dick Hilton described to me a visit he took to the beach there (sometime in the 1960s I believe) after a large storm had stripped off much of the sand, and there was a 5-6 meter wide donut-shaped concretion with a baleen whale skeleton, that had been preserved in a C-shape.</i><br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZp0QrY9IMXqhCmF9K_EfqK5_0FLHGJfxpXfkYZA1mmJzFwArDabcPlKeFsyMlshW3tPI_jMIKu345MosUUrlBAJRsj7ik9p9hek4aERdG5XJHZwnGXyA_hPByJFGYtZcYfRP6MdWrJwV8XFss4LGOeUaoKD5v06sU7qnWJqmK1QwC6Pdpa_ert3SU9Jc/s3663/Lambert%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2757" data-original-width="3663" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZp0QrY9IMXqhCmF9K_EfqK5_0FLHGJfxpXfkYZA1mmJzFwArDabcPlKeFsyMlshW3tPI_jMIKu345MosUUrlBAJRsj7ik9p9hek4aERdG5XJHZwnGXyA_hPByJFGYtZcYfRP6MdWrJwV8XFss4LGOeUaoKD5v06sU7qnWJqmK1QwC6Pdpa_ert3SU9Jc/w400-h301/Lambert%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://popups.uliege.be/1374-8505/index.php?id=7109&lang=en">Lambert et al.: Past beaked whale diversity in the North Sea: reappraisal through a new Miocene record<br />and biostratigraphic analyses.</a></p><p>Extant beaked whales (family Ziphiidae) are deep diving suction feeders
and none of them can be considered as a permanent resident of the
shallow southern North Sea. The rich fossil record of ziphiids from
Neogene deposits of this area is thus surprising. However,
chronostratigraphic intervals of most recorded taxa remain poorly
constrained, preventing from assessing the evolution of their local
diversity. In this work, we describe a new ziphiid cranium from the
Neogene of Antwerp (north of Belgium), which is attributed to <i>Caviziphius</i> aff. <i>C. altirostris</i>.
Sediment samples were extracted from 15 fossil ziphiid cranial remains
from this area (including the one described herein), referred to eight
species. The samples were analysed for their palynological content,
leading to improved chronostratigraphic ranges for several species.
Seven to eight ziphiid species from the southern North Sea, all from the
<i>Messapicetus</i> clade, are proposed to originate from a
Serravallian to Tortonian (late Middle to early Late Miocene) interval,
and three to six more precisely from the mid- to late Tortonian. Added
to the fossil record of other regions, these results point to a Late
Miocene radiation of members of the <i>Messapicetus</i> clade, possibly related to the synchronous worldwide decline of several hyper-longirostrine dolphin clades.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXeBazhFMcdlfPwdRLgyWekYYooNpFEUnz_pjRURzbj7ypDxivEIn9yEuQeEHxFxO4TRhwbWiSRUAkpewMlJ2JS8ul7IbhIqiYcaCHh5luEplSHZd74TDV6iQJGKCcBWOhNBh8UGNwB1LpFAb3nT0ZmFg0aESxiB8b6GZ90C6FFvFAaXd-n8TYRlT4ug/s1516/Lambert%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="1516" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXeBazhFMcdlfPwdRLgyWekYYooNpFEUnz_pjRURzbj7ypDxivEIn9yEuQeEHxFxO4TRhwbWiSRUAkpewMlJ2JS8ul7IbhIqiYcaCHh5luEplSHZd74TDV6iQJGKCcBWOhNBh8UGNwB1LpFAb3nT0ZmFg0aESxiB8b6GZ90C6FFvFAaXd-n8TYRlT4ug/w400-h234/Lambert%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://sciencepress.mnhn.fr/en/periodiques/geodiversitas/45/22">Lambert et al.: A new platyrostrine sperm whale from the Early Miocene of the southeastern Pacific (East Pisco Basin, Peru) supports affinities with the southwestern Atlantic cetacean fauna.</a><p></p><p>Contrasting with their suction feeding modern relatives in the families
Kogiidae and Physeteridae, Miocene physeteroids display a broad range of
feeding strategies. Despite the continuous improvements of the fossil
record, the transition from the earliest sperm whales to suction feeding
forms as well as the once prominent macroraptorial forms remains poorly
understood. In the present work, we investigate a partial sperm whale
skull from Lower Miocene (Burdigalian) strata of the Chilcatay Formation
of the East Pisco Basin, along the southern coast of Peru. Based on
this specimen, we describe a new species in the genus <i>Diaphorocetus</i> Ameghino, 1894, which was previously known only by the holotype of <i>Diaphorocetus poucheti</i>
(Moreno, 1892) from a roughly synchronous unit in Patagonia
(Argentina). Differing from the latter in its smaller cranial
dimensions, higher tooth count, and minor differences in the position of
facial foramina, the new species <i>Diaphorocetus</i> <i>ortegai</i> n. sp. confirms a key character of <i>D. poucheti</i>,
the marked dorsoventral flattening of the maxillary portion of the
rostrum. Such cranial proportions suggest that, compared to other
physeteroids, <i>D.</i> <i>poucheti</i> and <i>D. ortegai</i> n. sp.
were more efficient at performing fast lateral sweeps of their rostra to
capture small- to medium-sized prey items with their proportionally
small teeth. Recovered as stem physeteroids in our phylogenetic
analysis, these sister species contribute to the ecomorphological
disparity of sperm whales during the Early Miocene, but without
displaying any of the cranial and dental changes occurring in later,
macroraptorial and suction feeding sperm whales. The description of a
new species of <i>Diaphorocetus</i> from southern Peru increases the
similarities between the toothed whale faunas from the local Chilcatay
Formation and the Gaiman and Monte Leon formations of Argentinian
Patagonia, pointing not only to dispersal routes between the
southeastern Pacific and southwestern Atlantic during the Burdigalian,
but also to relatively similar ecological settings along the coasts of
Peru and Patagonia at that time.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdONRy4GS1ajxs31tjnKmjLsDnvkOsJcQgVX_zUFKX4KYiufAh5zp1uBcTb8-oIO-L6IYawk-uTfL_q6YifIn9zj7J95fdTaVPsKrGNnuru-tsRmCSUJGJwKNQzNcf8dIa7_WEO4G7YC13uOB6eFVbsxJNlRl31apsHJuYvriRRTpzeArSMVpyfgM8_s/s1900/Lambert%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="1900" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdONRy4GS1ajxs31tjnKmjLsDnvkOsJcQgVX_zUFKX4KYiufAh5zp1uBcTb8-oIO-L6IYawk-uTfL_q6YifIn9zj7J95fdTaVPsKrGNnuru-tsRmCSUJGJwKNQzNcf8dIa7_WEO4G7YC13uOB6eFVbsxJNlRl31apsHJuYvriRRTpzeArSMVpyfgM8_s/w400-h219/Lambert%203.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2022.2077645">Lambert et al.: First eurhinodelphinid dolphin from the Paratethys reveals a new family of specialised echolocators.</a><br /><p></p><p>Eurhinodelphinids are a family of extremely long-snouted dolphins that
once was widespread across the North Atlantic realm, but so far has not
been recorded from the epicontinental Paratethys Sea. Here, we describe a
new specimen of <i>Xiphiacetus cristatus</i>, including the cranium,
left ear bones and a partial mandible, from the Middle Miocene
(Badenian) of Austria. Our new fossil is the first record of this
species outside the North Atlantic proper, and the first unequivocal
record of eurhinodelphinids from the Paratethys. Its presence suggests a
local invasion via the Mediterranean, and corroborates the persistence
of an active marine gateway between the Mediterranean and the Central
Paratethys throughout the Middle Miocene. Measurements of the bony
labyrinth reveal that <i>X. cristatus</i> likely employed narrow-band
high-frequency echolocation, making eurhinodelphinids only the second
extinct odontocete family with this trait. Marked non-orthogonality of
the semicircular canals suggests that <i>X. cristatus</i> was unsuited to rapid head movements, and thus more likely a benthic forager than a snap feeder.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoS0HzOTJiu6ENs7eHa1I-3sGK7ht8jcG5hG6wZuOVhfkSl4lKg_mjSmQ7j16dEMsS-exTL97Qtbam2aYxjgZHdVDaA0kZQMBeeUKKeTKIJJi7ns-m2ID6lBeDTpLeBwDF5Nx9kqKxabvuHtfgVHTyRnlkhSmsQsBR3_hGvQdIHrj8GmU-gefIsfFeUE8/s1895/Leon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1895" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoS0HzOTJiu6ENs7eHa1I-3sGK7ht8jcG5hG6wZuOVhfkSl4lKg_mjSmQ7j16dEMsS-exTL97Qtbam2aYxjgZHdVDaA0kZQMBeeUKKeTKIJJi7ns-m2ID6lBeDTpLeBwDF5Nx9kqKxabvuHtfgVHTyRnlkhSmsQsBR3_hGvQdIHrj8GmU-gefIsfFeUE8/w400-h223/Leon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0895981123002444">Leon et al.: <span class="title-text">New fossil Cetaceans from the Middle Miocene of Cuba.</span></a><p></p><div id="abssec0010"><p id="abspara0010"><span><span>Remains of cetaceans, particularly odontocetes, are scarce in the Cuban fossil record. Here we describe the second odontocete<span> (toothed whale) record from the Neogene of Cuba and extends the temporal distribution of this group in the Insular Caribbean into the Middle </span></span>Miocene.
This account is based on two isolated teeth found in limestones of the
Güines Formation that crop out in a quarry near the town of Guanábana,
Matanzas City, northwestern Cuba. The specimens are referred to the
superfamily Physeteroidea </span><i>incertae sedis</i><span>. These findings, along with other fossils<span> recovered from other Early and Middle Miocene
localities in the region support the hypothesis of a complex, diverse
marine vertebrate fauna on the formerly called “Habana-Matanzas channel”
and circum-Cuban waters during the Neogene.</span></span></p><p id="abspara0010"><span><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXBcHXVViBf4RHmjeLJUzUdU2eE4V5vgifa-vzrxshOPMFpT5FLTCWtxvrD2Z5tlu_DkW6RosY_6ShbtqiZCLezm93BA1fdxO_W6UYbSyP9aNazpJL6PyfugSy8ZrCMDhIdhvCwplE6KJ-cHtfSypPk8q9I4ioG4DuLjY4CtKKhuL29oc9cR-HohZMeE/s2199/Lyras.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2199" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXBcHXVViBf4RHmjeLJUzUdU2eE4V5vgifa-vzrxshOPMFpT5FLTCWtxvrD2Z5tlu_DkW6RosY_6ShbtqiZCLezm93BA1fdxO_W6UYbSyP9aNazpJL6PyfugSy8ZrCMDhIdhvCwplE6KJ-cHtfSypPk8q9I4ioG4DuLjY4CtKKhuL29oc9cR-HohZMeE/w364-h400/Lyras.jpg" width="364" /></a></div> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-05135-z"><span><span>Lyras et al.: </span></span>Fossil brains provide evidence of underwater feeding in early seals.</a><p></p><p id="abspara0010">Pinnipeds (seals and related species) use their whiskers to explore
their environment and locate their prey. Today they live mostly in
marine habitats and are adapted for a highly specialised amphibious
lifestyle with their flippers for locomotion and a hydrodynamically
streamlined body. The earliest pinnipeds, however, lived on land and in
freshwater habitats, much like mustelids today. Here we reconstruct the
underwater foraging behaviour of one of these earliest pinnipeds (<i>Potamotherium</i>),
focusing in particular on how it used its whiskers (vibrissae). For
this purpose, we analyse the coronal gyrus of the brain of 7 fossil and
31 extant carnivorans. This region receives somatosensory input from the
head. Our results show that the reliance on whiskers in modern
pinnipeds is an ancestral feature that favoured survival of stem
pinnipeds in marine habitats. This study provides insights into an
impressive ecological transition in carnivoran evolution: from
terrestrial to amphibious marine species. Adaptations for underwater
foraging were crucial for this transition.</p><p id="abspara0010"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5JF374D9NPvGFNiTnQ5_YQ0K2_03ZB5ygLKoEYI0Wx4kRPo3zRRlzlFqNbPhRyyn9ZLPlLDBwKSmQtViu_uN3UblOBm64GKTXnHYUZNAjtzlGhX7FSQMqRWOSB7rFnSKTX2IYPoLvMrTBJJyX8IoXmd_Wt_ujVm_hjB6wfT57_XLJL_cu2Rdy1OtmoY/s2050/Marini.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2050" data-original-width="1980" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5JF374D9NPvGFNiTnQ5_YQ0K2_03ZB5ygLKoEYI0Wx4kRPo3zRRlzlFqNbPhRyyn9ZLPlLDBwKSmQtViu_uN3UblOBm64GKTXnHYUZNAjtzlGhX7FSQMqRWOSB7rFnSKTX2IYPoLvMrTBJJyX8IoXmd_Wt_ujVm_hjB6wfT57_XLJL_cu2Rdy1OtmoY/w386-h400/Marini.jpg" width="386" /></a></div><p></p><p id="abspara0010"><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/11/2/455">Marini et al.: Age and Depositional Environment of Whale-Bearing Sedimentary Succession from the Lower Pliocene of Tuscany (Italy): Insights from Palaeomagnetism, Calcareous Microfossils and Facies Analyses.</a></p><p id="abspara0010">A c. 31 m thick section straddling the fossil find of an Early Pliocene
baleen whale (“Brunella”, hereafter), made in 2007 in the sedimentary
fill of the Middle Ombrone Basin of Tuscany, is investigated for
depositional age and environment combining palaeomagnetic,
micropalaeontological (Foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils) and
sedimentary facies analyses. Resting unconformably onto Late Miocene
continental deposits, the Early Pliocene marine deposits include, from
bottom to top, a coarse-grained wave-winnowing lag, the few metres-thick
fossiliferous sandstone bedset from which Brunella was unearthed, and
several metres of clays. The stratigraphic organisation of these
deposits indicate deposition in a deepening upward inner shelf
environment. Successful isolation of characteristic remanent
magnetisation and calcareous nannofossil content indicate the
investigated marine section was deposited during the interval of
polarity Chron C3n.2n corresponding to the basal part of the
Mediterranean nannofossil zone MNN13 (between <i><span class="html-italic">Helicosphaera sellii</span> </i>Base common and the <span class="html-italic">Amaurolithus primus</span>
Top) and allow estimating the depositional age of Brunella to c. 4.6
Ma. Sedimentary facies, benthic Foraminifera association and anisotropy
of magnetic susceptibility characterising the deposits that embedded
Brunella suggest deposition above the fair-weather base level.</p><p id="abspara0010"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoE078RdLaSGKHigUeV6M9-S-1CTPzGEYkzpNNVfVWe_750nsH77sk-05mSPlaGvi8r_7LRd2h9p8Q6JNdclzdGatsGpwR5UwLQjsOwTDZ9iizWpcimYpxROIRT7yXB40fMskrLswc5u8WEKYDVvV9RuoYTplo-iTkey2ZI0Xs5W1JiP7CJ_Vej8xW1s/s2187/Marx%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2187" data-original-width="2032" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoE078RdLaSGKHigUeV6M9-S-1CTPzGEYkzpNNVfVWe_750nsH77sk-05mSPlaGvi8r_7LRd2h9p8Q6JNdclzdGatsGpwR5UwLQjsOwTDZ9iizWpcimYpxROIRT7yXB40fMskrLswc5u8WEKYDVvV9RuoYTplo-iTkey2ZI0Xs5W1JiP7CJ_Vej8xW1s/w371-h400/Marx%201.jpg" width="371" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10914-022-09645-1">Marx et al.: Suction causes novel tooth wear in marine mammals, with implications for feeding evolution in baleen whales.</a><p></p><p id="abspara0010">Teeth are the primary tool used by most mammals to capture and process
food. Over the lifetime of an individual, they progressively wear
through contact with each other (attrition) and with food (abrasion),
creating distinctive patterns that reflect function and diet. Unlike
their terrestrial cousins, many marine mammals capture prey via suction,
which so far has not been associated with a specific wear pattern.
Here, we describe two new types of tooth wear across 18 species of
modern marine mammal (beaked whales, belugas, killer whales,
globicephalines, and various seals) that likely stem from this
behaviour: “glossowear”, which primarily affects the lingual side of the
crown and plausibly records piston-like tongue movements during suction
feeding; and “hydrowear”, which wraps around the sides of the crown and
occurs as water is expelled from the mouth. Both wear types differ from
attrition and biting-related abrasion in their surface characteristics
and location on the crown. Horizontal scratches suggest a physical wear
process, rather than dental erosion (acid corrosion) and tooth
abfraction (microfracture). Since suction specifically exploits the
liquid properties of water, physical evidence of this behaviour may help
to elucidate marine mammal feeding ecology and evolution. For example,
glossowear is found in the toothed ancestors of baleen whales
(mammalodontids, at least one aetiocetid, and likely <i>Mystacodon</i>),
where it suggests an important role for suction in the emergence of
filter feeding. By contrast, it is absent in most long-snouted toothed
whales and dolphins, indicating that these animals mostly bite, rather
than suck in, their prey.</p><p id="abspara0010"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqNMXquvfyKUC_GJP3kRl-otY0odwwOOSGAM-E-qfRgUWU-N9NsSK6C95mKeIQWSIxGGudG8RfpO6K4Ku78MSvw5jawq7gqUVaaX-fswlNXI9yujr3qcoL4yDD9wthQE3viTBTZbkxb6lDoT4W5bbHByIclV2j2lQ0j8BtxyjhgrPTbNExP0zLppkqqjA/s1460/Marx%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1460" data-original-width="1340" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqNMXquvfyKUC_GJP3kRl-otY0odwwOOSGAM-E-qfRgUWU-N9NsSK6C95mKeIQWSIxGGudG8RfpO6K4Ku78MSvw5jawq7gqUVaaX-fswlNXI9yujr3qcoL4yDD9wthQE3viTBTZbkxb6lDoT4W5bbHByIclV2j2lQ0j8BtxyjhgrPTbNExP0zLppkqqjA/w368-h400/Marx%202.jpg" width="368" /></a></div><p></p><p id="abspara0010"><a href="https://niwa.co.nz/biodiversity-memoir-136-the-marine-biota-of-aotearoa-new-zealand">Marx et al.: Kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Mammalia (marine mammals). [In The Marine Biota of Aotearoa New Zealand. Updating our marine biodiversity inventory].</a><br /></p><p id="abspara0010"><span><span> Aotearoa New Zealand today is home to nine extant species of pinniped (seals and sea lions) and 45 cetaceans (whales and dolphins), many of which are globally rare (Table 25.1; Figs 25.1, 25.2). This is slightly more than the eight pinnipeds and 43 cetaceans listed in King et al. (2009), with new discoveries like Ramari’s beaked whale, Mesoplodon eueu Carroll et al., 2021, continuing to add to this diverse local fauna. New Zealand’s marine mammal fossil assemblage is equally rich and has increased by twelve species since King et al. (2009), with a further four having been reassigned to new genera. There is enormous potential for further fossil discoveries, with research so far having focused largely on the upper Oligocene (28–23 million years ago) of the southeastern South Island. The lists of New Zealand extant and fossil marine mammals reported by King et al. (2009) are reviewed here, and updated checklists are provided.</span></span></p><p id="abspara0010"><span><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_0n-i4qJfeGWoLcWC1iDVEXAVuEVo5GxIaHZfe7_pUl3ZjqFFhHitWaedKSk4rU7Y-Sydk6yrwnXmuxUcz2pUdura-h9cKmL2Q5U0kdFI2Eo5g4wZdNhJVZbH7xIIc-sUCP_KCUWyv-wDtWnDhM7zINhlCbhrZ86tJgeJqoCBe3_2AZLVb-_OnrS3hg/s1121/Matsui%20and%20Pyenson.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="1121" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_0n-i4qJfeGWoLcWC1iDVEXAVuEVo5GxIaHZfe7_pUl3ZjqFFhHitWaedKSk4rU7Y-Sydk6yrwnXmuxUcz2pUdura-h9cKmL2Q5U0kdFI2Eo5g4wZdNhJVZbH7xIIc-sUCP_KCUWyv-wDtWnDhM7zINhlCbhrZ86tJgeJqoCBe3_2AZLVb-_OnrS3hg/w400-h204/Matsui%20and%20Pyenson.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p></div><p><a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.221648"><span class="title-text">Matsui and Pyenson:</span> New evidence for the antiquity of <i>Desmostylus</i> (Desmostylia) from the Skooner Gulch Formation of California.</a></p><p><i>Desmostylus</i> is an extinct marine mammal genus that belongs to
Desmostylia, a clade of extinct herbivorous mammals. While desmostylian
remains are widely reported from Paleogene and Neogene marine strata of
the North Pacific Rim, occurrences of the genus <i>Desmostylus</i> are almost entirely limited to middle Miocene strata, with only a few early Miocene records from Japan. Here we report a <i>Desmostylus</i>
tooth from the earliest Miocene (Aquitanian) Skooner Gulch Formation in
northern California, USA. This specimen exhibits cuspules around the
crown, a primitive trait of the subfamily Desmostylidae, as seen in more
basal branching desmostylid taxa such as <i>Cornwallius</i> and <i>Ounalashkastylus</i>,
but with a high tooth crown and thickened enamel. The specimen is also
diagnostically different from all other desmostylid genera, such as <i>Cornwallius,</i> and <i>Ounalashklastylus</i>. The Aquitanian age of the Skooner Gulch Formation implies that the distinctive tooth morphology of <i>Desmostylus</i>
has persisted, largely unchanged, for more than 15 million years and
that desmostylids possibly originated in western North America.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHxs0sGT4fwtulBksw46Ua9wHko7eV27OyUbe_xwagO4HNj1NtgTRNgBy6xf0Z789xRROB8LMebFsj_4o6kiJDD9lzrF7VHydnM6hN8PdRYkBQg1NfKsyl4wWJJnGEGsbr9bJF15uzrQ4y3IzebCLZpjXcYExtkTRSOD9QzmIv4fNAwecZ2WYV8Fy2kE/s800/McMillan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="800" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHxs0sGT4fwtulBksw46Ua9wHko7eV27OyUbe_xwagO4HNj1NtgTRNgBy6xf0Z789xRROB8LMebFsj_4o6kiJDD9lzrF7VHydnM6hN8PdRYkBQg1NfKsyl4wWJJnGEGsbr9bJF15uzrQ4y3IzebCLZpjXcYExtkTRSOD9QzmIv4fNAwecZ2WYV8Fy2kE/w400-h221/McMillan.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/esh/article-abstract/42/1/84/492538/ALBERT-KOCH-S-HYDRARCHOS-A-HOAX-OR-A-BONA-FIDE?redirectedFrom=fulltext">McMillan: Albert Koch's <i>Hydrarchos</i>: a hoax or a bona fide collection of bones.</a><br /></p><p>This is the second essay of a two-part series on the life and collecting
activities of Albert Koch. After Koch traveled to England where he sold
his Missourium to the British Museum, the American mastodon that now
stands in the Natural History Museum of London, he then went to his
homeland in Germany. Koch left his family in Dresden, when he again
departed for the United States to pursue some additional paleontological
adventures. Following several weeks of travel, he arrived in Alabama
where he excavated the remains of a large, archaeocete whale, that he
named the <i>Hydrarchos</i>. Koch displayed the skeleton in New York,
and several other eastern cities before taking it to Europe. When in
Berlin, Koch was able to sell the skeleton to King Friedrich Wilhelm IV
of Prussia who placed it in the Royal Museum. Soon thereafter, Koch
returned to the United States and Alabama to discover a second whale
skeleton. He took this skeleton to Europe where it was exhibited in
several cities but, having received no offers, Koch returned with his
second <i>Hydrarchos</i> to the United States where it was initially
displayed in New Orleans, then St. Louis, and eventually Chicago. In his
later years, Koch turned his attention to the Academy of Science of St.
Louis where he became an active member and curator, as well as a
prospector for minerals. This essay examines the final chapters of
Koch’s life and his entrepreneurial showmanship tendencies <i>versus</i> contributions he may have made to science. This narrative is a sequel to an article published in Volume 41 Number 2 of <i>Earth Sciences History</i> that focused on Albert Koch’s Missourium. Together, the two essays capture the life and career of Albert C. Koch.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HdIPsJBQwbtJlveqDiBvNYEtq2FHEY4TrmHPT_8evBt-ormkXCs_9-qYPwpIBPfwL3Nibro5SPq4OVyAJayg1kx6YbiIE0tORfhwrzlBJva2u97frDDGsdXd_Pv9sWo7Auf0RkKawliGzcVt_YDRLbg6Otn2Mu6Px0233tO2kkbUeQbY9XGerPqgsk4/s979/Merella%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="979" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HdIPsJBQwbtJlveqDiBvNYEtq2FHEY4TrmHPT_8evBt-ormkXCs_9-qYPwpIBPfwL3Nibro5SPq4OVyAJayg1kx6YbiIE0tORfhwrzlBJva2u97frDDGsdXd_Pv9sWo7Auf0RkKawliGzcVt_YDRLbg6Otn2Mu6Px0233tO2kkbUeQbY9XGerPqgsk4/w400-h296/Merella%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/6/10/353">Merella et al.: Structured-Light 3D Scanning as a Tool for Creating a Digital Collection of Modern and Fossil Cetacean Skeletons (Natural History Museum, University of Pisa).</a><p></p><p>The Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa hosts one of the
most important osteological collections of cetaceans all over Europe, as
well as a conspicuous paleontological collection, including several
holotypes of Archaeoceti (archaic whales), Mysticeti (baleen whales),
and Odontoceti (toothed whales). In order to valorize these collections,
we used 3D technologies to digitize the most relevant specimens, create
an online archive, and make the resulting models accessible and
shareable with the broadest audience possible through social media
profiles and internet browsers. Tens of specimens were surface-scanned
using a structured-light scanner, and the resulting 3D models were
processed for post-production through the 3D software Blender whenever
necessary. All the 3D scans were then gathered in the online repository
Sketchfab, which was chosen for its user-friendly interface and common
usage among museum institutions. The result is a web page that hosts 35
surface scans of extant and extinct cetacean specimens. This Sketchfab
account was linked to the social media (Facebook and Instagram) profiles
of the MSNUP to increase the visibility of the museum and promote the
dissemination of its outstanding collections of modern and fossil
cetaceans. The preliminary results of such an effort are encouraging in
terms of views and online interactions. Hopefully, this effort of
digitization and online archiving will soon extend to other vertebrate
collections.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLic3KD3qFYPsm8g6pazKGfV_abmtEaaVzA9BssygM5vbuoZuOu8oH-w4k-vRhPpP1R6emP3ib2vNfB0l0d7RWjoXFGPQJXUdpDaf2qhojHJ94bU01vPhUAWE8fa2LId2NseToowwlWI-UjfcyoXTeFwZfZxVv_NQ-kcLw9STnulWzqXMJQawdiYyrm9c/s693/Merella%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="693" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLic3KD3qFYPsm8g6pazKGfV_abmtEaaVzA9BssygM5vbuoZuOu8oH-w4k-vRhPpP1R6emP3ib2vNfB0l0d7RWjoXFGPQJXUdpDaf2qhojHJ94bU01vPhUAWE8fa2LId2NseToowwlWI-UjfcyoXTeFwZfZxVv_NQ-kcLw9STnulWzqXMJQawdiYyrm9c/w400-h374/Merella%202.jpg" width="400" /></a> <br /></div><p></p><p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12371-023-00838-5">Merella et al.: Pliocene
Geotourism: Innovative Projects for Valorizing the Paleontological
Heritage of Three Different-Staged Quarries of Tuscany (Central Italy)</a></p><p> </p><p>Quarries are areas of pivotal importance for investigation,
popularization, and educational purposes in the field of geosciences.
Here, we focus on three quarries of Tuscany (La Serra, Arcille, and
Certaldo) that have been home to significant finds of marine vertebrate
fossils. The three selected localities are representative of the many
active (La Serra), inactive (Arcille), and abandoned (Certaldo) Tuscan
quarries where vertebrate-bearing Pliocene deposits are exposed. Given
the richness and scientific value of their paleontological content
(including holotypes as well as otherwise unique specimens), the
abundance of exposed sedimentary structures, and the high potential for
open-air musealization, the La Serra, Arcille, and Certaldo quarries
should be regarded as geosites. These quarries are thoroughly described,
and several suggestions for their preservation and valorization are
proposed, focusing on their importance for geotourism, with the goal of
reaching out to the broadest audience possible. Many innovative
dissemination tools, including 3D technologies, are now available for
pursuing such an aim.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpyJrZd5GT8tAJHhmfTixgfIuhiUMLJZWG10rIQDV668lP1LH0dfQYcV2Rz_GtXU6xeAwLqNRCooz6XdXYjzMbbSNQgXooXYfc6nfXi8IfySvZ-ar0LW5IZlR-s43_vI711EjBLeVohyJEV5skAGhKa_g0mhsvqknAfGoRyn3JEz-jzbXA8UXmflXcDo/s554/Paces.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="553" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpyJrZd5GT8tAJHhmfTixgfIuhiUMLJZWG10rIQDV668lP1LH0dfQYcV2Rz_GtXU6xeAwLqNRCooz6XdXYjzMbbSNQgXooXYfc6nfXi8IfySvZ-ar0LW5IZlR-s43_vI711EjBLeVohyJEV5skAGhKa_g0mhsvqknAfGoRyn3JEz-jzbXA8UXmflXcDo/w399-h400/Paces.jpg" width="399" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/sir20235026/full">Paces et al.: Strontium Isotope Chronostratigraphic Age of a Sirenian Fossil Site on Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California.</a></p><p>Fossils in the order Sirenia (family Dugongidae) from Santa Rosa Island, part of Channel
Islands National Park in southern California, provide rare temporal and spatial links
between earlier and later evolutionary forms of dugongids, and add information about
their dispersal into the northeastern Pacific region. Marine sedimentary rocks containing
these fossils have characteristics of both the late Oligocene to middle Miocene Vaqueros
Sandstone and the early to middle Miocene Rincon formation observed elsewhere. To
determine a more precise age of the fossils, marine invertebrate shells were collected
from the same exposures as the sirenian fossils for chronostratigraphic assessment
using strontium isotope compositions and the well-calibrated seawater strontium evolution
curve. Shells used for analysis were from bivalve mollusks (<i>Pycnodonte</i> sp. [oyster] and <i>Lyropecten</i> sp. [scallop]) and crustaceans (<i>Balanus</i> sp. [barnacle]). Results show a wide range of <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr values, indicating that shell materials experienced varying degrees of diagenetic
alteration. Strontium concentrations and <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr values in subsamples of <i>Pycnodonte</i> shell show correlations between original shell material and a secondary component
having lower strontium concentrations and less radiogenic (lower) <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr. In contrast, all <i>Lyropecten</i> shell analyses yielded a uniform <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr value (0.708440±0.000010 [2× standard deviation]) over a wide range of strontium
concentrations (around 900 to 1,800 micrograms per gram [µg/g]). Results for <i>Balanus</i> shell subsamples show a range of strontium compositional behavior between the other
two types of shell. Acetic acid leachates of sandy matrix confirm that diagenetic
fluids had low <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr values consistent with the least radiogenic values in <i>Pycnodonte</i> subsamples. A simple mixing model between two calcite end-members can explain observed
<i>Pycnodonte</i> data, although actual diagenetic processes likely involved secondary dissolution/reprecipitation
or strontium ion exchange between shell material and pore fluid. Data indicate that
only <i>Lyropecten</i> subsamples have retained their original <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr compositions, resulting in a best-estimate age of 20.08±0.11 million years ago
(Ma) (±95-percent confidence interval [CI]). Although Dugongidae fossils have been
found in Miocene and younger sediments along the west coast of North America, the
Santa Rosa Island specimens represent some of the earliest and most accurately dated
sirenian fossils in the region. Chronostratigraphic results also constrain the timing
of the transgressional processes represented by shallow-water (Vaqueros Sandstone)
to deep-water (Rincon formation) depositional environments.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQslEZbNNOS8ymN_0MMcPUAZ0N2uwzI7VxlNAY5lJhiFxyJdwN4eMgeIqd6CxBPgcScf76UseaeCBsspAT6YboNhi4F7beGVx42Nnlw-4XL0IcEOf9y_xqxWmu9t7vEmjYkrvDDSBJs0UiyRA_eyujbbonHy0ZnTwaogEahQQSAgW31TKEWWJpeJAYjhg/s1027/Ponomarev.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1027" data-original-width="979" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQslEZbNNOS8ymN_0MMcPUAZ0N2uwzI7VxlNAY5lJhiFxyJdwN4eMgeIqd6CxBPgcScf76UseaeCBsspAT6YboNhi4F7beGVx42Nnlw-4XL0IcEOf9y_xqxWmu9t7vEmjYkrvDDSBJs0UiyRA_eyujbbonHy0ZnTwaogEahQQSAgW31TKEWWJpeJAYjhg/w381-h400/Ponomarev.jpg" width="381" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S0031030123060084">Ponomarev et al.: Pleistocene Walrus <i>Odobenus rosmarus</i> (L., 1758) Discovered in Northern European Russia (Pechora River)</a><p></p><p>A fragment of a walrus skull of Neopleistocene age was found at a
distance of about 340 km from the mouth of the Pechora River. The skull
presumably belonged to a mature male Atlantic walrus 13–14 years old.
The radiocarbon date of the walrus bone shows an age outside the
method’s range (>45 Ka). Nitrogen and carbon isotope data from skull
collagen are discussed. The reason for the appearance of the walrus far
from the modern sea shore was, presumably, the Rodionovo (Shklov, MIS 7)
or boreal Sula (Mikulino, MIS 5e) marine transgression into the area of
the latitudinal part of the Pechora River. The relatively good
preservation of the bone testifies in favor of the Sula marine
transgression. The Rodionovo age of the walrus can be assumed on the
basis of the presence of shallow water marine deposits lying between two
Middle Pleistocene moraines—Pechora (Dnieper, MIS 8) and Vychegda
(Moscow, MIS 6).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjx24LapDrqK9ZBdTo8ru3-qgEdjiAsg2uRa0uCipcNqVI5n5UD_5aiBPcB1ShLTlVB4c2jg7kyzlSxM5nLzq7vlsH7f_CZaPwILoyRb8QAsPsYSb3G4JvLynQsKX56XvydUk9q3U1YjyALSya1h9yHlfA_hbJCovu-m30BHvKZX_Xe4-N1_RMUfJs9g/s2029/Prista%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1430" data-original-width="2029" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjx24LapDrqK9ZBdTo8ru3-qgEdjiAsg2uRa0uCipcNqVI5n5UD_5aiBPcB1ShLTlVB4c2jg7kyzlSxM5nLzq7vlsH7f_CZaPwILoyRb8QAsPsYSb3G4JvLynQsKX56XvydUk9q3U1YjyALSya1h9yHlfA_hbJCovu-m30BHvKZX_Xe4-N1_RMUfJs9g/w400-h283/Prista%20et%20al.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41513-023-00214-w">Prista et al.: Considerations on the Portuguese Sirenia (Mammalia) fossil record.</a></p><p>Marine mammals of the Order Sirenia are good palaeoenvironmental proxies
in paleontological studies, due to their specific feeding and habitat
adaptations. Fossils of sirenians are rather common in the Portuguese
Neogene, having been reported for nearly 100 years, although most
findings correspond to rather fragmentary material, with no diagnostic
value. Still, some nominal taxa of Sirenia were referred to in the
literature, based either on identifiable fossils or on some undescribed
material preserved in collections. Following revisions of published
occurrences and new descriptions of previously unpublished material, a
general review of the fossil sirenians of Portugal is presented,
covering both the main geographic areas and the nominal taxa referred to
in the literature. Several findings are corrected regarding the
taxonomic classification, clearing the fossil record of Portugal, and
making available for researchers the complete list of Sirenia findings
and their geolocation in the Portuguese Neogene. An analysis of the
Portuguese Sirenia fossil record allowed to solve problems associated to
the previous published taxonomic works and increase the knowledge
regarding the Lower Tagus Basin, Setubal peninsula, Alvalade Basin and
Sirenia evolution in Portugal during the Lower and Middle Miocene. The
Portuguese fossil record of sirenians shows evidence that these marine
mammals were migrating towards south, which agrees with the European
data, strengthening the present interpretation that sirenians took
refuge in the Mediterranean and Gulf of Cadiz by the end of the Miocene,
inhabiting these regions up to the beginning of the Northern Hemisphere
Continental Glaciations by the end of the Piacenzian.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXi3T1cHOllbgyo5_06S7lmV4WUSJYNN35BeGWCFk0UBGcN-7ntXNU5-XqQsAxejA9thu2hA_Szf894b2gah06d3QqIKbVcswUM_J3iRn39G1p8btNKTMEyw-9i4dXdkCMBeST79Uj9x-clZW959sC1OQL4k_JsNTWuNUea0en492-iHbSlhrOQmsV_o/s2088/Ritsche%20and%20Hampe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2088" data-original-width="2067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXi3T1cHOllbgyo5_06S7lmV4WUSJYNN35BeGWCFk0UBGcN-7ntXNU5-XqQsAxejA9thu2hA_Szf894b2gah06d3QqIKbVcswUM_J3iRn39G1p8btNKTMEyw-9i4dXdkCMBeST79Uj9x-clZW959sC1OQL4k_JsNTWuNUea0en492-iHbSlhrOQmsV_o/w396-h400/Ritsche%20and%20Hampe.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2023/3958-two-exceptional-balaenomorpha">Ritsche and Hampe: Two exceptional Balaenomorpha (Cetacea: Mysticeti) from the Biemenhorst Subformation (middle/late Miocene) of Bocholt (W Münsterland, Germany) with a critical appraisal on the anatomy of the periotic bone.</a><p></p><p> </p><p>Here we present two new Miocene basal balaenomorph mysticetes recognized
by periotic bones with a unique combination of characters. The fossil
periotics originated from former shallow marine sediments and were
discovered in a suburban quarry of Bocholt in the German Münsterland
holding a number of remains of a multispecies community of mysticetes. A
detailed accompanying analysis of the internal and external structures
of mysticete periotics resulted in a critical review and revision of two
important characteristics of the pars cochlearis. The partition between
the openings for the facial nerve and the vestibulocochlear nerve,
named here ‘bony septum’ for baleen whales, has been developed so
prominently during mysticete evolution that the crista transversa is no
longer recognizable in derived forms, as it lies deep inside the inner
ear canal and within the fundus of the internal acoustic meatus where it
separates the cochlear nerve from the inferior vestibular nerve. We
show that the designation of the opening for the superior vestibular
nerve as ‘foramen singulare’ is misleading since this term describes the
opening for the nerve to the posterior semicircular canal within the
fundus of the internal acoustic meatus.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLdHUqoCc3iZJa6OU6XVQ9mdsoAr_KglRqRlZotsQbZ3_rZDeH-syTAteYNT8hwzUlH5RorNG4xAS9EDvSpbiQt5o7RsVoYpSKDlrAnvTzXCqv8KPVFLVx7Ml_eHhN5g5PW0w1ne-2b9QZaUkBcYpjf9wiF07hsxSUdl2KtRl8jdJzNJRrIUR87NHCRA/s734/Roston%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="734" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLdHUqoCc3iZJa6OU6XVQ9mdsoAr_KglRqRlZotsQbZ3_rZDeH-syTAteYNT8hwzUlH5RorNG4xAS9EDvSpbiQt5o7RsVoYpSKDlrAnvTzXCqv8KPVFLVx7Ml_eHhN5g5PW0w1ne-2b9QZaUkBcYpjf9wiF07hsxSUdl2KtRl8jdJzNJRrIUR87NHCRA/w400-h398/Roston%20et%20al.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2022.0086">Roston et al.: Evolution and development of the cetacean skull roof: a case study in novelty and homology.</a></p><p>Skulls of living whales and dolphins (cetaceans) are telescoped—bones of
the skull roof are overlapped by expanded facial bones and/or
anteriorly extended occipital bones. Evolution of the underlying skull
roof (calvarium), which lies between the telescoped regions, is
relatively unstudied. We explore the evolution and development of the
calvarium of toothed whales (odontocetes) by integrating fetal data with
Oligocene odontocete fossils from North America, including eight
neonatal and juvenile skulls of <i>Olympicetus</i>†. We identified two
potential synapomorphies of crown Cetacea: contact of interparietals
with frontals, and a single anterior median interparietal (AMI) element.
Within Odontoceti, loss of contact between the parietals diagnoses the
clade including Delphinida, Ziphiidae and Platanistidae (=Synrhina).
Delphinida is characterized by a greatly enlarged interparietal. New
fetal series of delphinoids reveal a consistent developmental pattern
with three elements: the AMI and bilateral posterior interparietals
(PIs). The PIs most resemble the medial interparietal elements of
terrestrial artiodactyls, suggesting that the AMI of cetaceans could be a
unique ossification. More broadly, the paucity of conserved anatomical
relationships of the interparietals, as well as the fact that the
elements often do not coalesce into a single bone, demonstrates that
assessing homology of the interparietals across mammals remains
challenging.</p><p><i>Comments: This study was fun to work on and while I collected data and made much of the figures, this was Rachel's brainchild and I largely took a backseat on this one - Jonathan has thought about telescoping for most of his career, and Rachel's an expert on the way skull bones grow and suture together. We basically kept finding interparietal bones in early odontocetes but they seemed to be different in layout and position: simocetids have three or four interparietals with a long leaf-shaped elemenet that forms along the midline and fuses to the parietals early. Waipatiids occasionally have a large, but wide interparietal; xenorophids have a plug-shaped interparietal that is forward-placed and frequently contacts the frontals and parietals. We named this median bone the AMI - anterior median interparietal - and tracked the occurrence of it and other interparietal bones amongst cetaceans, and found that the AMI might be a bone that is unique to Neoceti (we also reported it in </i>Coronodon<i>). These interparietal bones likely form as a result of increasing brain size in Odontoceti and a way to add some ossification centers on the top of the brain that can knit together with the parietals later on in growth - as the brain increases in size along the odontocete stem, the parietals are separated from one another longer during ontogeny, and in most odontocetes, completely separated throughout ontogeny.</i><br /></p><p> <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggRk0dx4Nyw5_8140K3K_XsZXHmNAXCmypvcLxKkYpF6ac-qzgJ6U2YlBrjrhdUL616TDT5mZUg1tZDVhoHXPZZvrFkkOxssVZWjEl_oZ_R8GyVr5LjYWnzifnCgkRbi8MZpq_wMSwi0_9pbbkqnO-gjhft2vlsY_SeOHyfkl0f_UwL7z_LNECwETKovU/s1104/Ruiz-Puerta.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="1104" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggRk0dx4Nyw5_8140K3K_XsZXHmNAXCmypvcLxKkYpF6ac-qzgJ6U2YlBrjrhdUL616TDT5mZUg1tZDVhoHXPZZvrFkkOxssVZWjEl_oZ_R8GyVr5LjYWnzifnCgkRbi8MZpq_wMSwi0_9pbbkqnO-gjhft2vlsY_SeOHyfkl0f_UwL7z_LNECwETKovU/w400-h278/Ruiz-Puerta.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2023.1349">Ruiz-Puerta et al.: Holocene deglaciation drove rapid genetic diversification of Atlantic walrus.</a><p></p><p>Rapid global warming is severely impacting Arctic ecosystems and is
predicted to transform the abundance, distribution and genetic diversity
of Arctic species, though these linkages are poorly understood. We
address this gap in knowledge using palaeogenomics to examine how
earlier periods of global warming influenced the genetic diversity of
Atlantic walrus (<i>Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus</i>), a species closely
associated with sea ice and shallow-water habitats. We analysed 82
ancient and historical Atlantic walrus mitochondrial genomes
(mitogenomes), including now-extinct populations in Iceland and the
Canadian Maritimes, to reconstruct the Atlantic walrus' response to
Arctic deglaciation. Our results demonstrate that the phylogeography and
genetic diversity of Atlantic walrus populations was initially shaped
by the last glacial maximum (LGM), surviving in distinct glacial
refugia, and subsequently expanding rapidly in multiple migration waves
during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. The timing of
diversification and establishment of distinct populations corresponds
closely with the chronology of the glacial retreat, pointing to a strong
link between walrus phylogeography and sea ice. Our results indicate
that accelerated ice loss in the modern Arctic may trigger further
dispersal events, likely increasing the connectivity of northern stocks
while isolating more southerly stocks putatively caught in small pockets
of suitable habitat.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vfDmZIyCZykVT19rM3KxjNuAZZIyy-XkVXhLW3PeavcDxzEG4_ksWfpzyN8JhTPXXi9mBTQRVvSy-N0G8mvOYUNrSo0GyVQDkk4bphMvmWU7mvpRKxwaLcGK2o5VcpamklF2gqtg5vlptQ6dwAg-k4vMaOflCOMgsnq-fZ7azcw7cH1-pbj5NEQzMoA/s2403/Rule%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2403" data-original-width="2188" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vfDmZIyCZykVT19rM3KxjNuAZZIyy-XkVXhLW3PeavcDxzEG4_ksWfpzyN8JhTPXXi9mBTQRVvSy-N0G8mvOYUNrSo0GyVQDkk4bphMvmWU7mvpRKxwaLcGK2o5VcpamklF2gqtg5vlptQ6dwAg-k4vMaOflCOMgsnq-fZ7azcw7cH1-pbj5NEQzMoA/w364-h400/Rule%20et%20al.jpg" width="364" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2023.2177">Rule et al.: Giant baleen whales emerged from a cold southern cradle.</a><p></p><p>Baleen whales (mysticetes) include the largest animals on the Earth. How
they achieved such gigantic sizes remains debated, with previous
research focusing primarily on when mysticetes became large, rather than
where. Here, we describe an edentulous baleen whale fossil (21.12–16.39
mega annum (Ma)) from South Australia. With an estimated body length of
9 m, it is the largest mysticete from the Early Miocene. Analysing body
size through time shows that ancient baleen whales from the Southern
Hemisphere were larger than their northern counterparts. This pattern
seemingly persists for much of the Cenozoic, even though southern
specimens contribute only 19% to the global mysticete fossil record. Our
findings contrast with previous ideas of a single abrupt shift towards
larger size during the Plio-Pleistocene, which we here interpret as a
glacially driven Northern Hemisphere phenomenon. Our results highlight
the importance of incorporating Southern Hemisphere fossils into
macroevolutionary patterns, especially in light of the high productivity
of Southern Ocean environments.</p><p><i>Comments: the evolution of body size in mysticetes is one of my favorite debates in marine mammal paleontology - make sure to check out <a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2023/12/obscure-controversies-in-cenozoic.html">my blog post on this topic here</a>. </i><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1iSAa98xiGoEFz3_teoOGJtcWLiNBZZNh10u4UA_jqyjsrDBhQ2UGFb_WA9D01LjxUzqMR-IR4qqJh3F9NCwH7F_IQy42WePARNRKU5drl3H7pYmKBsek1wtXZ5IBKuMOW-XB5jrYVyAfOUsv0rwdiEd7rWopixIgEm97K1VQBxYQmEro8NEYl3N1AQ/s1895/Seppa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1318" data-original-width="1895" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1iSAa98xiGoEFz3_teoOGJtcWLiNBZZNh10u4UA_jqyjsrDBhQ2UGFb_WA9D01LjxUzqMR-IR4qqJh3F9NCwH7F_IQy42WePARNRKU5drl3H7pYmKBsek1wtXZ5IBKuMOW-XB5jrYVyAfOUsv0rwdiEd7rWopixIgEm97K1VQBxYQmEro8NEYl3N1AQ/w400-h279/Seppa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379123003256">Sepp<span class="text surname">ä et al.: Polar bear’s range dynamics and survival in the Holocene.</span></a></p><p>Polar bear (<i>Ursus maritimus</i><span><span><span>) is the apex
predator of the Arctic, largely dependent on sea-ice. The expected
disappearance of the ice cover of the Arctic seas by the mid 21st
century is predicted to cause a dramatic decrease in the global range
and population size of the species. To place this scenario against the
backdrop of past distribution changes and their causes, we use a <a class="topic-link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/fossil" title="Learn more about fossil from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">fossil</a> dataset to investigate the polar bear's past distribution dynamics during the </span><a class="topic-link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/late-glacial" title="Learn more about Late Glacial from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">Late Glacial</a> and the </span><a class="topic-link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/holocene" title="Learn more about Holocene from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">Holocene</a></span><b>.</b><span><span><span> Fossil results indicate that during the <a class="topic-link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/last-deglaciation" title="Learn more about last deglaciation from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">last deglaciation</a>, polar bears were present at the southwestern margin of the </span><a class="topic-link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/scandinavian-ice-sheet" title="Learn more about Scandinavian Ice Sheet from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">Scandinavian Ice Sheet</a>, surviving until the </span><a class="topic-link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/early-holocene" title="Learn more about earliest Holocene from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">earliest Holocene</a>.
There are no Arctic polar bear findings from 8000–6000 years ago (8–6
ka), the Holocene's warmest period. However, fossils that date from 8-9
ka and 5–6 ka suggest that the species likely survived this period in
cold refugia located near the East Siberian Sea, northern Greenland and
the Canadian Archipelago. Polar bear range expansion is documented by an
increase in fossils during the last 4000 years in tandem with cooling
climate and expanding Arctic sea ice. The results document changes in
polar bear's distribution in response to Late Glacial and Holocene
Arctic temperature and sea ice trends.</span><span class="text surname"> </span></p><p><span class="text surname"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5I7eGcLpt_AWTAd90KXfR5hb6ymVrO2q1XCqrpvkGxsYVSHUro3EvtDJ-jdRH56vVgyIbnOWR1UpSzcRNM0Ecb9Z8sVyqSyhRGSXbdoH_dzTKoPTC7M-s3RpM6CYj9i9YXgNidl0ID45EY7_p8Zj184SUk5xyEa7LfBcTGTndMx7um9_t1xO1YKkZmz4/s1906/Solis-Anorve.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="1906" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5I7eGcLpt_AWTAd90KXfR5hb6ymVrO2q1XCqrpvkGxsYVSHUro3EvtDJ-jdRH56vVgyIbnOWR1UpSzcRNM0Ecb9Z8sVyqSyhRGSXbdoH_dzTKoPTC7M-s3RpM6CYj9i9YXgNidl0ID45EY7_p8Zj184SUk5xyEa7LfBcTGTndMx7um9_t1xO1YKkZmz4/w400-h261/Solis-Anorve.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span class="text surname"><a href="http://www.ojs-igl.unam.mx/index.php/Paleontologia/article/view/675/671">Solis-Anorve et al.: Primer registro de un balenoptérido de la Cuenca Los Barriles, Mioceno tardío<br />B.C.S., México [First record of a balenopterid from Los Barriles Basin, Late Miocene B.C.S., Mexico].</a></span></p><p>In the southern region of the Baja California Sur state (BCS), Mexico
has located Los Barriles sedimentary basin, which was part of the
extension of the opening of the Gulf of California . Its evolution began
in the late Miocene (8-7 Ma). The Trinidad Formation is found in this
basin, with a late Miocene to Pliocene age. The marine sedimentary
sequence is composed of mudstones, siltstones, and sandstones,
interpreted as a shallow to deep water marine environment with gravity
flows. In this area, in 1999, mysticete was collected at the El
Cardonal locality on the La Higuera stream, consisting of a
siltstone-sandstone concretion. In which there is an <span class="CharOverride-1" lang="">in situ</span> tympanic bula and periotic complex with affinity to the genus <i><span class="CharOverride-1" lang="">Incakujira</span></i>.<span class="text surname"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHO-tgfFtqQ8aQT7W3Iyr86PhApm84MKgdJwvscLiIAlpVr9OBq6qzOiGSnBBSiyY-ruS2T9Zo6uegxBvRUtz2KpJF4dU7xfVLpJLDr_TMNOLBY9gOSNc14rY3JApdxqjzqNByaMi2STpSZSInjWxsXosz8C6iK5Jx8PUQwG2Yag3XPfFw7IvwLeMf2pg/s2887/Tanaka%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2887" data-original-width="2274" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHO-tgfFtqQ8aQT7W3Iyr86PhApm84MKgdJwvscLiIAlpVr9OBq6qzOiGSnBBSiyY-ruS2T9Zo6uegxBvRUtz2KpJF4dU7xfVLpJLDr_TMNOLBY9gOSNc14rY3JApdxqjzqNByaMi2STpSZSInjWxsXosz8C6iK5Jx8PUQwG2Yag3XPfFw7IvwLeMf2pg/w315-h400/Tanaka%201.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><span class="text surname"> </span><p></p><p><span class="text surname"><a href="https://bioone.org/journals/paleontological-research/volume-27/issue-3/PR210038/A-New-Fossil-Rorqual-Aff-Balaenoptera-Bertae-Specimen-from-the/10.2517/PR210038.short">Tanaka et al.: A New Fossil Rorqual Aff. <i>Balaenoptera bertae </i>Specimen from the Shinazawa Formation (Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene), Yamagata, Japan.</a>*</span></p><p>More than 23 extinct species and 10 extant species of the
Balaenopteridae are known. Our knowledge of the family Balaenopteridae
is increasing quickly, however, few fossil records support a
circum-North Pacific distribution of balaenopterid genera and species.
Because of limited preservations, most rorqual fossils reported from the
western North Pacific can only be identified to the family level. A
skull from the Shinazawa Formation (late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene)
in Yamagata, Japan, is identified as aff. <i>Balaenoptera bertae</i> by
possessing two diagnostic features of the species: large occipital
condyles, and a posteriorly elongate postglenoid process. Combination of
four more features also support that the specimen is a closely related
to <i>B. bertae</i>. The specimen is probably a slightly older individual than the holotype of <i>B. bertae</i>,
based on the estimated bizygomatic width and slightly longer posterior
process of the tympanoperiotic. The first and only report of <i>B. bertae</i>
was from the Pliocene Purisima Formation in California, USA. The
specimen from Japan is incompletely preserved, but shows the occurrence
of <i>B. bertae</i> in the western North Pacific for the first time, as
many living balaenopterids are distributed across the North Pacific,
such as <i>Balaenoptera musculus</i>, <i>B. physalus</i>, <i>B. borealis</i>, <i>B. acutorostrata</i>, and <i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i>.</p><p><i>Comments: This to me is one of the most personally gratifying papers to come out this year, even if it is one of the more humble papers in scope. This study reports a specimen of Balaenoptera bertae - a fossil I discovered and excavated when I was only 19 - from slightly younger rocks in Japan! This indicates that this species had a circum North Pacific distribution. Better yet, this paper was published by my friend Yoshi Tanaka, who I shared an office with during my 3.5 years in New Zealand! We disagreed on the thermostat in the office (he was perpetually warm, I was perpetually freezing) but we had a great time in that little office and got a ton of killer research done in there. Along with many, many discussions comparing Japan and the USA.</i><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28w6lPNv9S9pL7WowbhQBaNZOOIoePnP_gU98hpW8U2iaQSrk9a2XrXyjJHKgAqByULTsGgGW5dDsiZBaLorNFvnhTp_XP0O7blyNElT2mLCY2k43QEgXgaewPps_-Cx3LTizuVCOexbAro4qx6oa5Hnd8Z7szHUrP2RzadNY90OB8_c9i4VBqsfZLp0/s2092/Tanaka%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="2092" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28w6lPNv9S9pL7WowbhQBaNZOOIoePnP_gU98hpW8U2iaQSrk9a2XrXyjJHKgAqByULTsGgGW5dDsiZBaLorNFvnhTp_XP0O7blyNElT2mLCY2k43QEgXgaewPps_-Cx3LTizuVCOexbAro4qx6oa5Hnd8Z7szHUrP2RzadNY90OB8_c9i4VBqsfZLp0/w400-h284/Tanaka%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://bioone.org/journals/paleontological-research/volume-28/issue-1/PR210015/A-New-Specimen-of-cf-Isanacetus-laticephalus-Baleen-Whale-from/10.2517/PR210015.short">Tanaka et al.: A new specimen of cf. <i>Isanacetus laticephalus </i>(baleen whale) from the Oi Formation, Ichishi Group (late early Miocene) in Japan.</a><p></p><p>In the history of baleen whales, the early Miocene is one of not a
well-known time. Many baleen whales from the Miocene are known as
“cetotheres”. The “cetothere” <i>Isanacetus laticephalus</i> was a baleen whale from the early to middle Miocene that is only known from Japan. The holotype and paratype of <i>I. laticephalus</i> are well-preserved, and the age of the species <i>I. laticephalus</i>
makes it one of the earlier basal plicogulans; however, its
phylogenetic position is unclear. Here, a new cranium including the
periotic from an early Miocene deposit (about 18.5 to 17.0 Ma) of the Oi
Formation, Ichishi Group in Mie, Japan is reported as cf. <i>I. laticephalus</i>.
The specimen displays a combination of four periotic features: (i) a
large lateral tuberosity; (ii) a rectangular pars cochlearis; (iii) a
robust neck of the posterior process, and (iv) a cerebral aperture of
the facial canal that is smaller than that of the dorsal vestibular
area. This combination of features could be diagnostic for <i>I. laticephalus</i>, among basal plicogulans from the early and middle Miocene. Adding more referred specimens will expand the diagnoses of <i>I. laticephalus</i>, and firmly support phylogenetic trees with this species.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqmvmo-xeIyV0gY4wHCjCMU7ewQgIvEJDt77s7XjT6gBtZrDpbKyj6KDOIKzQrs3N_-eY9CM0mEZwDo3MtoN6MJnjqyFi-FMNu-O52A8wnab3Hyj1Wys8-KKNj1ESDK_YEljFvwHbHCnjBuBtpVnRMqw0SZiiQyc-bq41aGhOdACYBlU8KvPy-K1N0JA/s1442/Torcarescu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="1442" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqmvmo-xeIyV0gY4wHCjCMU7ewQgIvEJDt77s7XjT6gBtZrDpbKyj6KDOIKzQrs3N_-eY9CM0mEZwDo3MtoN6MJnjqyFi-FMNu-O52A8wnab3Hyj1Wys8-KKNj1ESDK_YEljFvwHbHCnjBuBtpVnRMqw0SZiiQyc-bq41aGhOdACYBlU8KvPy-K1N0JA/w400-h146/Torcarescu.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/article/view/431">Torcarescu: Cetotheriidae (Cetacea, Mysticeti) from the Collections of the National Geological Museum, Bucharest (Romania.</a><p></p>Cetacean fossil remains attributed to Cetotheriidae are certainly not a
novelty in the fossil record of the Carpathian Foreland or Foredeep,
several sites being mentioned; however there remains much material in
institutional collections that can still add to the number of
fossiliferous localities where cetotheriids can be found. The aim of
this paper is to bring to attention new material from fossiliferous
localities from the western Dacian Basin (Gorj and Vâlcea Counties),
from the collections of the National Geological Museum. The specimens
are described, identified based on comparisons with similar specimens
from published literature and a discussion about the species <i>Cetotherium priscum</i> is provided.<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdU9Ndove5fAVaNLWPxUPQ4HpnszHrZNOguM5ooac6KyzMObaS7oYIeRP9aDRrQe1baswBvXan4v0J0qJTGpofABI_PtlhPp_hepl_9fEVxc306uAxmZy_2vpp_rt5jiM3WcgMicGmdtda4Aw4_p2Fx10GXMTCWnC1Ye0GEee0JczWOZTTln9I8uSF9lA/s3132/Tosetto.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1787" data-original-width="3132" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdU9Ndove5fAVaNLWPxUPQ4HpnszHrZNOguM5ooac6KyzMObaS7oYIeRP9aDRrQe1baswBvXan4v0J0qJTGpofABI_PtlhPp_hepl_9fEVxc306uAxmZy_2vpp_rt5jiM3WcgMicGmdtda4Aw4_p2Fx10GXMTCWnC1Ye0GEee0JczWOZTTln9I8uSF9lA/w400-h229/Tosetto.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/2/227">Tosetto et al.: Cranial Material of Long-Snouted Dolphins (Cetacea, Odontoceti, Eurhinodelphinidae) from the Early Miocene of Rosignano Monferrato, Piedmont (NW Italy): Anatomy, Paleoneurology, Phylogenetic Relationships and Paleobiogeography.</a><p></p><p>We provide a new study of previously published eurhinodelphinid
materials from the early Miocene of Piedmont (NW Italy) based on a new
preparation of the fossil specimens. We studied specimens previously
assigned to <i><span class="html-italic">Tursiops miocaenus</span> </i>and <i><span class="html-italic">Dalpiazella</span>
</i>sp. and provide new anatomical data on the eurhinodelphinid skull and
ear bones. In particular, we suggest that a skull that was previously
assigned to <span class="html-italic"><i>Tursiops miocaenus</i></span> must be reassigned to <i><span class="html-italic">Ziphiodelphis sigmoideus</span>
</i>(Cetacea, Odontoceti, Eurhinodelphinidae) based on new comparisons of
the squamosal. This finding enabled us to provide new anatomical
information on the ear bone anatomy of <i><span class="html-italic">Z. sigmoideus</span> </i>that was previously unknown. The material originally assigned to <i><span class="html-italic">Tursiops miocaenus</span></i>
is currently lost. For this reason and due to the fact that the partial
illustration of this species by Portis does not allow us to find
diagnostic characters for this species, we decided that <i><span class="html-italic">Tursiops miocaenus</span> </i>is a <span class="html-italic">nomen dubium</span>. Analysis of additional isolated teeth previously assigned to <i><span class="html-italic">Tursiops miocaenus</span></i> led to the conclusion that these specimens represent Odontoceti <span class="html-italic">incertae sedis</span>.
We performed a new phylogenetic analysis by adding newly discovered
character states to a previous dataset and a paleobiogeographic analysis
of Eurhinodelphinidae. We found two monophyletic clades within this
family. The paleobiogeographic pattern found by the present work
suggests the existence of North Atlantic and Mediterranean clades with
some species distributed among both basins. We analyzed the virtual
endocast of <i><span class="html-italic">Ziphiodelphis sigmoideus</span></i> and found that it resembles that of <i><span class="html-italic">Schizodelphis</span>
</i>in several respects, suggesting that some of the more derived
characters of the odontocete brain were still absent in these early
Miocene eurhinodelphinids.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4FAgBTtaC0Pq_d1kgd1dZ2v0tg_28q2SCXXvXxuM9-zw0kZhKJ39UDxT575uNI9jpd1Pn52qgCWb7y3bGP1Wz50BZh1BTWW25G5bs8r0sZTTL14LvpzwstCzNO1b6BWzzPjX4Z9HSNE4GYzK8v9C5ogEqqbQmZM7r6dxIzVGPgJF-UJoHAaMKSOB63s/s1832/Tsai.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1832" data-original-width="1525" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4FAgBTtaC0Pq_d1kgd1dZ2v0tg_28q2SCXXvXxuM9-zw0kZhKJ39UDxT575uNI9jpd1Pn52qgCWb7y3bGP1Wz50BZh1BTWW25G5bs8r0sZTTL14LvpzwstCzNO1b6BWzzPjX4Z9HSNE4GYzK8v9C5ogEqqbQmZM7r6dxIzVGPgJF-UJoHAaMKSOB63s/w333-h400/Tsai.jpg" width="333" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03036758.2023.2249410">Tsai: In search of the origin of crown Mysticeti.</a></p><p>Recent research on mysticete fossils from the Late Eocene and Oligocene
has revolutionised our understanding of the diversity and evolutionary
scenarios for early baleen whales. For example, aetiocetids are a
possible, though controversial, lineage that bridges the gap between the
toothed and baleen-bearing mysticetes, and eomysticetids show a further
transitional step towards the baleen-bearing status, with the presence
of non-functional dentition in adults. However, information about the
origin of crown mysticetes, including the most recent common ancestor of
all extant lineages and its descendants, is critical to further
understanding the evolution of baleen whales. The phylogenetic positions
of the Oligocene <i>Toipahautea</i>, <i>Whakakai</i>, <i>Horopeta</i>, and <i>Mauicetus</i>
from New Zealand remain unresolved and problematic, but all four genera
show a close relationship with crown mysticetes. The original and
subsequent cladistic analyses have consistently revealed a sister
relationship between the <i>Toipahautea-</i>to<i>-Mauicetus</i> grade and crown mysticetes, and <i>Horopeta</i>
has been placed close to the cetotheriids within the crown group. This
review aims to stimulate more research on this topic by elucidating the
origin of crown mysticetes, which likely experienced a poorly known
radiation event during the Oligocene that established the modern
lineages.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6tdxAkbyi0HSb-HjgBDJVIeBm2CJc2mlzQFi3KROXQGsSXj1420boYoleVxaPeI1ySBrJe5KZbn98CeztbNoTcEtVG9rd1JG1sZxNE_Yi3oDqVYvKjRsrueSWoyen1XDns3bz0hWP4AXcENIM08KQ9eVUQtAYaDq367vmLhyphenhyphensIK3ZshWGx-5-OYDXk8/s2383/Van%20Vliet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2383" data-original-width="1988" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6tdxAkbyi0HSb-HjgBDJVIeBm2CJc2mlzQFi3KROXQGsSXj1420boYoleVxaPeI1ySBrJe5KZbn98CeztbNoTcEtVG9rd1JG1sZxNE_Yi3oDqVYvKjRsrueSWoyen1XDns3bz0hWP4AXcENIM08KQ9eVUQtAYaDq367vmLhyphenhyphensIK3ZshWGx-5-OYDXk8/w334-h400/Van%20Vliet.jpg" width="334" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.hetnatuurhistorisch.nl/organisatie/publicaties/deinsea/deinsea-21/">Van Vliet et al.: An archaeocete vertebra re-examined: indications for a small-sized species of <i>Pachycetus</i> from Spain, Europe.</a><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">A cetacean vertebra from presumably Bartonian strata near Taradell, Northeastern Spain, described by Pilleri in 1989, is here re-examined. Also a description of the local stratigraphy is given. Notwithstanding the rather severe damage of the vertebral centrum, it shows the same characteristics as vertebrae ascribed to <i>Pachycetus </i>(‘<i>Platyosphys</i>’; ‘<i>Basilotritus</i>’) sp. from, amongst others, Ukraine, Germany and Belgium. The characteristics are: the combined presence of a compact, circumferential multi-layered cortex, the pock-marked surface of the vertebral centrum, the pachyostotic pedicles of the neural arch and finally the probable elongation of the vertebral centrum, the transverse processes and the pedicles of the neural arch. The compactness of the midpart of the vertebral centrum has been measured and is compared with that of other taxa. The find extends the geographic distribution of this genus to Southwestern Europe. The vertebra appears to belong to a small species of <i>Pachycetus</i>, which was until now not known with certainty from Europe, although some similar-sized vertebrae from the Southern Bight of the North Sea have recently been described.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwnYs0AQ0uhh_y0LxyXJqmQvDa-B7LEOwnZMRfQnX0sDLFmQLyRnWDEyL4Fq_nqi6t-sJ3fpD1vPW8wkqEMTPQwMVgLXk_FY0hpWW_vMuyXe5NpXNMRTwzlJlBsr57MYhMOfdqf0TWEaQ0_P4k9xe8P1bpMxzcb2bdRG_5v_NSwnC415AoWBQ40Pa0x30/s1300/Velez-Juarbe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1288" data-original-width="1300" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwnYs0AQ0uhh_y0LxyXJqmQvDa-B7LEOwnZMRfQnX0sDLFmQLyRnWDEyL4Fq_nqi6t-sJ3fpD1vPW8wkqEMTPQwMVgLXk_FY0hpWW_vMuyXe5NpXNMRTwzlJlBsr57MYhMOfdqf0TWEaQ0_P4k9xe8P1bpMxzcb2bdRG_5v_NSwnC415AoWBQ40Pa0x30/w400-h396/Velez-Juarbe.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><a href="https://peerj.com/articles/15576/">Velez-Juarbe: New heterodont odontocetes from the Oligocene Pysht Formation in Washington State, U.S.A., and a reevaluation of Simocetidae (Cetacea, Odontoceti).</a><p></p><p>Odontocetes first appeared in the fossil record by the early Oligocene,
and their early evolutionary history can provide clues as to how some of
their unique adaptations, such as echolocation, evolved. Here, three
new specimens from the early to late Oligocene Pysht Formation are
described further increasing our understanding of the richness and
diversity of early odontocetes, particularly for the North Pacific.
Phylogenetic analysis shows that the new specimens are part of a more
inclusive, redefined Simocetidae, which now includes <i>Simocetus rayi</i>, <i>Olympicetus</i> sp. 1, <i>Olympicetus avitus</i>, <i>O. thalassodon</i>
sp. nov., and a large unnamed taxon (Simocetidae gen. et sp. A), all
part of a North Pacific clade that represents one of the earliest
diverging groups of odontocetes. Amongst these, <i>Olympicetus thalassodon</i>
sp. nov. represents one of the best known simocetids, offering new
information on the cranial and dental morphology of early odontocetes.
Furthermore, the inclusion of CCNHM 1000, here considered to represent a
neonate of <i>Olympicetus</i> sp., as part of the Simocetidae, suggests
that members of this group may not have had the capability of
ultrasonic hearing, at least during their early ontogenetic stages.
Based on the new specimens, the dentition of simocetids is interpreted
as being plesiomorphic, with a tooth count more akin to that of
basilosaurids and early toothed mysticetes, while other features of the
skull and hyoid suggest various forms of prey acquisition, including
raptorial or combined feeding in <i>Olympicetus</i> spp., and suction feeding in <i>Simocetus</i>.
Finally, body size estimates show that small to moderately large taxa
are present in Simocetidae, with the largest taxon represented by
Simocetidae gen. et sp. A with an estimated body length of 3 m, which
places it as the largest known simocetid, and amongst the largest
Oligocene odontocetes. The new specimens described here add to a growing
list of Oligocene marine tetrapods from the North Pacific, further
promoting faunistic comparisons across other contemporaneous and younger
assemblages, that will allow for an improved understanding of the
evolution of marine faunas in the region.</p><p><i>Comments: Between this and the </i>Xenorophus <i>monograph, it's been a banner year for stem odontocetes! This is a very important study, an in-depth followup to the Jorge's 2017 paper naming </i>Olympicetus. <i>This monograph reports a new species of </i>Olympicetus<i>, </i>Olympicetus thalassodon, <i>along with </i>Olympicetus <i>sp. 1 and a fourth </i>Olympicetus-<i>like simocetid. The phylogenetic analysis in this study firmly places </i>Olympicetus <i>into a clade with CCNHM 1000 (from Racicot et al., 2019) and </i>Simocetus <i>- and these taxa are formally identified as belonging to the Simocetidae. Which is really convenient, because I've been lazily calling </i>Olympicetus<i> a simocetid for years.</i><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjrWmAcWUuq5xf0z7qGMXxwAjUFTr7hWUoW45PQw5DONqmWa5QXThGl9vtBQY2ZaIJqTWllyZWKBtLGcYokNFDBTdyppxOJfniDcbsyPMLkUSIleshzdPPKeElC6JNxcQmT-6eBxInGJhu5-2CvTecHIi4j5-b90Ws4b9hLj33_20exYxVyZ3Bt9L2jM/s2555/Veress%20and%20Codrea.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1752" data-original-width="2555" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjrWmAcWUuq5xf0z7qGMXxwAjUFTr7hWUoW45PQw5DONqmWa5QXThGl9vtBQY2ZaIJqTWllyZWKBtLGcYokNFDBTdyppxOJfniDcbsyPMLkUSIleshzdPPKeElC6JNxcQmT-6eBxInGJhu5-2CvTecHIi4j5-b90Ws4b9hLj33_20exYxVyZ3Bt9L2jM/w400-h274/Veress%20and%20Codrea.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p><a href="https://biozoojournals.ro/oscsn/cont.html">Veress and Codrea: A CATALOGUE OF FOSSIL SIRENIANS HOUSED IN THE MUSEUM<br />OF PALEONTOLOGY-STRATIGRAPHY, “BABEȘ-BOLYAIˮ UNIVERSITY,<br />CLUJ-NAPOCA.</a></p><p>The Palaeontology-Stratigraphy Museum is hosted by the Directorate for Heritage of the “Babeș-Bolyaiˮ University from Cluj-Napoca. Its collections were founded in the 19th century, then gradually enriched through donations of the professors and students, or by exchanges with other museums. They were initially used for teaching and research purposes and are nowadays available for the public as well. The sirenian fossils in the museum’s collection, even though are not many, represent an important heritage, a valuable tool in illustrating the Paleogene marine fauna of Romania and the worldwide fossils of these marine mammals. Today, the museum hosts 39 pieces of sirenian fossils. The aim of this article is an inventory of these fossils and the revision of the data referring to each piece. This paper includes the following data: the material, inventory numbers, the name of the locality where the fossil originated from, the stratigraphic unit, the geological age, the name of donor when available and, in few cases, measurements and short descriptions of the pieces, when necessary. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoD_j4u0SrxJt1wqocbhn-zxlXvGsbVwErTf7_EQcRMl6jQDvXsUM2YH1v3WJ2BxYhm335BhmAyyR1EITYzopje_e2i562VeOkxj0Jr0pSRVlzaw45eu55cff81zxUHbWXOouvE9c1acIIyZgY1cCcatlFZtYZZCu-mEUFyYZre3lecbt3B9Z8h9PalsE/s1548/Viglino%20et%20al..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1247" data-original-width="1548" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoD_j4u0SrxJt1wqocbhn-zxlXvGsbVwErTf7_EQcRMl6jQDvXsUM2YH1v3WJ2BxYhm335BhmAyyR1EITYzopje_e2i562VeOkxj0Jr0pSRVlzaw45eu55cff81zxUHbWXOouvE9c1acIIyZgY1cCcatlFZtYZZCu-mEUFyYZre3lecbt3B9Z8h9PalsE/w400-h323/Viglino%20et%20al..jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-44112-8">Viglino et al.: The better to eat you with: morphological disparity and enamel ultrastructure in odontocetes.</a></p><p>Variations in the shape and size of teeth have been associated with
changes in enamel ultrastructure across odontocetes. Characterizing
these features in extinct taxa can elucidate their functional morphology
and feeding strategy, while also shedding light into macroevolutionary
patterns during the evolutionary history of cetaceans. This study aimed
to (1) describe the enamel and dentine ultrastructure of the Early
Miocene odontocetes <i>Notocetus vanbenedeni</i> and <i>Phoberodon arctirostris</i>
from Patagonia (Argentina) and (2) quantify tooth and enamel
ultrastructure morphological disparity among odontocetes. Enamel was
predominantly prismatic, thin in the anterior tooth of <i>N. vanbenedeni</i> and <i>P. arctirostris</i>; whilst thick on the posterior tooth of <i>N. vanbenedeni</i>. Together with skull morphology, data suggests a raptorial feeding strategy for <i>P. arctirostris</i> and a combination suction feeding method for <i>N. vanbenedeni</i>.
Statistical analyses supported these inferences, indicating that enamel
characters are useful for paleoecological research. Morphological
disparity analyses showed that extant odontocetes occupy a larger
morphospace and have more disparate morphologies, whilst extinct
odontocetes were more similar among each other than with the extant
group. There was no clear phylogenetic-based grouping, suggesting that
tooth and enamel ultrastructure disparity were mainly driven by
ecological pressures. These results highlight enamel ultrastructure as a
source for broader-scale paleoecological studies in cetaceans.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6ZyUV4KfeEmhvxJ3smkHjJXJkFQkmvnYPtQ4WWWFsJ2BgWEEBQFJRyEGMb0vTLmmx1WjkDiaXJ5PbhnJ5yxl8ZtGPgJvkjM_qntHU92EIKMCWYJ_3YzBS07f6_HApUuQoLDtS4Qo7Gcf7Gq077gBW9Rwh-wCXZdjWyUf2QxjT0bbqudEHu5gmLKLJe8/s3011/Viglino%20et%20al.%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1818" data-original-width="3011" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6ZyUV4KfeEmhvxJ3smkHjJXJkFQkmvnYPtQ4WWWFsJ2BgWEEBQFJRyEGMb0vTLmmx1WjkDiaXJ5PbhnJ5yxl8ZtGPgJvkjM_qntHU92EIKMCWYJ_3YzBS07f6_HApUuQoLDtS4Qo7Gcf7Gq077gBW9Rwh-wCXZdjWyUf2QxjT0bbqudEHu5gmLKLJe8/w400-h241/Viglino%20et%20al.%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.lajamjournal.org/index.php/lajam/article/view/1513">Viglino et al.: Aquatic mammal fossils in Latin America – a review of records, advances and<br />challenges in research in the last 30 years.</a><p></p><p>Records of aquatic mammal fossils (<i>e.g. </i>cetaceans, pinnipeds,
sirenians, mustelids, and desmostylians) from Latin America (Mexico to
Tierra del Fuego, including Antartica) span since the mid-1800s. Aquatic
mammal fossils received little attention from the scientific community,
with most of the first studies conducted by Northern Hemisphere
researchers. Over the last 30 years, paleontological research in Latin
America has increased considerably, with descriptions of several new
species and revisions of published original records. The Latin American
fossil record of marine mammals spans from the Eocene to the
Pleistocene, with formations and specimens of global significance. All
three main groups of cetaceans are represented in the continent
(Archaeoceti, Mysticeti, and Odontoceti). Pinnipedia are represented by
the families Otariidae and Phocidae, with records starting in the Middle
Miocene. Both living families of Sirenia (Trichechidae and Dugongidae)
are recorded. While less common, but still relevant, records of
desmostylians and mustelids are known from Oligocene and Miocene
deposits. This review provides a summary of the aquatic mammals known to
date, with a special focus on the advances and developments of the last
30 years, since Cozzuol’s (1996) review of the South American fossil
record. An up-to-date complete list of species based on the literature
and unpublished data is also provided. The study also provides future
directions for paleontological research in Latin America, and discusses
the challenges and opportunities in the field, including the emergence
of a strong new generation of Latin American researchers, many of whom
are women.</p><p><i>Comments: I've skimmed this paper, and it is one I really need to sit down and read again more carefully: I have a feeling that this is one of the most important papers of the year. This new genre of papers - reflections on our own discipline and studies of ethics - is a welcome new direction and I often feel that these are more interesting than a steak-and-potatoes description of a new species.</i> <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxpH6mhKWtJY7O74JkGicQrxZQVWj_nEV408EIsOgH3FLvxif8x_UAbnhTgI_ZpWXIm3Jq05BvEGkt2y6are61pBdP2hvvtWbCrweAWBdINC6_J3a_X1OMFDivNolwLcufadLMg0YQurpp_cRmXrgqrPihNYaIsO7GWNiF6mP_iOgL2VCYk_c4dXmjFo/s3779/Voss.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2758" data-original-width="3779" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxpH6mhKWtJY7O74JkGicQrxZQVWj_nEV408EIsOgH3FLvxif8x_UAbnhTgI_ZpWXIm3Jq05BvEGkt2y6are61pBdP2hvvtWbCrweAWBdINC6_J3a_X1OMFDivNolwLcufadLMg0YQurpp_cRmXrgqrPihNYaIsO7GWNiF6mP_iOgL2VCYk_c4dXmjFo/w400-h293/Voss.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://fr.pensoft.net/article/99096/">Voss et al.: New findings of <i>Prototherium ausetanum </i>(Mammalia, Pan-Sirenia) from paving stones in Girona (Catalonia, Spain)?</a><p></p><p>Taxonomic and morphological approaches on Eocene sirenians from
Catalonia (Spain) benefit from a newly discovered specimen found in a
quite unusual locality, the pedestrian zone in the city of Girona. Two
fossil-bearing limestone slabs from middle Eocene (Bartonian) layers of a
quarry in the wider surrounding area north-west of Barcelona, were
CT-scanned in the Clínica Girona to enhance more detailed
investigations. Post-processing of the scans and, as far as possible,
3D-reconstruction of the preserved elements in the slabs was performed
at Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. Thereby, a skull of a <i><span><span class="tn" data-obkms-id="90709FF6-20B9-44F6-BDB6-9A76FA40CA97" data-taxon-parsed-name="Dugong"><span class="genus">Dugong</span></span></span></i>
specimen was used as a reference point. Based on the combined analysis
of macroscopic and CT-data, the specimen most likely represents <i><span><span class="tn" data-obkms-id="BF06D6C5-DCA2-4160-91D2-625FE18596F4" data-taxon-parsed-name="Prototherium ausetanum"><span class="genus">Prototherium</span> <span class="species">ausetanum</span></span></span></i>
Balaguer & Alba, 2016 and complements the available information of
the holotype and hitherto only known specimen of that species. The
Girona specimen is an adult, but small individual that corroborates <i><span><span class="tn" data-obkms-id="D8A8BDFF-D42A-4B95-AFF2-06F563D8E271" data-taxon-parsed-name="Prototherium ausetanum"><span class="genus">P.</span> <span class="species">ausetanum</span></span></span></i> as a generally small-sized species compared to other known <i><span><span class="tn" data-obkms-id="E51BA558-842A-4FBC-AC95-44E71B4DB26E" data-taxon-parsed-name="Prototherium"><span class="genus">Prototherium</span></span></span></i> taxa. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-65601870969954745922023-12-20T09:52:00.004-07:002023-12-20T09:52:33.173-07:00Obscure controversies in Cenozoic marine vertebrate paleontology 4: when did baleen whales become gigantic?<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
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Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
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Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
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/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
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<![endif]-->
</p><p class="MsoNormal">For earlier entries in this series, check out these links:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2020/08/obscure-controversies-in-cenozoic.html"><span style="font-size: small;">Obscure controversies
in Cenozoic marine vertebrate paleontology 1: taxonomic feuding over
the basilosaurid whales <i>Zygorhiza</i>, <i>Pontogeneus</i>, and <i>Cynthiacetus</i></span></a></span></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2020/10/obscure-controversies-in-marine.html">Obscure controversies in Cenozoic marine vertebrate paleontology 2: the whale jaw that didn't disprove evolution<i> <br /></i></a></span></span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2022/12/obscure-controversies-in-cenozoic.html">Obscure controversies in Cenozoic marine vertebrate paleontology 3: Was there an early Miocene extinction in pelagic sharks?</a></span></h3><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Introduction</span></b><i> </i></p><p class="MsoNormal">Baleen whales, or mysticetes, are the largest animals of all
time (sorry dino weenies) – the blue whale (<i>Balaenoptera musculus</i>) is
commonly cited in books, magazines, and TV programs as attaining lengths of 100
feet (30 meters) and 200 tons – however, there are some reports of individuals
approaching 110 feet (33 meters). Fin whales (<i>Balaenoptera physalus</i>) are
the next largest, regularly attaining or surpassing 20 meters (~65-75 feet)
with some southern hemisphere individuals reaching 80 and nearly 90 feet (25-27
meters). A host of other species exceed 50 feet in length (15 meters) including
humpback whales (<i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i>), sei whales (<i>Balaenoptera
borealis</i>) bowheads (<i>Balaena mysticetus</i>), and right whales (<i>Eubalaena</i>
spp.). The remaining species<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- minkes,
the Bryde’s whale complex, pygmy right whales, and gray whales – are all
smaller and “only” get to 25-50 feet in length (8-15 meters).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This contrasts quite strongly with the fossil record – most
fossil baleen whales are quite small. Most toothed baleen whales from the
Oligocene and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>late Eocene epochs (~40-33
Ma) are tiny, with skulls similar in size to small-bodied delphinid dolphins
and body lengths between 2 and 4 meters, with a few outliers like <i>Llanocetus</i>
(~8-12 meters – but see Bisconti et al., 2023) and <i>Coronodon</i> (5 meters).
Eomysticetids are the largest stem mysticetes, with sizes of about 8-9 meters.
During the Miocene, most baleen whales are quite small, albeit with a larger
minimum size than toothed mysticetes – skulls no smaller than about 40 cm in
width, corresponding to a body length of about 6-10 meters. Some of the only
large-bodied Miocene mysticetes include <i>Pelocetus</i> and <i>Uranocetus</i>,
with skulls about a meter wide – similar in size or slightly larger than minke
whales. The same is generally true of the late Miocene and Pliocene.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, what gives? Our idea of a large fossil mysticete is
something only slightly larger than a minke whale – widely considered to be one
of the daintiest of modern baleen whales. This problem has bothered me for
fifteen years – and started bugging me after spending years in the 6-2 million
year old Purisima Formation of northern California and not finding any large
mysticete bones representing anything larger than a gray whale. There are two
general hypotheses that have emerged in recent years – the first is that baleen
whales got big very recently, perhaps as a response to global climate change
and glaciation during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. The second is that
baleen whales were modest in size but got somewhat large before the Pleistocene
began. Each hypothesis has its merits, and each has problems – but the
interplay between these two ideas has really spurred some great thought into
how and when baleen whales got humongous.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Why are whales big?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Marine mammals are large in general
because of their life in water, releasing them from gravity. However, most
cetaceans are not gigantic; the majority of species are relatively “small” –
between 6 and 20 feet in length (~2-6 meters). Half of baleen whales are in the
25-45 foot (7-14 meter range) and only the other half of species are larger.
So, something else is driving gigantism. What about diving? The largest
odontocetes (toothed whales) are typically all deep divers – including sperm
whales and beaked whales. All of these are diving taxa that feed on squid at
depth. One notable exception is the killer whale – likely a giant owing to its
macropredatory feeding behavior. In general, odontocete body size is largely
driven by feeding – and the same is probably also true for mysticetes.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">But what about mysticetes? Large
body size is important for a number of reasons. The first is economy of scale:
you can’t filter feed unless you’re over a certain size, and a recent study
proposed that modern minke whales are at the lower theoretical body size limit.
Simply put, the lunge feeding approach that balaenopterid whales use for filter
feeding is energetically expensive – and given that larger sized whales can net
larger volumes of prey during filter feeding, below a certain body size it is
too expensive to forage for small prey and manage to acquire enough food to
survive (Goldbogen et al., 2023). Large size is also beneficial for migration:
suitably dense accumulations of small prey – like krill – are very patchy and
isolated in the oceans and whales must travel long distances to get to them,
frequently requiring fasting during travel. After a point, possessing a filter
feeding apparatus in your mouth also unlocks a larger body size possibility for
baleen whales. So, admittedly, there is also a bit of a chicken and the egg
issue at work: are baleen whales big because they filter feed, or do they
filter feed because they’re big? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How do we estimate baleen whale body size in the fossil
record?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Measuring a modern baleen whale is challenging – during the
days of whaling, or with a stranding, you can go and measure the whale itself
from the tip of the snout to the tail with a very long measuring tape. The key
word is “very long” – after all, whales are big. It’s logistically difficult
enough to do this – but live whales are even worse, because they’re usually
underwater, and even when they surface, you never see the whole animal. Drones
with cameras flying directly overhead can take photos at a pre-designated
altitude, thereby controlling the scale of what’s in the photograph and
permitting ready estimation of the body length (or outright measurement from
the photograph) if the whole whale is visible (alternatively, using a few
landmarks from the head can be used to estimate body length). But what about
fossils? We don’t actually have a lot of baleen whale skeletons that are
complete: whales, even fossils, are big, and because big fossils are very
easily discovered as they erode out over years or decades, they’re often
discovered already partially destroyed. Headless skeletons are not frequently
collected, and as a result we have a lot of tailless skeletons with skull,
ribcage, flippers, and maybe some lumbar vertebrae. We have an idea of the
average number of lumbars and caudals, and can reconstruct the length – but
only with sizable error bars.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Biologists like to use body mass, as this communicates a bit
of additional information relative towards assessing overall health and body
condition but body mass is 1) frequently meaningless to paleontologists (since
we just have skeletal remains to work with) and 2) varies considerably during the
year as fat stores increase during foraging season and are winnowed away during
migration. As a result, paleontologists prefer skeletal metrics – when possible,
rare measures of skeletal length are preferred, and can be estimated quite well
even with nearly complete skeletons if you’re confident about how many
vertebrae you’re missing (possible only when ~90% of the vertebral column is
preserved – it’s more difficult, nigh impossible, to do so with a 50% complete
vertebral column). </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Skull size often corresponds well with body length. The
first study to formally propose an equation to estimate body length from skull
size was by Lambert et al. (2010), who reported a simple linear equation that
best fit a large sample size of modern and fossil mysticetes where both skull
width and total skeletal length were known. In other words, the width of the
skull seems to linearly scale with skeleton length. A somewhat more complicated
suite of equations for estimating cetacean body length from skull measures was
published by Pyenson and Sponberg (2011), which used either a combination of five
skull measurements or an alternative equation based only on maximum skull width
across the zygomatic arches. There are some problems with this latter method –
for example, the exact unit of measurement (centimeters, millimeters) was not
published, nor were the raw measurements (again) – and because the equations are
logarithmic, you get quite different estimates ldepending upon where you stick
your decimal point in the measurement (covered in detail in Boessenecker et
al., 2023). Another issue is that these equations have frequently
underestimated the length of stem Odontocetes and stem mysticetes, outlined in
my papers on the eomysticetid <i>Tokarahia</i> (Boessenecker and Fordyce,
2015), the giant dolphin <i>Ankylorhiza</i> (Boessenecker et al., 2020), and
the toothed mysticete <i>Coronodon</i> (Boessenecker et al., 2023). In each of
these studies, the actual skeletal length was much longer than the estimate
from the skull alone.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB38PospuZfhOKKNgkn_oFZW8tS9wHYZNfj3sKKqI4X2eLeJ0U216U3MZs026IIh0OK4DclYxUGCW6Db5Ynd9WdvPWasoLU1zI59tzK1zppF_6z28frI6XBl-i1soowG0vCyVw4cUQts68dsHM8H1Ug5OcLqK8mB9FeiEGTNee8735tJvSpvhYTC8rIvE/s810/Lambert%20et%20al%202010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="810" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB38PospuZfhOKKNgkn_oFZW8tS9wHYZNfj3sKKqI4X2eLeJ0U216U3MZs026IIh0OK4DclYxUGCW6Db5Ynd9WdvPWasoLU1zI59tzK1zppF_6z28frI6XBl-i1soowG0vCyVw4cUQts68dsHM8H1Ug5OcLqK8mB9FeiEGTNee8735tJvSpvhYTC8rIvE/w400-h149/Lambert%20et%20al%202010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i>The first scatterplot of baleen whale size through time (right), compared with mysticete diversity (left) - from Lambert et al. (2010).</i><br /> <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Hypothesis 1 – Baleen whales evolved to be giants after
the loss of megapredators from ocean ecosystems</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the paper reporting the absolutely monstrous sperm whale
<i>Livyatan melvillei</i>, Lambert et al. (2010) reported the first scatterplot of
baleen whale body size through time – generally showing smaller than modern
minimum body size, much smaller than modern maximum body size, and a slight
increase in body size during the Pliocene – as well as an “expansion” into
smaller body sizes with the dwarf whale <i>Nannocetus</i> (Which really belongs
in the Messinian/Late Miocene time period, rather than Pliocene). These authors
proposed, albeit indirectly, that the extinction of giant macrophagous
predators like <i>Livyatan</i> and <i>Carcharocles megalodon</i> may have
permitted baleen whales to exceed lengths of 10-15 meters for the first time.
This hypothesis has not been outlined quite as explicitly as here, but touched
upon by Lambert et al. (2010), Collareta et al. (2017), and Boessenecker et al.
(2019).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyBDJ2FZD6SdOPJulgi93ZwJJx7ojMyeSK1pMrqUajCDUV5NGKGf-z7W4_OLemApXWARRx4MTzhkZkTLgLDkM2EGevFA_Ea8G1hTpt7sTcDBM88K1w3MUBth-rB88VFWbpOkPBkJoIW61EdgWR5zrxcnSq4WtCR3GUi8IZcGrKuV9vVmn5dKi2E99un8/s770/Pyenson%20and%20Vermeij%202016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="770" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyBDJ2FZD6SdOPJulgi93ZwJJx7ojMyeSK1pMrqUajCDUV5NGKGf-z7W4_OLemApXWARRx4MTzhkZkTLgLDkM2EGevFA_Ea8G1hTpt7sTcDBM88K1w3MUBth-rB88VFWbpOkPBkJoIW61EdgWR5zrxcnSq4WtCR3GUi8IZcGrKuV9vVmn5dKi2E99un8/w400-h140/Pyenson%20and%20Vermeij%202016.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Skull size of large mysticetes through time - while it's not clearly labeled in the paper, I *think* the left is supposed to be the North Pacific and the right is supposed to be the North Atlantic. From Pyenson and Vermeij (2016).</i><br /> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Hypothesis 2 – Baleen whales became gigantic recently </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A short paper by Pyenson and Vermeij in 2016 reported skull
width data through time for fossil mysticetes. In this study, marine mammal
body size was tracked as it may be a rough proxy for marine primary
productivity – earlier papers by Vermeij indicate marine invertebrate shell
size is corresponds closely to primary productivity. Pyenson and Vermeij (2016)
indeed find that maximum diameter of baleen whale skull size increases
dramatically across the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary. They hypothesized that
the increase in primary productivity owing to glacioeustatic changes in sea
level caused a bottom-up driver that led to rapid increases in body size in
baleen whales.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuym_1go78PchWbEDNDoaUkOQdyBP8ORUg5yQSLEAHOiriBvsJfKXtx_I0Had19jwD5SXsar5wA1UzBQ8l4BbW5ygfb_K8e0bZWYujIHnLAC1My34eKELByxInEvTdOy8JskmgggjFR5BjdRKmFyJm_zi4zh7pIi9yjot8iAXtmEdUpdWAKJUQUr9mAhs/s817/Slater%20et%20al.%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="817" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuym_1go78PchWbEDNDoaUkOQdyBP8ORUg5yQSLEAHOiriBvsJfKXtx_I0Had19jwD5SXsar5wA1UzBQ8l4BbW5ygfb_K8e0bZWYujIHnLAC1My34eKELByxInEvTdOy8JskmgggjFR5BjdRKmFyJm_zi4zh7pIi9yjot8iAXtmEdUpdWAKJUQUr9mAhs/w400-h193/Slater%20et%20al.%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i>Body size scatterplot as compared to global oxygen isotope curve, supporting the Pleistocene gigantism hypothesis - from Slater et al. (2017). I've intentionally left the caption here for easier interpretation of the methods.</i> <br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">An important study by Graham Slater and others in 2017
attempted to answer this for the first time. This study conducted two analyses:
a survey of baleen whale body size records through the fossil record, and then
an analysis of body size evolution within a phylogenetic context. In the first
analysis, the study finds that modern mysticetes obviously have a larger
maximum body length but also a larger minimum body length, with the smallest
extant mysticete – <i>Caperea</i> – being much larger than the smallest extinct
mysticetes. In the phylogenetic analyses (using the dataset from Marx and
Fordyce, 2015), these authors found that 1) gigantism evolved convergently within
the balaenopterids and balaenids (hardly groundbreaking, but good to
demonstrate) and 2) analysis of evolutionary rate indicating a very recent,
late Pleistocene (~200,000 years ago) shift from an “unbiased random walk” mode
of evolution to “upward biased random walk” – essentially meaning an abrupt and
geologically very recent increase in body size. Frustratingly, the actual dataset upon which the study is founded is a bit opaque: none of the raw measurements used for the study were published.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOsx3-a86JGoaTFWzVyRJQkWsy0O_8WY95l3ROw9DltbYc-hm3xCyZDfckAXUTxJppQD-egJE5xb5gV_bzH5It53QPmIiw2ZOPP7yoOswSlR2lYo1PchcocufMgeaFfiq8Wja5hXgWg4x7Hn2IxoE__OuN8J8pwvUhKf-qfFllQlPFVuKlOPAi9-ogoo/s985/Slater%20et%20al.%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="985" data-original-width="626" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOsx3-a86JGoaTFWzVyRJQkWsy0O_8WY95l3ROw9DltbYc-hm3xCyZDfckAXUTxJppQD-egJE5xb5gV_bzH5It53QPmIiw2ZOPP7yoOswSlR2lYo1PchcocufMgeaFfiq8Wja5hXgWg4x7Hn2IxoE__OuN8J8pwvUhKf-qfFllQlPFVuKlOPAi9-ogoo/w254-h400/Slater%20et%20al.%202.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Body size evolution of mysticetes within a phylogenetic context - from Slater et al. (2017). Yellow = small, orange and red = medium and large/gigantic. I wish this had a better gradient on it, the orange is difficult to pull out.<br /></i></div><p class="MsoNormal">However, Slater et al. noted that this surprisingly recent
shift is driven by a lack of fossils dating to the last three million years –
an artifact that ends up lending disproportionate ‘weight’ (if you will) to the
extant species data. They attempted to correct this by adding a couple of
middle-late Pleistocene records of extant species including a fossil humpback
from Japan (<i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i>) and a fossil gray whale from
southern California (<i>Eschrichtius robustus</i> – or, more appropriately, <i>Eschrichtius</i>
sp., cf. <i>E. robustus</i> after the original authors). These extended the
geologic range for these two taxa to the late Pleistocene (0.125 Ma) and middle
Pleistocene (0.2-0.5 Ma), respectively – and pulled the evolutionary rate and
mode shift earlier by about 100,000 years, to 0.3 Ma. Lastly, these authors
performed some simulations in an attempt to evaluate whether or not
preservation bias or sampling bias might explain the size difference between
modern and fossil mysticetes. They assigned varying values here that would
indicate gigantic/large taxa would have an equal probability of being
discovered and collected relative to smaller whale fossils, and also lesser
chances. They found no evidence of size-based preservation or sampling bias – admittedly
these methods are a bit of a ‘black box’ and the devil is in the details, so
I‘m unable to comment further. But, I do have some commentary (below) on
sampling biases, perhaps not taken into account by Slater et al.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Slater et al. conclude that a relatively recent change in
oceanographic conditions must have factored into the size increase in baleen
whales, given that there seems to be no increase or real change in body size
trends earlier during the Miocene epoch (23-5.3 Ma), and that no size increase
corresponds to the onset of Antarctic glaciation, the evolution of baleen, or
coevolution with megapredators (e.g. <i>Livyatan</i> and <i>C. megalodon</i>).
Likewise, these authors find no evidence for cooling climate to have driven
increases in body size – which is somewhat surprising. Instead, they reason
that dramatic increases in primary productivity, caused by upwelling and especially
at high latitudes, permitted mysticete body size to increase. Critically, these
authors consider the highly fragmentary and undersampled record of Pliocene,
and especially Pleistocene mysticetes to be an impediment to testing their
hypothesis.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTRHROjWNzhRI6f8vjYVZy8kSdI_z8vtp0mgEU88hY4f025Y4cMGP-uuLkHPbVeAzj2dS8IZ5dyOPAkh4jkssyjFwGjUTAaIr6Q9v9l4Z5NKl2fXHB0t7lHLCUIzlg7CiEfutWfhqoO2-DRZZdNl0Mwx7LzL4NWrBEwyxg6UjW1UXvdgy41Cvdb6IL3c/s761/Bianucci%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="761" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTRHROjWNzhRI6f8vjYVZy8kSdI_z8vtp0mgEU88hY4f025Y4cMGP-uuLkHPbVeAzj2dS8IZ5dyOPAkh4jkssyjFwGjUTAaIr6Q9v9l4Z5NKl2fXHB0t7lHLCUIzlg7CiEfutWfhqoO2-DRZZdNl0Mwx7LzL4NWrBEwyxg6UjW1UXvdgy41Cvdb6IL3c/w400-h361/Bianucci%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /> The giant whale from the Italian Pleistocene - an early Pleistocene blue whale reported by Bianucci et al. (2019).</i><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Hypothesis 3 – Baleen whales have been large for a while
– Bianucci et al. 2019</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A follow-up study by Bianucci et al. (2019) reported a
massive skull of a fossil blue whale, <i>Balaenoptera</i> sp., cf. <i>B. musculus</i>,
from early Pleistocene strata of Italy; the skull itself consists of a
fragmentary but enormous braincase measuring nearly three meters in width and
corresponding to a length of 23.4-26.1 meters (77-85 feet) – similar in size
relative to modern blue whales. This specimen originates from precisely the time
period that Slater et al. identified as a problem: the early to middle
Pleistocene; it dates to approximately 1.5-1.25 million years. Bianucci et al.
also report a number of data points based on large mysticetes from the Pisco
Formation of Peru – a large specimen of the middle Miocene “cetothere” <i>Pelocetus</i>
with a body length estimated at 12-13 meters (39-42 feet), a somewhat younger
Tortonian-aged rorqual (Balaenopteridae) with an estimated length of 16-18
meters (52-59 feet), and an even younger Messinian-aged balaenopterid estimated
at 15-17 meters (49-56 feet).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1dCssU4G6hNHTBdK4XWDtzbn_DOzGENzfpmwSzI0ibqUO7AOGdj5kCuniuQwtm2xggA8AmCqdCJ9QQpvop25o2enPCIBSBWMEBfryxasst9BET7JPAphoiYNgCsVD7CopZeYb0wHQFBMO4QghJLD7K1Sis4_L3IMcFujrl1lQ0SQAjjRU_ojlRV6rq0/s763/Bianucci%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="763" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1dCssU4G6hNHTBdK4XWDtzbn_DOzGENzfpmwSzI0ibqUO7AOGdj5kCuniuQwtm2xggA8AmCqdCJ9QQpvop25o2enPCIBSBWMEBfryxasst9BET7JPAphoiYNgCsVD7CopZeYb0wHQFBMO4QghJLD7K1Sis4_L3IMcFujrl1lQ0SQAjjRU_ojlRV6rq0/w400-h156/Bianucci%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br />Updated version of the analysis with the new datapoints from the Italian Pleistocene and the Peruvian Miocene - from Bianucci et al. (2019).</i> <br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bianucci et al. incorporated these four new big datapoints
(sorry for the pun) into the same analysis run earlier by Slater et al. Owing
to reproducibility issues with reporting uncollected fossils documented during
fieldwork, Bianucci et al. ran the analysis with and without the Peruvian “field
whales”. Based only on the inclusion of the 1.5-1.25 Ma fossil blue whale from
Italy, the “mode shift” – e.g. the timing of a trend towards gigantism and
change in the mode of evolution – occurs quite a bit earlier, 3.6 Ma (during
the middle Pliocene; originally 0.3 Ma according to Slater et al.), and the sharpness
of the mode shift is decreased considerably. In plain English, this means that
the increase in body size occurred earlier and was more gradual than originally
highlighted in the analyses of Slater et al. Bianucci et al. consider modern
baleen whale sizes to have evolved during the early Pliocene or even late
Miocene – in stark contrast to the Pleistocene evolution of gigantism from Slater
et al.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDCStsVFDWHsMegfFVEwjRfZTeL1bzYtNU1A7AoNbb5MvMQbLcUbiIk4-DMZwk_BYXv8xI3egB5ACu8SmxLYm8BZfKxdJt3cj1mSx15Rmu11tjd-wZ_YayPEapp1eE2jBG_Udmv2NhWGXk92BFR7hWHedcmNb41ojVj-lE1_R9ilUAxUUKghudjulWjU/s1379/Bianucci%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1231" data-original-width="1379" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDCStsVFDWHsMegfFVEwjRfZTeL1bzYtNU1A7AoNbb5MvMQbLcUbiIk4-DMZwk_BYXv8xI3egB5ACu8SmxLYm8BZfKxdJt3cj1mSx15Rmu11tjd-wZ_YayPEapp1eE2jBG_Udmv2NhWGXk92BFR7hWHedcmNb41ojVj-lE1_R9ilUAxUUKghudjulWjU/w400-h358/Bianucci%203.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br />Some of the specimens measured in the field by Bianucci et al. (2023) in the Peruvian desert - and left behind.</i> <br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A caveat with this approach is that the three Peruvian
specimens were not collected, but rather documented in the field with
measurements and photographs taken – and *left* in the field. On one hand, this
is a bit of an issue as it violates the typical requirement that all fossils be
catalogued within a museum collection in order to qualify for publication. This
is not universally mandated, of course, but one issue is that as these fossils
erode away, it will not be possible to double check the measurements or
identification – beyond that data that is already published by Bianucci et al.
I will be the first to admit that I am awfully anal retentive about this norm in
paleontological publishing – voucher specimens are needed to ensure that
published studies are testable. However, there are two caveats here – not additional
caveats per se, but caveats to my caveat outlined above. Or, rather, let’s call
them justifications. The first of these is actually at the very heart of this
issue: whales, after all, are BIG. And these Peruvian whales are big skeletons.
Big skeletons are difficult to excavate, difficult to prepare, curate*, and
eventually, study – even photography of gigantic specimens has its own problems
(at U. Otago Ewan Fordyce, Cheng-Hsiu Tsai, Felix Marx, and I would have to
photograph mysticete skulls and mandibles from the second story of the Geology
building; at the UCMP Berkeley oversize facility I’ve climbed atop a 15 foot
ladder to do the same). These logistical issues are compounded by the fact that
Peruvian museums were basically filled up to the brim about 10 years ago, and
it’s been difficult to add any more additional skeletons. So, Giovanni Bianucci,
Olivier Lambert, and others have resorted to publishing field observations like
this – not my favorite, but a solution to a serious problem. The second
justification is that it actually helps prove a point I will make below
regarding sampling bias (see below). </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*And that’s only if the museum curator cares about fossil
whales under their care.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneALf2uhFE9DXpgdQaa09kA7Bmdq6LbxkoZLV_EyJU9bcjVLkp9etqbgTnz_wiyaSw6-Y9y3v-LL9dA74jlhMKKYBkkcQ9GLFCRAZDZNw7dNostdEA5AnxYmfjqZFG__VTWr5fwO3YCKj5O7IjylxRLpg6CvaXCB9Q9q_GawbeSXANd_xUi5seZ89Nws/s2516/Bisconti%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2516" data-original-width="1504" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneALf2uhFE9DXpgdQaa09kA7Bmdq6LbxkoZLV_EyJU9bcjVLkp9etqbgTnz_wiyaSw6-Y9y3v-LL9dA74jlhMKKYBkkcQ9GLFCRAZDZNw7dNostdEA5AnxYmfjqZFG__VTWr5fwO3YCKj5O7IjylxRLpg6CvaXCB9Q9q_GawbeSXANd_xUi5seZ89Nws/w239-h400/Bisconti%201.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Change in body size in Mysticeti over the course of the past 40 million years - from Bisconti et al. (2023).</i><br /> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-aZorB3Xr42V8vjvi40_73sAiSl6YIo1vhuCcQb-JwATe_zukEvhuBJ-2Ern22Er8tP1kNbfxqQrr-KsFYaDqkMVslGvHHpY1g3vOnzQVivtOq-Kgtlo817-WghYwVviYCcoyi9Q7Z-F5N0Q6ZD6E72sclAB6A_74vOPe_FcTorhHnDFlySraR-AY8Q/s2126/Bisconti%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1865" data-original-width="2126" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-aZorB3Xr42V8vjvi40_73sAiSl6YIo1vhuCcQb-JwATe_zukEvhuBJ-2Ern22Er8tP1kNbfxqQrr-KsFYaDqkMVslGvHHpY1g3vOnzQVivtOq-Kgtlo817-WghYwVviYCcoyi9Q7Z-F5N0Q6ZD6E72sclAB6A_74vOPe_FcTorhHnDFlySraR-AY8Q/w400-h351/Bisconti%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /> Body size evolution of mysticetes within a phylogenetic context -from Bisconti et al. (2023).</i><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGihRp4aMF7ymxwjOTQC7MKIsEf0Msj7iiMpk3EoOG6-YFSnNXGbTH0BA-UAWPhGSceLdUMMx2b2pRi11uLMcOKE5rqzgGqny8iLE8JbVXEABzb8FgRq60HO7LEje3JK2x72eWbdNoPU-G5RJhsPYSHfYWJKq30Elkq9UH4fXBgFYXyaLZ2PArWhq_2Ts/s5185/Bisconti%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2466" data-original-width="5185" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGihRp4aMF7ymxwjOTQC7MKIsEf0Msj7iiMpk3EoOG6-YFSnNXGbTH0BA-UAWPhGSceLdUMMx2b2pRi11uLMcOKE5rqzgGqny8iLE8JbVXEABzb8FgRq60HO7LEje3JK2x72eWbdNoPU-G5RJhsPYSHfYWJKq30Elkq9UH4fXBgFYXyaLZ2PArWhq_2Ts/w400-h190/Bisconti%203.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br />Body size evolution in Mysticeti as relating to various global, regional, and evolutionary events and trends. Quite possibly the busiest figure I've ever seen - actually combined from three figures of Bisconti et al. (2023). </i><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>More recent comprehensive studies – a combination of hypotheses
2 and 3?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A rather detailed analysis of mysticete body size was
carried out earlier this year by Bisconti et al. (2023), and I expect this to
be the final word for a long while as it seems quite exhaustive. According to
this analysis, toothless mysticetes increased gradually in body size throughout
the Miocene – with an increase in mean body size around the
Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary about 2-3 million years ago. Notably, Bisconti et
al. consider the Pliocene-Pleistocene interval to be the period of time with
the highest diversity in body size among mysticetes – from tiny herpetocetines
up to the gigantic species of <i>Balaenoptera</i>. Further, this study notes
that the gigantic size of fin whales (<i>B. physalus</i>) and blue whales (<i>B.
musculus</i>) are actually outliers when it comes to the range of body size
amongst modern mysticetes in general. Another interesting finding is that,
owing to the much exhaustive sampling of fossil balaenopterids relative to
Slater et al., Bisconti et al. indicate that the small body size of minke
whales (<i>Balaenoptera acutorostrata</i> and <i>B. bonaerensis</i>) is likely
caused by dwarfism rather than plesiomorphic retention of ancestrally small
body size.*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*However, the phylogenetic placement of the minke-like
species I named, <i>Balaenoptera bertae</i>, is incorrect in this study and results
from some miscodings. If this taxon is placed as an ancestral minke whale as in
some other phylogenies, it might very well change this interpretation.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJecjawQQ-bVGlswopnA_yDJsa59Mf4fglcYSR9upYy09yKZtQPi-atIGme4ERZLDQMSFnntYD9xcKiprWYWidiPM1er4I3I1T62SdRt0EEHdbra8pPHqzD4nDiCyDNtv7p1hI6xEhk_uLMZqpz5xS1Du-imihMTtSvLTy6MU3yBgkqHYeSbNXmKo36w/s3440/Boessenecker%20and%20Geisler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1994" data-original-width="3440" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJecjawQQ-bVGlswopnA_yDJsa59Mf4fglcYSR9upYy09yKZtQPi-atIGme4ERZLDQMSFnntYD9xcKiprWYWidiPM1er4I3I1T62SdRt0EEHdbra8pPHqzD4nDiCyDNtv7p1hI6xEhk_uLMZqpz5xS1Du-imihMTtSvLTy6MU3yBgkqHYeSbNXmKo36w/w400-h231/Boessenecker%20and%20Geisler.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br />Body size evolution in cetaceans - scatterplots of skull width, from Boessenecker and Geisler (2023) - mysticetes are in 'C'.</i> <br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">A few weeks ago I published a massive monograph with
Jonathan Geisler on the early dolphin <i>Xenorophus</i> – and included within
are a bunch of ‘mini-analyses’ and datasets including a fairly reasonable, but
not entirely exhaustive survey of body size data points for cetaceans. This was
done with specific focus on odontocetes – but we also included toothed and
toothless mysticetes, though we did not discuss them in any capacity beyond Oligocene
taxa. But, there is some interesting stuff in here! </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1) The first is that during the Paleogene, toothed and toothless
mysticetes don’t really overlap at all in body size. Late Eocene Llanocetus
pulls the mean toothed mysticete body size pretty far up, but then again, there
are no late Eocene toothless mysticetes, and by the early Oligocene, all
toothless mysticetes are quite a bit larger than toothed taxa. This has some
interesting implications for niche differentiation. Are toothed mysticetes small
because of a difference in feeding ecology from toothless mysticetes? Are
eomysticetids larger because they can migrate? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2) There is a serious bottleneck in the Serravallian (late
middle Miocene) – this is because some of the only reported mysticetes from
this time period are all closely related and anatomically similar.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">3) During the Messinian (latest Miocene) we have a different
problem caused by small sample size: only a handful of mysticetes are known
from the Messinian, and all basically from California and Peru: the tiny
herpetocetines <i>Nannocetus </i>and <i>Piscobalaena</i> and the balaenopterid <i>Parabalaenoptera</i>.
While there are loads of unpublished Messinian balaenopterids, and other taxa
like the right whale <i>Eubalaena shinshuensis</i> – I restricted myself to
published records only – and <i>E. shinshuensis</i> doesn’t have a skull complete
enough to measure in the same way (maximum width of the skull).* As a result, two
out of the three data points make the mysticete mean body size dip quite a bit.
Informed by unpublished specimens from California, I predict improved sampling
to show a similar situation as during the Tortonian.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">4) There is a gradual increase in body size that begins in
the early Pliocene and seems to really pick up during the late Pliocene –
supporting a more muted version of the dramatic trend towards gigantism by
Slater et al.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">5) There also seems to be a late Miocene <i>decrease</i> in
minimum body size – late Miocene cetotheriids seem to be a bit smaller than the
smallest early and middle Miocene “cetotheres”. See below.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">6) Lastly, there is a subtle increase in mean body size over
the course of the entire Neogene and Oligocene – with that brief dip in the
Messinian.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*However, the skull is complete in terms of its length and the
body length has been estimated at 12-13 meters.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtEWRgLXYoMyz_aFO1NwqylXQn6CP17nvQsrBuKw14soJA4dkhWfAgvuVfSkVdJqb4IDWeK5tTcAH0ZEyTFHEThNpK4IdBkXTqy_gI2JFCYPJpR-jCk0AvLtha5_BCKMzGb5jCiLQqZ3Zb0NQJQ2d6OVgVY4jtfWY8PMxtr2fK9bE5C14dzSYM1e9q80/s1040/Herpetocetus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1001" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtEWRgLXYoMyz_aFO1NwqylXQn6CP17nvQsrBuKw14soJA4dkhWfAgvuVfSkVdJqb4IDWeK5tTcAH0ZEyTFHEThNpK4IdBkXTqy_gI2JFCYPJpR-jCk0AvLtha5_BCKMzGb5jCiLQqZ3Zb0NQJQ2d6OVgVY4jtfWY8PMxtr2fK9bE5C14dzSYM1e9q80/w385-h400/Herpetocetus.jpg" width="385" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>My favorite tiny baleen whale: </i>Herpetocetus<i>. From El Adli et al., 2014.</i><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Why are so many Miocene and Pliocene baleen whales tiny?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One question that continually gets left by the wayside is
the flipside of the main question asked by Slater et al. and Bianucci et al.,
and that is “why were baleen whales so damned tiny before the Pleistocene?” A
corollary question which emerges is “why are there no modern mysticetes smaller
than 6 meters as adults?” I’m afraid I don’t have any answers, just some
speculation, but let’s dive in anyway. Oligocene mysticetes (which I need to
write about in much more detail) range in size from harbor porpoise size (e.g.
toothed mysticete <i>Fucaia</i> spp., ~2 meters long) to minke whale sized
(e.g. Eomysticetidae; 6-8 meters), and the rest somewhere in between. Most
Miocene age mysticetes are not much larger – most are in the 5-10 meter range;
taxa like <i>Parietobalaena</i>, <i>Isanacetus</i>, <i>Diorocetus</i>, and true
cetotheriids. There are a few outliers like <i>Pelocetus</i> sp. reported by
Bianucci et al. and <i>Pelocetus calvertensis</i> (8-12 meters). By the late
Miocene and Pliocene, some cetotheriids have evolved shockingly tiny sizes,
especially the herpetocetines: <i>Nannocetus</i> was approximately the size of
a bottlenose dolphin (2.4 meters according to Slater et al.) and <i>Herpetocetus</i>
was perhaps as large as a pilot whale or Risso’s dolphin (3.7 meters according
to Slater et al. – though the source of this measurement is unclear). In fact,
the data from our 2023 <i>Xenorophus</i> monograph indicates that the
herpetocetines are somewhat smaller in minimum adult body size than the earlier
“cetotheres” sensu lato.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Several hypotheses come to mind: the first, outlined by
Collareta et al. (2017), is that perhaps small baleen whales may have been kept
small by predation pressure from <i>Carcharocles megalodon</i> and maybe also
killer sperm whales like <i>Livyatan</i> and <i>Albicetus</i>. Perhaps small
body size made these whales more agile and able to evade macropredators. The
second is that perhaps greater upwelling at temperate latitudes resulted in a greater
mass of available prey to filter feed for; this is frequently understood to be
an evolutionary driver of dwarfism. With the change in upwelling regime, body
sizes increased and the herpetocetines went extinct (recently: Boessenecker,
2013). The third possibility is that these dwarf mysticetes fed in a manner
completely different from modern mysticetes, and perhaps unlocked locally
abundant food sources that were inaccessible to other baleen whales. In 2014,
Joe El Adli and I published a paper naming the new mysticete <i>Herpetocetus morrow</i>
from the San Diego Formation of California, and proposed that its unusual craniomandibular
joint was adapted for only opening up to 15-30 degrees and that it was likely
well-adapted for longitudinally rotating the mandibles – evidence that it may
have been a dedicated benthic filter feeder along the many now-lost highly
productive embayments along the California coast during the Pliocene. Lastly,
and discounted by Slater et al. (perhaps too hastily) is the possibility that
warmer Pliocene waters permitted somewhat smaller body masses for filter
feeders like <i>Herpetocetus.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another consideration – or rather conundrum – is the recent
hypothesis that extant minke whales are at the lower size limit for baleen
whale body size (Goldbogen et al., 2023). One serious problem with this conclusion
is that there is no shortage of tiny, “sub-minke” whale fossil mysticetes in
the fossil record that were either somewhat smaller and closely related (within
the Balaenopteridae) or were more distantly related and considerably tinier
(e.g. Cetotheriidae – <i>Nannocetus</i>, <i>Piscobalaena</i>, <i>Herpetocetus</i>).
Normally I would wave off the cetotheriids as not being relevant because, so
far as we can understand, they had a different feeding ecology: either benthic
feeding in the case of <i>Herpetocetus</i> (El Adli et al., 2014) and even fish
eating, as in the case of <i>Piscobalaena</i> preserved with gut contents (Collareta et al., 2015). But, aside from herpetocetines, there are several balaenopterids
that were a bit smaller than minke whales including <i>Balaenoptera bertae </i>(61
cm wide skull corresponding to a length of 4.5-5 meters!), an undescribed
species of “<i>Burtinopsis</i>” from Japan, and a handful of others from Japan
and Europe. So, there are numerous fossil lunge-feeding rorquals that are even
tinier than the extant minke whales.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Other records of Pliocene-Pleistocene mysticetes and baleen
whale fossil “neospecies”</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Slater et al. (2017) included two Pleistocene records of
extant taxa in their analysis – a late middle Pleistocene (~0.125-0.15 Ma)
specimen of the extant humpback whale <i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i>, initially
reported by Nagasawa and Mitani (2004), and a late middle Pleistocene gray
whale from the San Pedro Sand of Los Angeles County – <i>Eschrichtius</i> sp.,
cf. <i>E. robustus</i> – originally reported by McLeod and Barnes (1984). These
are not the only usable records of extant species; some other records are
published, but not used by Slater et al. (2017) or Bianucci et al. (2019).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LDh-ZZXAibJjogI4yGDhYpCawtZOxQHOKd2DQ0ZRHVUrIyJnaI9H1JDVyTs7c155n3Qb_LEpP_-JvdUROAozSvsnqduyUe4W3-wk-X7-iehvKCCbivBrpAF9VlZ6NMKTSFVEsPJKYC5sq0nNRpg-fGZcv0f3pSBrMStc-zqm_WjtyLQoFs9ppbl8p3c/s1759/Oishi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="1759" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LDh-ZZXAibJjogI4yGDhYpCawtZOxQHOKd2DQ0ZRHVUrIyJnaI9H1JDVyTs7c155n3Qb_LEpP_-JvdUROAozSvsnqduyUe4W3-wk-X7-iehvKCCbivBrpAF9VlZ6NMKTSFVEsPJKYC5sq0nNRpg-fGZcv0f3pSBrMStc-zqm_WjtyLQoFs9ppbl8p3c/w400-h211/Oishi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br />A blue whale like mandible from the Pliocene of Japan - from Oishi (1997).</i> <br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The first is “<i>Sibbaldus</i> sp.”, a mandible better
identified as an early blue whale – <i>Balaenoptera</i> sp., cf. <i>B. musculus</i>
– by Oishi (1997), from the lower Pliocene Tatsunokuchi Formation. The caveat
is that this specimen, while it is identical in morphology to extant <i>Balaenoptera
musculus</i>, it is not exactly enormous – it is a maximum of three meters long.
Note that this is the same as the width of the entire skull of the Pleistocene
Italian specimen reported by Bianucci et al. (2019). Regardless, the specimen
is large for a Pliocene whale and methods do exist for estimating body length
from balaenopterid mandibles (Pyenson et al., 2013; though <i>again</i>, no raw measurements were ever published for this study).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While not really permitting a body length estimate, a fossil
bulla of <i>Balaenoptera</i> sp., cf. <i>B. physalus</i> was reported by
Cheng-Hsiu Tsai and myself in 2017; this specimen dates to 0.95-1.3 Ma, and pulls
an additional extant and gigantic mysticete whale species into the early Pleistocene.
This record was not included in Bianucci et al. (2019; these authors only added
their new specimens to the phylogeny and did not update it otherwise) though I
think it would further reinforce an earlier evolution of gigantism. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Eschrichtius akishimaensis</i> was named by Kimura et al.
(2017) from the early Pleistocene Komiya Formation of Japan, dating to
1.95-1.77 Ma. This taxon is a ‘neospecies’ (extinct species in an extant genus)
and pulls <i>Eschrichtius</i> even earlier. Additional Pliocene specimens of <i>Eschrichtius</i>
reported from the North Sea and from Japan pull the extant gray whale further
back in time than this Pleistocene species (Ichishima et al., 2006; Tsai et
al., 2020). Note however that the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Teshio”
gray whale, <i>Eschrichtius</i> sp. from the Pliocene of Japan, is considerably
smaller than extant <i>Eschichtius robustus</i>, with a likely skull width of less
than a meter (I’d wager about 75-85 cm).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The extinct right whale <i>Eubalaena ianitrix</i> was named
in 2017 by Bisconti et al., representing a medium-sized balaenid with a skull
width of 1.7 meters – but only a maximum length of 8 meters. Additional extinct
Pliocene balaenids include <i>Antwerpibalaena liberatlas</i> with an estimated body
length of 9.5-11.9 meters, and the even more recently named <i>Charadrobalaena
valentinae</i> with a body length of ~11 meters.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Perspective from a field paleontologist – observations
from the Plio-Pleistocene of the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and collections
bias</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So what do I think about all of this? Both Slater et al.
(2017) and Bianucci et al. (2019) bring up excellent counterpoints. The fact
that the analysis of Slater et al. was so sensitive to a few additional data
points tells me that the Bianucci hypothesis – a gradual and sort-of-recent
evolution of gigantism – as opposed to an abrupt and extremely recent origin <i>a
la</i> Slater – tells me the former is much more likely, even though the Slater
et al. (2017) hypothesis, as extreme as it is, appeals to my own field
observations.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir95kGIyqIxchLUIGuNK46534SdOuprfKUhfJ2oln_qAvGG2XlxaId2_dyzqy-vY3eOCoZv2x7OLMXcI-7MNcVQRR663x7DgD7d63dv6C2dlgWSGVKKvVKIJ25xxc_Ioloq1W2EeVT3dNe31su5y24RMrAO2G8Uf6NSCm5rz9GZyu8U4UU1ntVzkNJIbA/s679/Boessenecker%202013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="679" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir95kGIyqIxchLUIGuNK46534SdOuprfKUhfJ2oln_qAvGG2XlxaId2_dyzqy-vY3eOCoZv2x7OLMXcI-7MNcVQRR663x7DgD7d63dv6C2dlgWSGVKKvVKIJ25xxc_Ioloq1W2EeVT3dNe31su5y24RMrAO2G8Uf6NSCm5rz9GZyu8U4UU1ntVzkNJIbA/w400-h297/Boessenecker%202013.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /> An example of a rather large vertebra found in the field: a posterior lumbar or anterior caudal vertebra, with a centrum diameter of approximately 22-28 cm. Judging from a cursory glance at some papers on extant </i>Balaenoptera<i>, this vertebra represents a whale at least 12 meters (~40 feet) and possibly up to about 15 meters (~50 feet) in length - a large, but not gigantic mysticete. This specimen is from an early Pliocene horizon in the Purisima Formation. From Boessenecker (2013).</i><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What sort of field observations? Well, I’ve spent about 20
years looking for whales in the Purisima Formation of northern California (7-2.5 Ma). The
majority of mysticete taxa are small to medium size; only a few fossils of
something approaching a gray whale or humpback in overall size have ever been
spotted in outcrop, let alone collected. The largest Purisima mysticete I am
aware of is a right whale (Balaenidae) mandible measuring about 4 meters in
length (in the collection of Frank Perry) and suggesting a body length of 12
meters (similar in size to <i>Eubalaena shinshuensis</i> from Japan) – nearly
as large as extant <i>Eubalaena</i> <i>japonica</i> (13-15 meters). Mandibles
and vertebrae are commonly encountered, and perhaps if utilized intelligently, might
provide more data than restricting analyses to skulls. Vertebrae are commonly
collected – modern and fossil – and we have a good handle on the range of
vertebral counts in modern mysticetes. You could even just measure up the
average size of thoracic and lumbar vertebrae for each modern species (these
are the most common fossil vertebrae) and go out and sample fossil assemblages
for vertebral size through time, compared with vertebral sizes of modern taxa: an apples to apples comparison. This might give a sample that is much, much
less biased towards small sample sizes like sticking with skulls (see below) – given that a blue whale
sized vertebra is much more easily collected than a blue whale sized skull. In
general, I think the average body size of a Purisima whale would be something
the size of a minke whale, with a few smaller, and a few that are slightly larger
– and rare examples of whales approaching humpback whale sizes (mostly isolated
vertebrae, and a few non-collected mandibles I’ve watched erode out over the
past 20 years that perhaps represent balaenopterids with 3-4 meter long mandibles).
These are admittedly ‘gestalt’ approaches and not data driven – but, suggests
to me that there is another way to get at this problem by supplementing the
skull size dataset with isolated mandibles (e.g. Pyenson et al., 2013) and
vertebrae. Therefore, much larger datasets could be marshalled.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mqvLTLst6M9Puh4H8DxYh2i5nVONjxs08sNuuhIUZNO84WHcM-gMNsg8rktA3VWBUpSOtRU0jPYKtdGqMrMrifRym62KpImJSPjTqd8DEJC6XSy_zxarjkNf3x9TrMqOeXQK42iR7_Y852zI9h4uPcuckcGIIjI6dmzxdWrLd6TQj2xJC7amNjA76q8/s1008/Balaenoptera%20bertae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1008" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mqvLTLst6M9Puh4H8DxYh2i5nVONjxs08sNuuhIUZNO84WHcM-gMNsg8rktA3VWBUpSOtRU0jPYKtdGqMrMrifRym62KpImJSPjTqd8DEJC6XSy_zxarjkNf3x9TrMqOeXQK42iR7_Y852zI9h4uPcuckcGIIjI6dmzxdWrLd6TQj2xJC7amNjA76q8/w400-h270/Balaenoptera%20bertae.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /> The tiny rorqual </i>Balaenoptera bertae <i>- one of the oldest well-established 'neospecies' of any balaenopterid whale. From Boessenecker (2013).</i><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve only ever excavated relatively small baleen whales from
the Purisima – the holotype of the “sub-minke” whale sized <i>Balaenoptera
bertae</i> (itself possibly an ancestral minke) being the largest specimen I’ve
excavated – and even still, it only has a skull width of 61 cm! That’s only 50%
larger than the largest <i>Herpetocetus</i>. I’ve excavated three <i>Herpetocetus</i>
skulls since, and carted off a fourth in a 100 lb concretion. It is a pain in
the ass to do this – and I am an extremely motivated field paleontologist. Many
other paleontologists and collections managers who like to study things like
rodents and foraminifera groan whenever you ask to see some fossil whale in
their collection or help dig up new whales (dinosaur paleontologists have
similar stories about sauropod fossils).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd53kEDXSnZGyti7CzX26V3APpbU8P0c5kZlPCPMscFrZC9j0Ze7eKR8XIrofp8SjbLmenop6J973PKknhfmTvSmXSsDq8vY0qG1sngIWfx92DruZo01PAtdHRBPkngwz9WYZE43R_Ml4FzlLR7XMxLtfqbH5hh0mD-G4q5ko5Zx8hC1PRreupbDjbnWE/s2048/Image%20761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd53kEDXSnZGyti7CzX26V3APpbU8P0c5kZlPCPMscFrZC9j0Ze7eKR8XIrofp8SjbLmenop6J973PKknhfmTvSmXSsDq8vY0qG1sngIWfx92DruZo01PAtdHRBPkngwz9WYZE43R_Ml4FzlLR7XMxLtfqbH5hh0mD-G4q5ko5Zx8hC1PRreupbDjbnWE/w300-h400/Image%20761.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><i>Here I am digging out the skull of </i>Herpetocetus bramblei <i>in 2007 when I was 21 years old (and much, much scrawnier).</i> <br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Even little whales are a pain in
the ass: in 2007 I found a partial skull of <i>Herpetocetus</i>, a species that
would be named the following year as <i>Herpetocetus bramblei</i>. The rostrum
had eroded away but a large fragment around the blowhole sat in a block I was
able to pick up; I prepped out the block that afternoon at home and determined
that the braincase was still in the cliff (rather than the tip of the rostrum)
and I returned the following day to excavate it. I spent one afternoon removing
overburden, digging a 2-3’ deep cylindrical hole with about 4” of space on all
sides, and then returned the day after with my amateur colleague Chris Pirrone.
We jacketed the specimen at 4pm, had it undercut, flipped, and the other side
plastered by 6pm. We moved it down the beach and realized we were going to have
a helluva time getting it off the beach in the face of the incoming tides. The
jacket spent about 20 minutes in the surf while I reconsidered a route up the
slippery rocks and also my life choices. By 8pm we had it up the first ledge –
a precarious situation, since we had foot-sized spots of rock without algae
which, if we slipped, would mean the jacket would certainly fail and the block
inside would crack – let alone guarantee broken bones for us (either from
falling or from the jacket falling on either of us). For the time being we were
safe – but had a 20’ long, 18” wide ledge about 12’ above the waves to carry
the 24” wide jacket across. Chris got out a floor mat from the trunk of his old
honda, which we used as a hammock and – very carefully – inched the jacket down
the perilous ledge. Our last feat was to lift the ~150 lb jacket up three or
four surfer’s stairs – surfer’s stairs are usually quite tall, the tallest
being about 4’ tall. (Surfers are pretty much always in good shape and can
deftly get up or down these stairs with one hand, the other arm cradling their
board). It took us an hour – and that last one, a 4’ tall ledge – took us
several attempts. We eventually had to lift it a few inches at a time, and then
pin it to the wall by leaning up against it for a few minutes to rest, and then
inching it up again slightly. We eventually got it into my old hatchback – and I
went home and slept for ten hours. I couldn’t lift anything more than a pound
for a couple of days.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I can’t think of a plausible taphonomic filter to exclude
giant specimens from the fossil record, but I can think of some very realistic collection
bias issues caused by human behavior: caution. There is no shortage of fossil
mysticetes that have simply been too large to excavate. I personally am aware
of several in the Purisima Formation, and several from the east coast. The
specimens from Peru are now published examples of such whales left in the
field. A different problem is highlighted by fossils from southern California –
there are several large mysticetes in museum collections that were excavated
but never prepared; one such example is a fin or blue whale sized balaenopterid
from the Capistrano Formation of Orange County – an account of the impressive
excavation was written about this skull and skeleton, but no follow-up paper
was ever published and the specimen may not even be prepared yet. This is not
unusual: there is a large backlog of unstudied marine mammal fossils at museums
like LACM (Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County), OCPC (the Cooper
Center), SDNHM (San Diego Natural History Museum) owing to the vagaries of
preparing – and studying – such gigantic fossils. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Whether or not these very real biases in sampling were
adequately controlled for in the methods-heavy Slater et al. study is, in a
way, immaterial: the three Peruvian specimens from Bianucci et al. very clearly
shift the story much earlier in time: that difference in results IS the measure
of sampling bias, in a way. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix82iARvp2kAUOD3s_9Qo4t3vBRqRjdXXTxb-EPbjwaTTg_vvW_kxAFF55aYFlyI7TgpPkCCy4DV1-uFLdXalCdVGgL-0y6t5xX-ZVlsXjk_rv5sdyVLPyEnRayw_PZT2SY9bRV8babaaOXfyGRjG12c7jJCsMkK7fBZ5Z-sesJ-_vHsPurhiVyoGnAic/s3888/IMG_3799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix82iARvp2kAUOD3s_9Qo4t3vBRqRjdXXTxb-EPbjwaTTg_vvW_kxAFF55aYFlyI7TgpPkCCy4DV1-uFLdXalCdVGgL-0y6t5xX-ZVlsXjk_rv5sdyVLPyEnRayw_PZT2SY9bRV8babaaOXfyGRjG12c7jJCsMkK7fBZ5Z-sesJ-_vHsPurhiVyoGnAic/w400-h266/IMG_3799.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /> A large balaenopterid skull from the San Diego Formation of southern California - identified in the 1970s as "Plesiocetus" - beautifully preserved, and quite large (1+ meter skull width) yet undescribed. Many such examples from the late Miocene and Pliocene of California exist. UCMP collections, photo by me.</i><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another possible source of bias is publishing effort. A
minority of fossil mysticetes from the late Miocene and Pliocene of the eastern
Pacific have actually been named: small taxa like <i>Herpetocetus bramblei</i>,
<i>Herpetocetus morrowi</i>, <i>Balaenoptera davidsonii</i>, and <i>Balaenoptera
bertae</i> have been named from California, <i>Kennedycetus</i> from Baja, <i>Piscobalaena
nana</i>, <i>Archaebalaenoptera euseboi</i>, and <i>Incakujira anillodefuego</i>
from Peru, and virtually nothing from Chile (including all those whales from the
spectacular assemblage from Cerro Ballena that such a big deal was made of ten
years ago). In the case of Bianucci et al. (2019), a couple of additional but unstudied
mysticetes from the upper Miocene of Peru were included. Otherwise, we’re
missing much of the fauna for these localities; in the case of the San Diego
Formation and the Purisima Formation of California, for example, only two out
of seven or eight mysticete taxa from each have been formally published, so we’re
missing between 2/3 and ¾ of the fauna (this was covered, and complained about,
in detail by Boessenecker, 2013).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Concluding Remarks</b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Several studies have surveyed the body size of baleen whales through time. The study by Slater et al. is perhaps the most methods-heavy, yet the sample is rather limited, and the conclusions of it did not stand up very long - four new datapoints shifted the rapid onset of gigantism several million years earlier into the Pliocene (Bianucci et al., 2019). More comprehensive datasets published by Bisconti et al. and yours truly this year stuck with scatterplots and mean body size trends, and dispensed with the more involved methods employed in earlier studies - at minimum, supporting Pliocene-Pleistocene increase in body size, and also a late Miocene decrease in minimum body size lost after the extinction of herpetocetines during the past one million years.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The late Neogene and Quaternary fossil record has not improved greatly - there are still a LOT of fossils out there to get published, especially from California and Japan - but there are quite a few more datapoints available that have been published since 2016. I would be interested to see what the inclusion of the more exhaustive datasets from the Bisconti et al. and Boessenecker and Geisler (2023) would do with the analyses of Bianucci et al. (2019). Additionally, mandibles and vertebrae offer some additional sources of data.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The flipside of gigantism also needs further study: if we're asking why modern baleen whales are large, what drives certain baleen whales to have stayed so small for so long? </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>ADDENDUM: Some late-breaking news from Australia - a large mysticete of early Miocene age reveals yet another hypothesis</b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Just as I was about to start wrapping this up, I saw on twitter some posts by my friend and colleague Erich Fitzgerald that something 'big' in whaleontology was about to come out - and sure enough, a paper on a very fragmentary, but surprisingly large mysticete from the lower Miocene of Australia was published late last night in Royal Society Open Science by James Rule et al. The specimen was found in 1921 in the Mannum Formation of South Australia, and consists of the left and right anterior tips of the mandibles - the chin, so to speak - and some other skull fragments. The specimen belongs to some sort of chaeomysticete, given the lack of teeth - though the authors stop at the broader taxon Kinetomenta (which includes the toothed Aetiocetidae). The mandible is quite large - approximately 18 cm in depth at the most, nearly twice that of most eomysticetid whales I've worked on. The authors developed some predictive equations using mandibles of modern minke whales to reconstruct the size of the entire mandible, and then body length - resulting in an estimate of 9 meters. Though the specimen is quite fragmentary, I actually think this is quite conservative. For example, the eomysticetid <i>Tokarahia </i>(one of the largest known Oligocene toothless mysticetes) is estimated at a body length of about 7-8 meters - and the mandible measures only 8-10 cm deep at this same location. The mandibles of eomysticetids are of course quite gracile, but this underscores the fact that owing to the incompleteness and uncertainty of the identification of the new Australian specimen, 9 meters is on the conservative side and a larger size is possible (which would only further underscore the author's point - but I digress).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2rlXiU4xeNsN1OUBzp67bnAt6Df5X4Xc8mbznOsMiYnes9Unm2cRFovXvI7Uv-jBWyE8yd4S3Wzg4NYA-bKSP2mELY-Q5M97o4QCYgCljLoYhyphenhyphenYncZ3ajCLETxn_miJaO8QJpX5eqUvVOJ74-b7uXseD7V-_Ux4SL9HafwkBI9tiCPcKOeOsqyY4Wnak/s625/Rule%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="598" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2rlXiU4xeNsN1OUBzp67bnAt6Df5X4Xc8mbznOsMiYnes9Unm2cRFovXvI7Uv-jBWyE8yd4S3Wzg4NYA-bKSP2mELY-Q5M97o4QCYgCljLoYhyphenhyphenYncZ3ajCLETxn_miJaO8QJpX5eqUvVOJ74-b7uXseD7V-_Ux4SL9HafwkBI9tiCPcKOeOsqyY4Wnak/w383-h400/Rule%201.jpg" width="383" /></a></div><i><br />The new Australian mysticete specimen reported by Rule et al. (2023).</i> <br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">These authors execute a couple of different analyses - the first demonstrating, quite clearly, that southern hemisphere mysticetes are relatively undersampled and constitute perhaps 1/5 of the gloval sample of fossil mysticetes. They also demonstrate this on a phylogeny, and while they don't discuss it much, it does show that the sampling is also taxonomically biased: many Eomysticetidae and eomysticetid-adjacent taxa are reported from New Zealand and show up as a cluster on the phylogeny, along with a number of late Neogene balaenopterids and cetotheriids all from South America. A key note here is that earlier studies reported a lack of earliest Miocene (Aquitanian stage) mysticetes worldwide, though this may simply be northern hemisphere bias.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><p class="MsoNormal">The new specimen represents the first "medium sized" toothless mysticete to evolve, with a body length estimated at 9 meters (slightly larger than a minke whale, slightly smaller than bryde's whales). The study further analyses southern and northern hemisphere mysticete body sizes separately, and surprisingly finds that southern hemisphere fossil mysticetes are on the whole larger bodied than their northern hemisphere counterparts, with very different "mean" values for each sample (not exactly calculated the same way as Bisconti et al., 2023, and Boessenecker and Geisler, 2023, above - a polynomial line of best fit for each scatterplot, I imagine since the age dates/ranges were not 'binned' as in the previous studies).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwSxu7kkl-sicZe-YeK8hl2nwASTb3xhgxPb5uLRJBR_lP0hFraPp95FaNmtTXXrZKWgClhkh-WCohetveJGyUKVoKIiyfI-KKeiEndkst85kzlDeMguSv-HjAyLRmmLcWuNF6hXWBcLtJn6k4mDCSiFryOyQxFgh_POzXcEAPxPDg2rlHXR62vjtlhM/s883/Rule%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="883" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwSxu7kkl-sicZe-YeK8hl2nwASTb3xhgxPb5uLRJBR_lP0hFraPp95FaNmtTXXrZKWgClhkh-WCohetveJGyUKVoKIiyfI-KKeiEndkst85kzlDeMguSv-HjAyLRmmLcWuNF6hXWBcLtJn6k4mDCSiFryOyQxFgh_POzXcEAPxPDg2rlHXR62vjtlhM/w400-h359/Rule%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /> Evolution of body size in Mysticeti: Rule et al. (2023) find evidence for a more gradual evolution of large and gigantic body size.</i><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Rule et al. propose that large body size evolved gradually and earlier in the southern hemisphere - likely driven by the setup of the circum-Antarctic current, strengthening of this current, and the relatively consistent availability of food provided by upwelling and high primary productivity enabled by the current - a long-standing idea proposed by the late Ewan Fordyce, and best outlined in Fordyce (2003). These authors point out that a northern hemisphere bias is largely responsible for the Plio-Pleistocene rapid onset of gigantism hypothesis (e.g. Slater et al., 2017) - and that the southern hemisphere sample smooths this out and instead supports a more gradual evolution of giant body sizes (e.g. Bianucci et al., 2019). They also point out that the loss of tiny mysticetes, common in the late Miocene, during the Pliocene-Pleistocene interval (they say 4 Ma, but I suspect this is far too old) may be a more paleo-ecologically reliable trend than the onset of gigantism (and as alluded to above, certainly distorts the average/mean body lengths during the late Neogene, prior to their extinctions).<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">While the specimen reported by Rule et al. is far from anatomically satisfying (so to speak), the study itself is fabulous and I really enjoyed the hemisphere-specific breakdown. What's next? I actually think some followup study on why tiny baleen whales were so tiny - ecological reasons and evaluating supposed physiological constraints on body size - and perhaps further analysis of the timing of dwarf baleen whale extinction over the past few million years - might be a good step forward. For my Australian colleagues: I've got some ideas about herpetocetines, let's talk =]<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>References</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
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Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-41835153802877803802023-12-07T15:45:00.002-07:002023-12-07T15:45:16.052-07:00Recent finds from lowcountry waterways - early November 2023<div><p>October was great at our new off-season locality, but things really started to take off in November - one of the best months of fossil collecting in my life. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHFXd9IsqI0xORmbw3JGXJ9erM1lLuxMGiQIbfcQkzfw2OYHXcYxNAl7jOLWPp4ldPrQ-5FZvrUbgxIZe_GyXRhQaVj_OTsuPWimvbBkc3nHkJvy4eUFjSHEsImuypkl2TG7SPvbOVxBToaUoTzE1DhrhXygHan84fEFuWc3YAOjPD7AZ2tWXVKH2cMY/s618/PXL_20231104_171419742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="618" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHFXd9IsqI0xORmbw3JGXJ9erM1lLuxMGiQIbfcQkzfw2OYHXcYxNAl7jOLWPp4ldPrQ-5FZvrUbgxIZe_GyXRhQaVj_OTsuPWimvbBkc3nHkJvy4eUFjSHEsImuypkl2TG7SPvbOVxBToaUoTzE1DhrhXygHan84fEFuWc3YAOjPD7AZ2tWXVKH2cMY/w400-h320/PXL_20231104_171419742.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A nice periotic of </i>Squalodon <i>proper! An actual, factual South Carolina </i>Squalodon <i>specimen. We've encountered a few teeth, but this is one of the first periotics that's been a good match. Tough to tell the difference from </i>Ankylorhiza<i>, though they are somewhat smaller. A bit eery that the periotic is highly convergent...</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6yu-pp8NItOZewADKoZmtHKbVkmtOpWYA4kLoDRW_9VTf7Pc1IFUz1DKY0XqPb-okga0WCOpUwC8kjip6RxR_CsuLSwkZWnChyiBteGencrYRLs3AEhUMvwEYrFkEXXz2KxHQVLnfxPny-pZ-9UZ6gF5Ex6v1tdidsIhJeuL8rVy2gHN69MKRo8MAW4/s1171/PXL_20231103_141428679.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="911" data-original-width="1171" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6yu-pp8NItOZewADKoZmtHKbVkmtOpWYA4kLoDRW_9VTf7Pc1IFUz1DKY0XqPb-okga0WCOpUwC8kjip6RxR_CsuLSwkZWnChyiBteGencrYRLs3AEhUMvwEYrFkEXXz2KxHQVLnfxPny-pZ-9UZ6gF5Ex6v1tdidsIhJeuL8rVy2gHN69MKRo8MAW4/w400-h311/PXL_20231103_141428679.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A rather large tooth fragment of a spotted eagle ray, </i>Aetobatus<i>. We usually just find chunks.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PMelagq8-sv1v_R8HR7ATF_row741YaNNA3iZqZqia9d9WOErZMMaPIzSw-SvLMlVX7iKECsBvgx0td5HAeBoWQTQ5JW_vV5HiKDaedkPu2liF_SEyRH3BevvtR0Ccsh_2eQ1ilwuLwuYuukWLe4aqxd2yM_b6Z8CAOID4IySAJ2j1J6m99Ey9jAACw/s713/PXL_20231103_150023781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="713" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PMelagq8-sv1v_R8HR7ATF_row741YaNNA3iZqZqia9d9WOErZMMaPIzSw-SvLMlVX7iKECsBvgx0td5HAeBoWQTQ5JW_vV5HiKDaedkPu2liF_SEyRH3BevvtR0Ccsh_2eQ1ilwuLwuYuukWLe4aqxd2yM_b6Z8CAOID4IySAJ2j1J6m99Ey9jAACw/w400-h355/PXL_20231103_150023781.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />A beautful posterior tooth of the ancestral megatoothed shark </i>Carcharocles angustidens - <i>look at how stubby this one is!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFLPR1or-C083uKNx16B3MLbQa9Rv97lbBNNoH0jZo0TRhYl7_l1FSIu3PiRTwGnfqA0rHYU65wPsNqSBn6HdYyJAIZ93ziZ7OPC51q2ENim-vAUyn39ykO2S3y6uONjIdFqDJJZvG2HvOTK9FnCrhgax-hGAS1paC_CLGkYHTi_q6R9QWVAn5JD3Bvs/s908/PXL_20231104_170850785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="908" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFLPR1or-C083uKNx16B3MLbQa9Rv97lbBNNoH0jZo0TRhYl7_l1FSIu3PiRTwGnfqA0rHYU65wPsNqSBn6HdYyJAIZ93ziZ7OPC51q2ENim-vAUyn39ykO2S3y6uONjIdFqDJJZvG2HvOTK9FnCrhgax-hGAS1paC_CLGkYHTi_q6R9QWVAn5JD3Bvs/w400-h314/PXL_20231104_170850785.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> A large sampling of snaggletooth specimens - </i>Hemipristis serra<i>.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-q87Tdb-5HrLi8dgV_08GDGUOdXZH3gLZNBmDhuf63npvAfTa8kuV3tCVZcWDJyw3C0mnqCAt5fFu3jSHB1VdPINffZFw6UfEnmcYNaJggpeJT5otoF95F8_gabKFxySPAeLU28v6UFtiiekeySCMuEQ_hCt2i4flnPulzboVlUxFGDZCB0GL0k4vf3A/s713/PXL_20231104_120726015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="713" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-q87Tdb-5HrLi8dgV_08GDGUOdXZH3gLZNBmDhuf63npvAfTa8kuV3tCVZcWDJyw3C0mnqCAt5fFu3jSHB1VdPINffZFw6UfEnmcYNaJggpeJT5otoF95F8_gabKFxySPAeLU28v6UFtiiekeySCMuEQ_hCt2i4flnPulzboVlUxFGDZCB0GL0k4vf3A/w400-h321/PXL_20231104_120726015.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_ocTCoXjaTNT4jUkgDyxulvEuS1AunbyS43jXnfAHpg2z4CVJc6Foia3qRNFBf8DW-rCjlLMGAu-iJp5YRD4NTNWOR7nrO7Q6qNy7bwzsc38s3_TAWW98riBJLpOWJtWbrC8q77rsqTzqoJzZseIqpwgIW0WPGzg977ZcTTJq-b0R9vQnEvQRtcyxko/s713/PXL_20231104_120707932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="713" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_ocTCoXjaTNT4jUkgDyxulvEuS1AunbyS43jXnfAHpg2z4CVJc6Foia3qRNFBf8DW-rCjlLMGAu-iJp5YRD4NTNWOR7nrO7Q6qNy7bwzsc38s3_TAWW98riBJLpOWJtWbrC8q77rsqTzqoJzZseIqpwgIW0WPGzg977ZcTTJq-b0R9vQnEvQRtcyxko/w400-h265/PXL_20231104_120707932.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKBngYqoezjukOWkKMG4TFBEEOmfW5ceY3norTIn7XQL3e5msAUGepndhwmVW7YqaqzLhz93kDUiN8PSIstlYr8YxO9Mumbs0uB3-eynSlbClIFDXi4OV4fiw6zaSicYLoxbjdkE1Wf_09L4k8H65R_p50_5A-RA-P6p9wghJk4TGYtemDZTIi7NHEFg/s713/PXL_20231104_120724535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="713" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKBngYqoezjukOWkKMG4TFBEEOmfW5ceY3norTIn7XQL3e5msAUGepndhwmVW7YqaqzLhz93kDUiN8PSIstlYr8YxO9Mumbs0uB3-eynSlbClIFDXi4OV4fiw6zaSicYLoxbjdkE1Wf_09L4k8H65R_p50_5A-RA-P6p9wghJk4TGYtemDZTIi7NHEFg/w400-h289/PXL_20231104_120724535.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></i><i> </i><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> We also had some great - but sobering - sightings of Tamenend's bottlenose dolphins (aka Altantic coastal bottlenose - </i>Tursiops erebennus<i>). This individual gave us an unparalleled sighting opportunity - but only because it was begging for food. Once it realized (after only about a minute) that we weren't tossing any shrimp or bycatch overboard (like the shrimpers just a few boat lengths away) it swam off into the harbor.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZKW-pOzBesYEyUfUeb4_4p-S_2I95YCkikUi43u4eBhhnPm-HmzaClcHl4wkSJ5V8uBUsZWBUTwCdZ4m6otj7oDFt0qqBWCAewffcEHvL1JP7srPJDv9sqyEUPDK0su4gh5HVlYppcBXGGGYps3_JkxS7mqTPJPR_TBovmhKgG2z4_JCG32hSipV9sE/s713/PXL_20231104_123214880.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="713" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZKW-pOzBesYEyUfUeb4_4p-S_2I95YCkikUi43u4eBhhnPm-HmzaClcHl4wkSJ5V8uBUsZWBUTwCdZ4m6otj7oDFt0qqBWCAewffcEHvL1JP7srPJDv9sqyEUPDK0su4gh5HVlYppcBXGGGYps3_JkxS7mqTPJPR_TBovmhKgG2z4_JCG32hSipV9sE/w400-h358/PXL_20231104_123214880.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>At one particular spot we tend to find a lot of lined sea stars, </i>Luidia clathrata<i>, at low tide. These are 'doomed pioneers' that venture above the low tide line on the sand flats and get stranded. I tossed about 15 of them back into the surf on this day in particular.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWP1oe-uOkuGeZsC_gITNGw-MKxwOVINecpkwWtBbMC_ufhuO2FCC97Uq0xYrfDoulkqSIai3jwk6St0lh7FEr8B3mhgvZBNCi_RtF9owlDm1RZvsmlM82yeBgVsvaXXafmijjeqDn3JhujOKwIgiQOzqohUEfvJihCJJDYGo6x990OSzJ7S3v5XnAPE/s641/PXL_20231104_123857944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="641" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWP1oe-uOkuGeZsC_gITNGw-MKxwOVINecpkwWtBbMC_ufhuO2FCC97Uq0xYrfDoulkqSIai3jwk6St0lh7FEr8B3mhgvZBNCi_RtF9owlDm1RZvsmlM82yeBgVsvaXXafmijjeqDn3JhujOKwIgiQOzqohUEfvJihCJJDYGo6x990OSzJ7S3v5XnAPE/w400-h330/PXL_20231104_123857944.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>This one was quite possibly the most frustrating false periotic I've ever come across. I actually filmed it, I swore it was going to be a delphinid periotic bone! Just a phosphate nodule with a rough trilobate outline and a cluster of holes looking like the endocranial foramina.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0SBBgzLr9rchpDtK35RhbmzxH9GxshnOGwO9o-1BHelQEBpANj1v-ELMGzf4yi7c_teklyBQ1e5mqkpWrNaTii-3JM1pOOs_od9uLzNvvTx7cw2Yc_VWfT8szT2pnyUBmQxPJDCbNWYKmPrgYTQWSB-GVC5BovFOgBlTQvYZrKRUXOHPhABiy6vC8Dw/s713/PXL_20231104_131117811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="713" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0SBBgzLr9rchpDtK35RhbmzxH9GxshnOGwO9o-1BHelQEBpANj1v-ELMGzf4yi7c_teklyBQ1e5mqkpWrNaTii-3JM1pOOs_od9uLzNvvTx7cw2Yc_VWfT8szT2pnyUBmQxPJDCbNWYKmPrgYTQWSB-GVC5BovFOgBlTQvYZrKRUXOHPhABiy6vC8Dw/w400-h338/PXL_20231104_131117811.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>A massive chunky horse tooth from the Pleistocene! Still has all the cementum on it, which is frequently spalled away.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RfDzu3pmxGMOuG9YkGUfCDFmW_49dLK4bL8WT_K57sO32CJlWYvMjXhqwh3urrqYvM05UJi6zHPF8qHQJrfMpG1T1mApnojckkD4CNJS9k-reBPpKfQIFPceHdBm9TitURYa_vU2eWlVc0-QNKA8seX8_o3NEOlFeNIS6MlUDTRqXmLMN-MUTlKzI6k/s1156/PXL_20231104_131700686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1156" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RfDzu3pmxGMOuG9YkGUfCDFmW_49dLK4bL8WT_K57sO32CJlWYvMjXhqwh3urrqYvM05UJi6zHPF8qHQJrfMpG1T1mApnojckkD4CNJS9k-reBPpKfQIFPceHdBm9TitURYa_vU2eWlVc0-QNKA8seX8_o3NEOlFeNIS6MlUDTRqXmLMN-MUTlKzI6k/w400-h269/PXL_20231104_131700686.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>At this locality there are tons of well-preserved steinkerns (internal molds) of ancient quahog clams (genus </i>Mercenaria<i>). So, we collected a bunch and I made a temporary art installation on the beach. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVo8LTPlq9P-byl3ga2u_xBNdOOgykzcehMhL7zacb0R4VKM94JRC9WX9tCWg3D-OQmPfsvw21xfa9QpvCJDqnlwTRK3ChId0y4v4QmLdhxa4R9gHLSKNLrNn5TLNuYN9B4zLP4o5IhwckWoNBIi_tYmaIUsVHoZR-7ue2DDfhoEcjG7wa_f6OwJyJRqk/s713/PXL_20231104_132739285.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="713" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVo8LTPlq9P-byl3ga2u_xBNdOOgykzcehMhL7zacb0R4VKM94JRC9WX9tCWg3D-OQmPfsvw21xfa9QpvCJDqnlwTRK3ChId0y4v4QmLdhxa4R9gHLSKNLrNn5TLNuYN9B4zLP4o5IhwckWoNBIi_tYmaIUsVHoZR-7ue2DDfhoEcjG7wa_f6OwJyJRqk/w400-h343/PXL_20231104_132739285.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>A Miocene earbone (tympanic bulla) of some kind of dolphin, probably (but uncertainly) a eurhinodelphinid.<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62ldQOXnMRPH1sv683Wif_u9vbiQnOQvipheKn9jtzbgx_CiCERyDMFhY1hSxo5K07IGdaLAxkoaUB_7fV0yWxPkLseJ7kKlET8iHIRalIV1ax7jqeZ2e0FS4RwjLkxHLarxHs1edUXuB0bkQXBkOxMiLRoZB7HoKo2fP8VqPf0GBfTBiOnnE5GJfnzE/s503/PXL_20231104_133030916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="503" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62ldQOXnMRPH1sv683Wif_u9vbiQnOQvipheKn9jtzbgx_CiCERyDMFhY1hSxo5K07IGdaLAxkoaUB_7fV0yWxPkLseJ7kKlET8iHIRalIV1ax7jqeZ2e0FS4RwjLkxHLarxHs1edUXuB0bkQXBkOxMiLRoZB7HoKo2fP8VqPf0GBfTBiOnnE5GJfnzE/w400-h238/PXL_20231104_133030916.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> A legend-class cutter operated by the US Coast Guard, spotted in Charleston harbor just near the main shipping channel - I think this could be the James, but there are several other cutters that are based out of Charleston: Hamilton, Stone, and Calhoun. That's 40% of the entire fleet! The only other port that operates as home base to four different cutters is also a place I call home: Alameda, California. Note that this thing is basically a lightly armed frigate - it's got a 57 mm Bofors deck gun on the bow and several antiaircraft guns. It's times like this when you remember that the US Coast Guard is officially a branch of the armed forces and a bit of a light navy.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwS1ynyM2TRMPYSYtCoLRpYlmO1Ozo30bYIBDV-IqRfkEnzKpxl3kV5buEbEKWI4WI5fdwX6yPsRbNH9zYJEh6ss0Wyh2Ft6MZXRyR4vngrJEStQD-EoN0eDeVD6D14OyH8ArA3Zinc8HEIfQS06j0XJX0kzgN4Pri6lLwQQIKT6ZdJIHViMiumQOszQ/s737/PXL_20231104_133735098.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="713" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwS1ynyM2TRMPYSYtCoLRpYlmO1Ozo30bYIBDV-IqRfkEnzKpxl3kV5buEbEKWI4WI5fdwX6yPsRbNH9zYJEh6ss0Wyh2Ft6MZXRyR4vngrJEStQD-EoN0eDeVD6D14OyH8ArA3Zinc8HEIfQS06j0XJX0kzgN4Pri6lLwQQIKT6ZdJIHViMiumQOszQ/s320/PXL_20231104_133735098.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><br /><i>A small lightning whelk (</i>Sinistrofulgur perversum<i>) in beautiful shape! These are rare, perhaps you find one lightning whelk shell for every ~25 or more knobbed whelks (</i>Busycon carica<i>). Knobbed whelks are the most common large gastropod along the Carolina coast.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0nKwMgkxGeOAQiEevH2XXz7zVcWcLvG1fQz4jn9ZUKdah66fWS4udrdHa2h6MEjMkwTCrnfgAmoIrbVtZkPeel01ZXtxFOfJS-s5zeIqeNVElXbbQVgSkjuKNUE4E3iOrLkxo5rrcqGa7m3iQyXfQurBCsYhpytKh7f7IzjEXRJf9NKltzMQRFonSXU8/s668/PXL_20231104_150317631.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="668" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0nKwMgkxGeOAQiEevH2XXz7zVcWcLvG1fQz4jn9ZUKdah66fWS4udrdHa2h6MEjMkwTCrnfgAmoIrbVtZkPeel01ZXtxFOfJS-s5zeIqeNVElXbbQVgSkjuKNUE4E3iOrLkxo5rrcqGa7m3iQyXfQurBCsYhpytKh7f7IzjEXRJf9NKltzMQRFonSXU8/w400-h301/PXL_20231104_150317631.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>A partial balaenopterid whale periotic - the pars cochlearis here has been busted off from the body of the periotic, showing us a great partial endocranial view of the cochlea - the spiral organ of hearing. This specimen has at least two complete turns of the cochlea.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQz0e3O6Sj6RWQAxyAJio9eBFnZiSvYUO-VqkBdK3cpfZFLWzlFOqQvzI6VS_lrbBkGjbOg5O72nq14s0hx3zDDOxepaCgjMw8-3lEeTK0no4J7W3w4UlFdhgeIBl4f6D90RdpY2ihFYZ7_8VuTQT0067oPTk-ee8w6mZ0XwADqWxLgrrKYOxb03ZJhE/s629/PXL_20231104_151159857.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="629" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQz0e3O6Sj6RWQAxyAJio9eBFnZiSvYUO-VqkBdK3cpfZFLWzlFOqQvzI6VS_lrbBkGjbOg5O72nq14s0hx3zDDOxepaCgjMw8-3lEeTK0no4J7W3w4UlFdhgeIBl4f6D90RdpY2ihFYZ7_8VuTQT0067oPTk-ee8w6mZ0XwADqWxLgrrKYOxb03ZJhE/w400-h349/PXL_20231104_151159857.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>A different periotic, and one that is also incomplete, but with an intact pars cochlearis. This is from an as-yet unidentified, but relatively common, early Miocene dolphin we keep finding - that bears similarities with an unpublished platanistoid dolphin from Europe.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOxvdEE54QImK6V_goROhRi_SdmGtkQCf-R4qGxJhu6xwpYumX4vA-JCnhPbRX52pPySjHA3tv69d0xO9pV6aH566GFydRYA3tjlak4DFJ_xd1-l2AkFEcJDJIjSJhD79OvUC-0-X14VoFzai6ZOLqbUq1s7eWkbGwcawILiVDNwnpfglKH5bThXDiBA/s710/PXL_20231104_155457640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="710" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOxvdEE54QImK6V_goROhRi_SdmGtkQCf-R4qGxJhu6xwpYumX4vA-JCnhPbRX52pPySjHA3tv69d0xO9pV6aH566GFydRYA3tjlak4DFJ_xd1-l2AkFEcJDJIjSJhD79OvUC-0-X14VoFzai6ZOLqbUq1s7eWkbGwcawILiVDNwnpfglKH5bThXDiBA/w400-h324/PXL_20231104_155457640.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>A megatoothed shark tooth in the sand (</i>Carcharocles <i>sp.).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZut_RaA4P2I8jjEfBjXbvSI7lCB0QB3_xwVfSteGguUfn-FUl8DYaVVmveBFVboOarEpsGxnJrjTC2OVMX2q5shWylVoarGUflFJmFDqd8YF1XAM-UkX6ihRlCpvEdyYb15mTgL1aqQ_up6FFY4h-UZ_vSU6iVpban_xfOqC1tLfOul3Frn8xhIMqtLU/s1159/PXL_20231104_170838525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1159" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZut_RaA4P2I8jjEfBjXbvSI7lCB0QB3_xwVfSteGguUfn-FUl8DYaVVmveBFVboOarEpsGxnJrjTC2OVMX2q5shWylVoarGUflFJmFDqd8YF1XAM-UkX6ihRlCpvEdyYb15mTgL1aqQ_up6FFY4h-UZ_vSU6iVpban_xfOqC1tLfOul3Frn8xhIMqtLU/w400-h313/PXL_20231104_170838525.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>A decent haul from one of our longer days out there (Ashby sorting fossils on right).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKi-541BaQnAOJp61RLfonBMeGD1ggM2DYCnNjBm-y1r2PyUwY3VuRF8OSmB8Da-L_CuoCHXUeGcEi3HGKRz4SERiJfBKkDK6xDs9qpQJ3LnwdS6DuCnFDQUyHUOiph4fx-tyfzcYBIIkbfbk9r0LzAda2R2OdLwC9RACYamcLsj9U7Y5NZh844qbPoCc/s985/PXL_20231105_161452363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="985" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKi-541BaQnAOJp61RLfonBMeGD1ggM2DYCnNjBm-y1r2PyUwY3VuRF8OSmB8Da-L_CuoCHXUeGcEi3HGKRz4SERiJfBKkDK6xDs9qpQJ3LnwdS6DuCnFDQUyHUOiph4fx-tyfzcYBIIkbfbk9r0LzAda2R2OdLwC9RACYamcLsj9U7Y5NZh844qbPoCc/w400-h284/PXL_20231105_161452363.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>Some of my favorite finds are those that others clearly walked right by. Here's a partial </i>Carcharocles megalodon <i>tooth right next to someone's bootprint!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7a8nGEaW_vkgiHcTFEBdCNfwZVJDIL7202OU47l9fE844uhMZikeu5GdffIRkLOE2WVrhtQm5zyfuRjyKx-tx-YpTmiVpsL9tntl-OWtvJNp9ZCAMOcLB6bVadsj61kVMZ5Rln0RXV9EF0PdYQ1NiNCXwOR9Ojq_a3-PU0ZbUe7NhZtL1z-Q_8rQAb0/s581/PXL_20231110_142501636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="581" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7a8nGEaW_vkgiHcTFEBdCNfwZVJDIL7202OU47l9fE844uhMZikeu5GdffIRkLOE2WVrhtQm5zyfuRjyKx-tx-YpTmiVpsL9tntl-OWtvJNp9ZCAMOcLB6bVadsj61kVMZ5Rln0RXV9EF0PdYQ1NiNCXwOR9Ojq_a3-PU0ZbUe7NhZtL1z-Q_8rQAb0/w400-h384/PXL_20231110_142501636.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A megatoothed shark tooth poking out of wet sand (</i>Carcharocles angustidens/chubutensis<i>).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSg87p_akfsRrtBnlEks5k57cyBHD9ZKKijAktaVxhznFby1_uobyXBuAqH8x22vfxt8wUSJnmtkrSYMmR10bKuIgUD3OSTfOWHLPZ2BpRL6fKKxULlCYC3ETU0jrbClKM6Od9nIbBV92p4k7wzqr34ITlbwHZEOMKwp4S111Ki3rZ-6hxswCIZ_M40io/s713/PXL_20231110_152745351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="713" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSg87p_akfsRrtBnlEks5k57cyBHD9ZKKijAktaVxhznFby1_uobyXBuAqH8x22vfxt8wUSJnmtkrSYMmR10bKuIgUD3OSTfOWHLPZ2BpRL6fKKxULlCYC3ETU0jrbClKM6Od9nIbBV92p4k7wzqr34ITlbwHZEOMKwp4S111Ki3rZ-6hxswCIZ_M40io/w400-h350/PXL_20231110_152745351.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>Extruded sand from some kind of invertebrate - I think, based on prior reading, that this is from some sort of large burrowing annelid worm.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEcDMUeIYA2ZMI8yBJMahmMudNJKLeJWDIic_KKf3IY8rIZc1kPcB91CXjlROoLigmYaEqztSehnuSHj7X77MG_efGkpEVflm4-gZhoEm9Wdw-z-UCgdx7aPIpqlV6vjFaGyZMxacpUARSl5Ejah88bPPdjZVrUwihRVKYHcy-5CRmiTIIJHhDnXf_rg/s563/PXL_20231110_150559030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="563" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEcDMUeIYA2ZMI8yBJMahmMudNJKLeJWDIic_KKf3IY8rIZc1kPcB91CXjlROoLigmYaEqztSehnuSHj7X77MG_efGkpEVflm4-gZhoEm9Wdw-z-UCgdx7aPIpqlV6vjFaGyZMxacpUARSl5Ejah88bPPdjZVrUwihRVKYHcy-5CRmiTIIJHhDnXf_rg/w400-h334/PXL_20231110_150559030.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>A juvenile tooth of </i>Carcharocles megalodon<i> in a few millimeters of water.<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKVd32IFeqWtAJwrqhYyAgTUfImznsrWwL0szvd73w9OOF96sV1-ZD78QE3vDRkX42_if_HiMGWqxBGWQ8k_SNvo9LjKVG_ORPpgXSdOod58TDTXTCDJqt1psNg15f7vtKa4VjYKFLU4VfXHNcPUJzVWd8zWgkYw3ZotRd0meYxmEum2puBsDIgrMOgk/s681/PXL_20231110_155935130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="681" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKVd32IFeqWtAJwrqhYyAgTUfImznsrWwL0szvd73w9OOF96sV1-ZD78QE3vDRkX42_if_HiMGWqxBGWQ8k_SNvo9LjKVG_ORPpgXSdOod58TDTXTCDJqt1psNg15f7vtKa4VjYKFLU4VfXHNcPUJzVWd8zWgkYw3ZotRd0meYxmEum2puBsDIgrMOgk/w400-h309/PXL_20231110_155935130.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Ashby called me over as he understands my inordinate fondness for intertidal invertebrates: a mantis shrimp! Based on a quick search on Inaturalist, this looks like it might be a juvenile West Atlantic Mantis Shrimp (</i>Squilla empusa<i>).</i> <i>I carried it to the water in a large shell, but dared not get my fingers close! I'm much too attached to them. My fingers that is, not invertebrates.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoK4kkSjOibXBryq-piKr1oo0qU-PU7p8yhCyZHQKsqnkf3OvdbxNO3sg3GAnsrNUf8Km4Q54w89DjzjcMUAR2p1fjiib44z_8w3PrQmGTIKeiWiIApv15Xo5FPOf6C6RLtPT64KAKGPqaH1vrGHtqIZLx_BO1Bwe4o2CZkVOp9pXcoyRwWD_kX9b_BE/s575/PXL_20231110_155544278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="575" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoK4kkSjOibXBryq-piKr1oo0qU-PU7p8yhCyZHQKsqnkf3OvdbxNO3sg3GAnsrNUf8Km4Q54w89DjzjcMUAR2p1fjiib44z_8w3PrQmGTIKeiWiIApv15Xo5FPOf6C6RLtPT64KAKGPqaH1vrGHtqIZLx_BO1Bwe4o2CZkVOp9pXcoyRwWD_kX9b_BE/w400-h346/PXL_20231110_155544278.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> A robust tiger shark tooth - </i>Galeocerdo cuvier<i>, from the Pliocene.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6iOZ3-MYZWXaeG15ofUZIiSLf3rolGVeolTDJQoDIFNVCo_Qx0hgmVeBqq3XC2NPxzXfSxRuJAeMqfV9JBmNgJicioIiVsEBvJS2FXdrMWpYhxoARUJwqiO9ZX3mY_Tvgi9h-mLnF6ClO__QP4QCZfrM9Chz2TE9rFiS7LM_Sk0RH-GQSuOmbTvh5xyg/s713/PXL_20231110_174054669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="713" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6iOZ3-MYZWXaeG15ofUZIiSLf3rolGVeolTDJQoDIFNVCo_Qx0hgmVeBqq3XC2NPxzXfSxRuJAeMqfV9JBmNgJicioIiVsEBvJS2FXdrMWpYhxoARUJwqiO9ZX3mY_Tvgi9h-mLnF6ClO__QP4QCZfrM9Chz2TE9rFiS7LM_Sk0RH-GQSuOmbTvh5xyg/w400-h384/PXL_20231110_174054669.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />A colorful sea whip (</i>Leptogorgia virgulata<i>) - these quite commonly wash up along certain places in the harbor. This species</i> <i>can be yellow or magenta. Sea whips are gorgonians - soft corals, aka octocorals - and are closely related to the sea fans, their more famous tropical cousins.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmU-sFPJMVNOOPB8RgjmQtHbnVP0iVVKibi6hACFLz4DBCwZZjYxHmbv09FXEwqH2Nmphu6vg4xEywi6UfuZO5RPfQYf7YGB46SZw5UuGkOPGzqP3p5XHVxGKovbg_ALoDM_s-cBGso49StzJw_zGSvw2xqhrrwtdYjiXc5SlyCqo40mOKf5l7F4z9ys/s713/PXL_20231110_162259869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="713" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmU-sFPJMVNOOPB8RgjmQtHbnVP0iVVKibi6hACFLz4DBCwZZjYxHmbv09FXEwqH2Nmphu6vg4xEywi6UfuZO5RPfQYf7YGB46SZw5UuGkOPGzqP3p5XHVxGKovbg_ALoDM_s-cBGso49StzJw_zGSvw2xqhrrwtdYjiXc5SlyCqo40mOKf5l7F4z9ys/w400-h326/PXL_20231110_162259869.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></i><i> <br />A juvenile </i>Carcharocles chubutensis <i>tooth - possibly </i>Carcharocles angustidens<i>, as these two species really grade together around the Oligocene-Miocene boundary.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6LR6TXLEfTDE9YcFz9GgFnGW9-6ReizBr3gJbLiTlOPZ-XhWdZoHOrJgw6B68ktN6oxF7kbPoXZpaEfu6ijrt9epILv9U8cRX3G_Uwsbzn16RpfkYE8V1Hk_NhaAU6RKdQ7lTKswtDbWgfrAcuc5oqWd8Bvd9ULhFRtCKutjb-UrCVIB34_biu-PtWU/s1258/PXL_20231110_194106914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6LR6TXLEfTDE9YcFz9GgFnGW9-6ReizBr3gJbLiTlOPZ-XhWdZoHOrJgw6B68ktN6oxF7kbPoXZpaEfu6ijrt9epILv9U8cRX3G_Uwsbzn16RpfkYE8V1Hk_NhaAU6RKdQ7lTKswtDbWgfrAcuc5oqWd8Bvd9ULhFRtCKutjb-UrCVIB34_biu-PtWU/w400-h301/PXL_20231110_194106914.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />A veritable smorgasbord of fossils from one of our better days out on the harbor.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17o1YOJ-y-vZGj_-vl6lHVRfySxVqgaH6HhcR_rdRjKA3v1wsWfVI95EbBp1_zyTxiYTBCD3J9-azV5ut37Oa5vzVgETV9aGj3NHcjhv2quRw_dlraqqcT2_-SjgXH9iPKlpaGHB5xTzkpqtJctyhb96uIFB-vhfsGCcDBHTYhYluF6hr1BuO8-0Pje8/s656/PXL_20231110_195553074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="656" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17o1YOJ-y-vZGj_-vl6lHVRfySxVqgaH6HhcR_rdRjKA3v1wsWfVI95EbBp1_zyTxiYTBCD3J9-azV5ut37Oa5vzVgETV9aGj3NHcjhv2quRw_dlraqqcT2_-SjgXH9iPKlpaGHB5xTzkpqtJctyhb96uIFB-vhfsGCcDBHTYhYluF6hr1BuO8-0Pje8/w400-h333/PXL_20231110_195553074.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> A stingray- or skate-bitten dugong rib! These traces are formed by batoids with pointy teeth and which draw their bite posteriorly, rasping away flesh from a bone.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> <br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpRYDVqOAhGyvAwMOChyO2phlkQCzjEpJ7ul-lcPJx6I7NgE-L37xc0js5QrTnEn0FPXkaL2i9korUz0fyINyRYCUxdQ0VRBGMbF5xScFQNs6co2ZzPWiN1hwQW2rrwWjBzpRs18hQ4F5pxvFo5l_hs_nmoawg9mkcAcOoh2FdDPePb-HJdSMm9q4Nnw/s713/PXL_20231110_194900150.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="713" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpRYDVqOAhGyvAwMOChyO2phlkQCzjEpJ7ul-lcPJx6I7NgE-L37xc0js5QrTnEn0FPXkaL2i9korUz0fyINyRYCUxdQ0VRBGMbF5xScFQNs6co2ZzPWiN1hwQW2rrwWjBzpRs18hQ4F5pxvFo5l_hs_nmoawg9mkcAcOoh2FdDPePb-HJdSMm9q4Nnw/w400-h358/PXL_20231110_194900150.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A large snaggletooth specimen (</i>Hemipristis serra<i>) propped up between two oyster shells. <br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn5DQtKdUpR_at1t8TU3f4jn9Sa__6MiUtqMFO86utvnPFToirqto6PyGVwvJSOOqsn7-FJLrpGSFHbhnIVxcXVThDXezu34oEJypaBbUG8Lz9Cbegkbzn0wPFzlonMwkcgUP0cRiqj4tdhhJk1bVMNwwf7RMpdMpzrY8vqiWlxDcEjCid3_IC0fiCA4/s1147/PXL_20231110_195834547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1147" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn5DQtKdUpR_at1t8TU3f4jn9Sa__6MiUtqMFO86utvnPFToirqto6PyGVwvJSOOqsn7-FJLrpGSFHbhnIVxcXVThDXezu34oEJypaBbUG8Lz9Cbegkbzn0wPFzlonMwkcgUP0cRiqj4tdhhJk1bVMNwwf7RMpdMpzrY8vqiWlxDcEjCid3_IC0fiCA4/w400-h299/PXL_20231110_195834547.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />We had one day out there where we found nine different cetacean earbones! Most were partial bullae, but there's an unusual mysticete periotic in there, a good waipatiid periotic, an acid-digested xenorophid bulla, and a pygmy sperm whale bulla. </i><br /></div><br /><div><p><br /></p></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-44762414144643832042023-12-02T08:19:00.001-07:002023-12-02T08:19:09.915-07:00Sampling microvertebrate fossils from the early Oligocene Ashley Formation (Rupelian)<div><p>One of our sites we visit for Charleston Fossil Adventures has proven time and again to be full of surprises - mostly little surprises. Well, big surprises, science-wise, that happen to be physically small. Most of the large fossil shark teeth are from a small minority of species but make up the bulk of the fossils that are found - which is called collection bias. Simply put, it's easier to spot large fossils. Small fossils - especially small shark teeth - frequently get damaged more rapidly and perhaps are more difficult to find in a condition that is well-suited for scientific study. This is preservation bias. Critically, the majority of sharks in any fauna are rather small with tiny teeth - and there are a few gentle giants out there with absurdly tiny teeth (e.g. whale, basking, and megamouth sharks, manta/mobula rays) that you will never find if you're only going after the big trophy specimens. You're probably missing out on over 75% of a fauna unless you're looking for small teeth.<br /></p><p>At this locality, there are loads of tiny teeth that have weathered out of relatively friable dredge spoils of the Ashley Formation - normally this rock unit is quite hard (indurated) and teeth often break as they are weathering out of limestone blocks. But at this spot, the dredging dug into what must have been an unusually soft and crumbly exposure - we do find teeth with matrix attached, but they're typically in good shape, and we find loads of small teeth amongst crumbly carbonate sand. That solves the preservation bias issue. To solve collections bias, we go out to this locality with knee pads and stare at it from a few inches away - as well as screen the matrix and pick through it for microvertebrate remains. As we've done this, we've added a bunch of species to the faunal list for the Ashley Formation - and possibly discovered some fossil shark species that are new, or the first occurrence of the genus in the fossil record ever.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3i-SrkUIsd2tsK16G2HH-EnX9NtIo0dHyMyVDhXplroXWEcIM0HM_3GnnW-5g6REXx6i-vvP3hWhN8ZwBh2YXwRl63BRmrAMttN1Z5YOFctNXlcVkOYA93h9HMwnyDluMsvMlxUiBwefwWc2uyBJ_LOazeFjlyj_GgbWXMQ9gCQYfqVKpSZHfnjao9eE/s1263/PXL_20231101_133036516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3i-SrkUIsd2tsK16G2HH-EnX9NtIo0dHyMyVDhXplroXWEcIM0HM_3GnnW-5g6REXx6i-vvP3hWhN8ZwBh2YXwRl63BRmrAMttN1Z5YOFctNXlcVkOYA93h9HMwnyDluMsvMlxUiBwefwWc2uyBJ_LOazeFjlyj_GgbWXMQ9gCQYfqVKpSZHfnjao9eE/w400-h300/PXL_20231101_133036516.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Ashby, Sarah, and I heading on down the river to the spot. </i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEarCMPwzt8PJmXlqT9SK_VsT3_5Meha4mCRtoLgvVKmw33hyjEa_vYVV2x-zMMBZg-EsEkXND5hyOq13FV7v8Bn3xRLbgAj2urbDHORxho3RhV6BRzLTEeMvnLz4Gq5RB7M8GyCKxZoUNhvoSOpWRSzXBS-9eTBBfv3uPuYLFxRYgC94GWkZpuyw2mTk/s1258/PXL_20231101_134823287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEarCMPwzt8PJmXlqT9SK_VsT3_5Meha4mCRtoLgvVKmw33hyjEa_vYVV2x-zMMBZg-EsEkXND5hyOq13FV7v8Bn3xRLbgAj2urbDHORxho3RhV6BRzLTEeMvnLz4Gq5RB7M8GyCKxZoUNhvoSOpWRSzXBS-9eTBBfv3uPuYLFxRYgC94GWkZpuyw2mTk/w400-h301/PXL_20231101_134823287.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> It started off as a chilly morning - hence the chest waders - I was in a tank top by lunchtime. 20 mph wind, but blocked that day by the copse of trees. Given the strong, direct sunlight, Ashby tried collecting for a while in the shade underneath an umbrella. Sarah and I went for the direct approach. Collecting micros from the surface on a cloudy day is a bit easier, since there's no harsh shadows. At some quarries, the only way to find certain fossils is to hunt in your shadow.<br /></i></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZHa4SOP6-_gSwXCNTzy5xgAFzd7YTnnyUEVrTtzqQV2uoL0rVQZwdrjdSgeJw7z3A8HKsIX2tb5Gdzhu6DHPxItL_8wpykPluvrFSPUqUxZxFVmLto7WZkQ_MTGB8UH_Cn3U0j26yisMaOJN8GusJWV3qp_j4UFnZtjch-2sPay8SJrAPS1fSwIShh8/s1258/PXL_20231101_140550989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZHa4SOP6-_gSwXCNTzy5xgAFzd7YTnnyUEVrTtzqQV2uoL0rVQZwdrjdSgeJw7z3A8HKsIX2tb5Gdzhu6DHPxItL_8wpykPluvrFSPUqUxZxFVmLto7WZkQ_MTGB8UH_Cn3U0j26yisMaOJN8GusJWV3qp_j4UFnZtjch-2sPay8SJrAPS1fSwIShh8/w400-h301/PXL_20231101_140550989.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A beautiful blood red tooth of the extinct devil ray </i>Plinthicus stenodon<i>.</i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjRj7aAwJIsVhlTdCwRoN0lna7B4i1x9zR3thNsf9NVQI-4jqrSxlAhItX6WkuiuI87cIj3GLRG5zIWdIVFFZxBiTaddrf7V8Ae5qMNeIavekA4SVmd7BdR1JKoGtoBwo6gBzVNBx4q2aEakqCF8a0vt_69V0AD1zfu2z1jm1xM6J7bLqRR8Io0dcBRo/s621/PXL_20231101_140900903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="621" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjRj7aAwJIsVhlTdCwRoN0lna7B4i1x9zR3thNsf9NVQI-4jqrSxlAhItX6WkuiuI87cIj3GLRG5zIWdIVFFZxBiTaddrf7V8Ae5qMNeIavekA4SVmd7BdR1JKoGtoBwo6gBzVNBx4q2aEakqCF8a0vt_69V0AD1zfu2z1jm1xM6J7bLqRR8Io0dcBRo/w400-h345/PXL_20231101_140900903.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>That same tooth of </i>Plinthicus<i>. Incredible colors!</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRC3NtLqzsD9zD3ePuY675oCtrpXEaaHG3uJ4LMaajubsmWZ1DtaFHY9ZTy7BL9QmGmfMZMMNgLrOyRnxVNP0_VHtSXHtxU0O_B8eBo2e_k02SCViykfPUscHAy_pFpRNOvJKAXhlCT32mUneTSwiRqILB5LpHfAhO6A8vb3usRKb8zVQnAh_1LuzYe0E/s1258/PXL_20231101_143126526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRC3NtLqzsD9zD3ePuY675oCtrpXEaaHG3uJ4LMaajubsmWZ1DtaFHY9ZTy7BL9QmGmfMZMMNgLrOyRnxVNP0_VHtSXHtxU0O_B8eBo2e_k02SCViykfPUscHAy_pFpRNOvJKAXhlCT32mUneTSwiRqILB5LpHfAhO6A8vb3usRKb8zVQnAh_1LuzYe0E/w400-h301/PXL_20231101_143126526.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A teensy, tiny little burrfish (Chilomycterus) tooth plate. Not sure if this is Pliocene contamination.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIgJ5qCdstrZW4M7j62HZce3dX29cyXcBjqw8qBcRAGhoHazS6l18-xyU_sZ7fglE36k_fHfsVGyy9TiV-XpJI4x8wZZHY26LR5wgcTI7IkvMQe3SmAODpbiB9FqJ6t5QxzEEdKbtRPf09DJqxxzT2tVUAZWbD5jYDLSRmZ9FGU7FXH0lOBjwaFMZHpw/s1258/PXL_20231101_145742850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIgJ5qCdstrZW4M7j62HZce3dX29cyXcBjqw8qBcRAGhoHazS6l18-xyU_sZ7fglE36k_fHfsVGyy9TiV-XpJI4x8wZZHY26LR5wgcTI7IkvMQe3SmAODpbiB9FqJ6t5QxzEEdKbtRPf09DJqxxzT2tVUAZWbD5jYDLSRmZ9FGU7FXH0lOBjwaFMZHpw/w400-h301/PXL_20231101_145742850.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> A tiny little orange tooth! Let's take a closer look.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jzJeMaXIpj6XQvt2WtlqnFAMi0oyuIBBj7enw_bfgqdDhNSk6432tsVN7vxDJJmr1lu0vuG5g29d1glfrjYFgfWDJS8Yf-xdn-QJV1ccJqFvVLwUKR2fZHKJeHm9Am5oNUtmI_YVGGV2AuSDYAIolfWHRP1tpIRbgszZ7JG0TvyDTj5P7F3ixoyeGtE/s1258/PXL_20231101_145750236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jzJeMaXIpj6XQvt2WtlqnFAMi0oyuIBBj7enw_bfgqdDhNSk6432tsVN7vxDJJmr1lu0vuG5g29d1glfrjYFgfWDJS8Yf-xdn-QJV1ccJqFvVLwUKR2fZHKJeHm9Am5oNUtmI_YVGGV2AuSDYAIolfWHRP1tpIRbgszZ7JG0TvyDTj5P7F3ixoyeGtE/w400-h301/PXL_20231101_145750236.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />It's a tooth of </i>Dasyatis <i>- a very large tooth (roughly 2mm wide) of a large adult female stingray. Male teeth are frequently smaller and have a pointed crown, whereas the crown is blunt and low in females. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdgb0rJLWSCkLXBIvIgTmk1y7NFqMmjCjdc5pJBse0akVrqTdQsumW1nc8wsrjemCq0bRPtii4wraB66oLgWW3MYCQrFDXcY6fMSXstWOpn2_M3MiTPEEbogXc5eobVZb5eO9hhniY4y8NcFRzROwgUYFcfO56ZqT79ua4vqnuRRJ3V50guAvr_qms5ds/s1258/PXL_20231101_151431860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdgb0rJLWSCkLXBIvIgTmk1y7NFqMmjCjdc5pJBse0akVrqTdQsumW1nc8wsrjemCq0bRPtii4wraB66oLgWW3MYCQrFDXcY6fMSXstWOpn2_M3MiTPEEbogXc5eobVZb5eO9hhniY4y8NcFRzROwgUYFcfO56ZqT79ua4vqnuRRJ3V50guAvr_qms5ds/w400-h301/PXL_20231101_151431860.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>Sarah inching along the sandbar - and being followed closely by the advancing tide.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrBMYr8teglZGCc3pP62Ty7hdodyIilMgTi0eOZLTCBtFSa-uG6XpRziPnjUB9lkFESVz2N_XsFV7Hxd1Bp_HLifxMlGF97xQASM7fTBMJW6XJAeT7XTUQBsTD3QBx4phSfeZ86EH5l53cfPsRB8zZLucdzC6nOKFHYECBCn1i6K1CcH9lJXSEKdgqZE/s1258/PXL_20231101_153117424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrBMYr8teglZGCc3pP62Ty7hdodyIilMgTi0eOZLTCBtFSa-uG6XpRziPnjUB9lkFESVz2N_XsFV7Hxd1Bp_HLifxMlGF97xQASM7fTBMJW6XJAeT7XTUQBsTD3QBx4phSfeZ86EH5l53cfPsRB8zZLucdzC6nOKFHYECBCn1i6K1CcH9lJXSEKdgqZE/w400-h301/PXL_20231101_153117424.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A rostral spine of </i>Pristiophorus <i>- a sawshark! Not to be confused with sawfish, which are also known (but, as yet, unreported) from Oligocene rocks of the Charleston Embayment. Pristiophorus is known from a single oral tooth, but we've found loads of the rostral spines from this location - at least 20, and ALL found this year! Sawsharks are extraordinarily rare in the Atlantic coastal plain fossil record.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjriU3wD3gRZp5Dopy_hilqOtEyNYYzn4yRgvCSAXrIwuEtk0ddNQFZtdzB22PVYE006FDCdfCHBzrF0LpyzfkNYm28_8yJP5Rmi4Q1dOI6921ybD0tp6vWLpETOD4LJf9_ydP0Y9r3uunxfAjjRPPZOUjxRMLUIdP3YfWZovHv1PW3obQMbsM_ml2twc/s690/PXL_20231101_162247240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="690" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjriU3wD3gRZp5Dopy_hilqOtEyNYYzn4yRgvCSAXrIwuEtk0ddNQFZtdzB22PVYE006FDCdfCHBzrF0LpyzfkNYm28_8yJP5Rmi4Q1dOI6921ybD0tp6vWLpETOD4LJf9_ydP0Y9r3uunxfAjjRPPZOUjxRMLUIdP3YfWZovHv1PW3obQMbsM_ml2twc/w400-h326/PXL_20231101_162247240.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>Screening matrix from the very top of the sand bar - convenient at high tide.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogzIKICPBpMpywpymSQ-5W0aGtsHCGsmdsjZ_ECfNAmgHHFpCjgL1-zx2ULp5MYxY2f35VmX9mC9Zvxtzth_LYr-9NjpHxFZdhUdRhNXtFcpKvVLZ-N2aw-ngxta10A31u4tANPR7c__WSygg6E9HYPd5T4XhQoU-kwnJiVllbKxYS5k3qQLI5D9mAJk/s1258/PXL_20231107_190248090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogzIKICPBpMpywpymSQ-5W0aGtsHCGsmdsjZ_ECfNAmgHHFpCjgL1-zx2ULp5MYxY2f35VmX9mC9Zvxtzth_LYr-9NjpHxFZdhUdRhNXtFcpKvVLZ-N2aw-ngxta10A31u4tANPR7c__WSygg6E9HYPd5T4XhQoU-kwnJiVllbKxYS5k3qQLI5D9mAJk/w400-h301/PXL_20231107_190248090.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>Sarah joined Ashby, Mike, and I for a staff day at Ashby's picking through all the matrix we had screened.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1aVpu4lgi3WFvGR1Dw5BEUo1fPm1d8i5t3nCxIoj8k2WjDBuKlTWNbNDokFbPTnmymxWTxjFcR8TIOtzOpREqZE7hEloGbAt2CmzFNSHgRr0Hm8q3I9YpAoQ8zFznfmka0NZa_IiqL1yvipq_vgOnw2jGGSDwTJlApxsn6wCWcW-1qwF2wKyDD1PaCU/s1258/PXL_20231107_190258338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1aVpu4lgi3WFvGR1Dw5BEUo1fPm1d8i5t3nCxIoj8k2WjDBuKlTWNbNDokFbPTnmymxWTxjFcR8TIOtzOpREqZE7hEloGbAt2CmzFNSHgRr0Hm8q3I9YpAoQ8zFznfmka0NZa_IiqL1yvipq_vgOnw2jGGSDwTJlApxsn6wCWcW-1qwF2wKyDD1PaCU/w400-h301/PXL_20231107_190258338.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>More picking - we picked hundreds of teeth, bones, and denticles out of about 60 lbs of screened concentrate.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsu7ppKAAb0-lbxjcpZsgGrSPLQCOwsnQFQI5oYBlH0ILVLwr6SHJ4Wr5gtcSADUtkGS-AE9-XErTjkG-dZasP3GSFyhpN2qlMEpFNgWSqwC3R5zRdCDeU-PwFO3bXnzm3AcWsNmrUhZL_kpqfa1kYynENb3OKCVzUDCobJCKVQAI9tX2f4zNiV4H3ik/s947/PXL_20231108_160444864.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="947" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsu7ppKAAb0-lbxjcpZsgGrSPLQCOwsnQFQI5oYBlH0ILVLwr6SHJ4Wr5gtcSADUtkGS-AE9-XErTjkG-dZasP3GSFyhpN2qlMEpFNgWSqwC3R5zRdCDeU-PwFO3bXnzm3AcWsNmrUhZL_kpqfa1kYynENb3OKCVzUDCobJCKVQAI9tX2f4zNiV4H3ik/w400-h301/PXL_20231108_160444864.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>We returned the following week and found this very large "fish otolith" - actually a roasted pumpkinseed left on the beach by Sarah the prior week. She said "I told you guys I accidentally left at least a couple behind!"</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithWVOs6rvePlRG9JuJExhNjVZBsI8c_gR-BPMJvJ-tYE2_Y2OFGAJGPAXayzewHywkzNtxLiu3FNXalLgVFofY8P9CH9dSgv0DrmcOiTxoMrGhrW6OkEk55BXr-5lV0YCPFtILYfWTCT9DXE49eBreno88rUap9faAk7ATYTzo1SUs_6LkP4U7yOgE08/s1258/PXL_20231108_183644145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithWVOs6rvePlRG9JuJExhNjVZBsI8c_gR-BPMJvJ-tYE2_Y2OFGAJGPAXayzewHywkzNtxLiu3FNXalLgVFofY8P9CH9dSgv0DrmcOiTxoMrGhrW6OkEk55BXr-5lV0YCPFtILYfWTCT9DXE49eBreno88rUap9faAk7ATYTzo1SUs_6LkP4U7yOgE08/w400-h301/PXL_20231108_183644145.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>We decided to take the coarser screened fraction of the sample and just dry it out on the paddleboard, since we could pick through it in a matter of minutes - negating the need to haul all this back home.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwEZ70yUVw68xT_FXxewq__0bY__aWNEu4SCewwnHB5eCwqsE4FJ4uQsTLntQ9Hs2Bzod7P2nRqyUFQ97bydOdTObZDeTw941qhJ1laGaqvuHyjemBt8YyI0nnI783BSIDwVK0bqTJkne4BpTYM2cxlv_2oyF6hIOBBrckS3p14NurSRh-tUzZEowiGw/s1258/PXL_20231108_184027646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwEZ70yUVw68xT_FXxewq__0bY__aWNEu4SCewwnHB5eCwqsE4FJ4uQsTLntQ9Hs2Bzod7P2nRqyUFQ97bydOdTObZDeTw941qhJ1laGaqvuHyjemBt8YyI0nnI783BSIDwVK0bqTJkne4BpTYM2cxlv_2oyF6hIOBBrckS3p14NurSRh-tUzZEowiGw/w400-h301/PXL_20231108_184027646.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>And more picking from the coarse sample.</i></div></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-44892648164686782412023-11-26T18:46:00.002-07:002023-11-26T18:46:34.848-07:00Recent finds from lowcountry waterways - late October 2023<div style="text-align: left;">Second out of three posts for October fossil discoveries - October was a good month for several reasons, despite getting covid (for the second time) at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP).</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDT_fNA7FBtnPxtsUKtvJ0KerDCX5tjtHo7tvskwjAkgMkptyvoQ7PcnyYDQGEV63r6OROFJrGs2Spzf49YPEB9pBPcS6Ky7eM46MtR0VYVD22zpObiowqU0m3pjGVq-CMFlhD-eYTocYI3tuWp26c0O-3pZEwkU-QcMgOus9RkX_V0wCBVHCnM2LECo/s947/PXL_20231031_153832381.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDT_fNA7FBtnPxtsUKtvJ0KerDCX5tjtHo7tvskwjAkgMkptyvoQ7PcnyYDQGEV63r6OROFJrGs2Spzf49YPEB9pBPcS6Ky7eM46MtR0VYVD22zpObiowqU0m3pjGVq-CMFlhD-eYTocYI3tuWp26c0O-3pZEwkU-QcMgOus9RkX_V0wCBVHCnM2LECo/w300-h400/PXL_20231031_153832381.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">Starting in late October, we transition to a different location with a somewhat different suite of fossils. We also transition towards nastier weather: my new boss, Ashby, bought the three of us personalized jackets and needless to say I'm pretty pleased with mine!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_uLzDNgqS58PMMcCU4-Vf0SuSXNMgO14alEyvb9JiulIpP6C2ZEy6lXeg6_mAoOAjQUVygXVItdARFnl83snaajAnG08cf9vJn2fFip6TfsF_f3iUWaHKVQISSvuhQMI_SGGAqlKBm9LnN_xEWhi2ZlGMHdA-9WSaR9FaNuM2ehZZFM9FutBPjqOhVs/s1258/PXL_20231102_193808863.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_uLzDNgqS58PMMcCU4-Vf0SuSXNMgO14alEyvb9JiulIpP6C2ZEy6lXeg6_mAoOAjQUVygXVItdARFnl83snaajAnG08cf9vJn2fFip6TfsF_f3iUWaHKVQISSvuhQMI_SGGAqlKBm9LnN_xEWhi2ZlGMHdA-9WSaR9FaNuM2ehZZFM9FutBPjqOhVs/w400-h301/PXL_20231102_193808863.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This nice inner earbone (periotic) was found by Mike while I was catching up with a colleague who surprised me one morning when she showed up for a tour - he gave me a pretty hard time for walking past this one, which I deserved!</i><br /></div><div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxk0CRvNfwxnJ9P0Ek_u57zxQIzaQh_z2Fp2GWBUuNu26RMikcTjQVfokVoYvkbqw5M0AoTXTHuZ8eu4e4fttZA29mAuwjshNGIFultg7zjYd4yc-O9imlbK1lwl_cJZu3nOYbn3zWYNcL6rjhlh8quPkI7E8ZJeCPSbSCMijs-fumekt-8cti4REL-9E/s947/PXL_20231102_193833026.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxk0CRvNfwxnJ9P0Ek_u57zxQIzaQh_z2Fp2GWBUuNu26RMikcTjQVfokVoYvkbqw5M0AoTXTHuZ8eu4e4fttZA29mAuwjshNGIFultg7zjYd4yc-O9imlbK1lwl_cJZu3nOYbn3zWYNcL6rjhlh8quPkI7E8ZJeCPSbSCMijs-fumekt-8cti4REL-9E/w301-h400/PXL_20231102_193833026.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="301" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>This beautiful periotic is from a squalodelphinid - identical to squalodelphinid periotics from the Pungo River Limestone at the Lee Creek Mine of NC. This specimen is probably early Miocene in age.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogdLLCE_zxtKMuqrK50cqohZGxzE9BeKIr7r8z7tVHz-XrTxgXdm241niJhooTQbV9wXFjXhpA0ONRpY_ZGRiGMRxxkmIa8PUI9lymWmh1D4-phgubg-yUCc0UgyEg8d2KfCE3ee0n7CNO42kdyjZuWP6hfFouvqh4ba9pjo1Sd5XM9lTenmjZSzc47c/s1001/PXL_20231031_173835777.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1001" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogdLLCE_zxtKMuqrK50cqohZGxzE9BeKIr7r8z7tVHz-XrTxgXdm241niJhooTQbV9wXFjXhpA0ONRpY_ZGRiGMRxxkmIa8PUI9lymWmh1D4-phgubg-yUCc0UgyEg8d2KfCE3ee0n7CNO42kdyjZuWP6hfFouvqh4ba9pjo1Sd5XM9lTenmjZSzc47c/w400-h311/PXL_20231031_173835777.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>This horse tooth was found rolling around in the surf - and capped with a cute little coral colony growing right on the chewing surface! Pleistocene, </i>Equus<i>.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EoZG7FoFbrj4fcVSgsB1v2OQcUjl-LpmeOjVBhg1bEiCeo9DWMvuSiXOtX_n7XizpSdl5HMAM02DfzEgaieH8k9wL82Yb3AT99MBSYnWGrHqQTEEDu0g_v1Pr8Fbi1KJzqyLfYsO9TjSdC24sBrYo8wdK2FvvftYjgfl2jNYhYeIWgxD50TQGhMXPkI/s947/PXL_20231102_184556353.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EoZG7FoFbrj4fcVSgsB1v2OQcUjl-LpmeOjVBhg1bEiCeo9DWMvuSiXOtX_n7XizpSdl5HMAM02DfzEgaieH8k9wL82Yb3AT99MBSYnWGrHqQTEEDu0g_v1Pr8Fbi1KJzqyLfYsO9TjSdC24sBrYo8wdK2FvvftYjgfl2jNYhYeIWgxD50TQGhMXPkI/w301-h400/PXL_20231102_184556353.jpg" width="301" /></a><i> <br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A juvenile </i>Carcharocles angustidens <i>or </i>C. chubutensis <i>tooth, waiting to be picked up.</i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw29MeRsDepGCwi4S0c0u2n6GjHPnLUUqWZ7t5VHYDOMsyQq8Sd7q1MlzAmtSXjyGUQ4YwCJOiK5H4dXvP5i_OiMC5Y6LWH2sb0neNvrI8YGa3XdNpQEFz4JHVpvP0IFEjgKH9JHYz2ZReCsxSKhOwETDkodZsDFSty7hnNv3PYcTZQkM_fHlR3CUhx30/s682/PXL_20231031_190545271.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="682" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw29MeRsDepGCwi4S0c0u2n6GjHPnLUUqWZ7t5VHYDOMsyQq8Sd7q1MlzAmtSXjyGUQ4YwCJOiK5H4dXvP5i_OiMC5Y6LWH2sb0neNvrI8YGa3XdNpQEFz4JHVpvP0IFEjgKH9JHYz2ZReCsxSKhOwETDkodZsDFSty7hnNv3PYcTZQkM_fHlR3CUhx30/w400-h320/PXL_20231031_190545271.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> A spectacular osteoderm (bony armor plate) from the back of an alligator, </i>Alligator mississippiensis<i>! This was found by client Lisa right when we were getting back onto the boat. Pleistocene.</i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMHtF-cLhxY8qUQyfJo8_lTiJPLhHeOBEV8q54sECGtrAzX1u4RcbuhScWqBUwV0lE3QRbGfROO-aewL_GRqAkcRN5QuXD04beIsVTULjkE3jNfkxBsWnINvo8GU0GWmsOaV7gcrRpml3wvWoNaDaTGt6YZdObuh1e3RABGQGROdullxe1Pv_V5C3RbI/s675/PXL_20231030_203416450.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="675" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMHtF-cLhxY8qUQyfJo8_lTiJPLhHeOBEV8q54sECGtrAzX1u4RcbuhScWqBUwV0lE3QRbGfROO-aewL_GRqAkcRN5QuXD04beIsVTULjkE3jNfkxBsWnINvo8GU0GWmsOaV7gcrRpml3wvWoNaDaTGt6YZdObuh1e3RABGQGROdullxe1Pv_V5C3RbI/w400-h343/PXL_20231030_203416450.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>An embarrassingly large mackerel shark vertebra, probably from a megatoothed shark (</i>Carcharocles<i>).</i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5S2WJVybFNjesE4FwEKEcrx4iVnCgVW15XQwiWkqxNY6UCSBL-G0zBIGLrutayWi2BGEtM2RW64xSYBho9LkIP9Jc5U7aqKlpx82IE3h-a-7plQrvZzZH_1vFAw8FebRO1sH1PTJp1NuJ4F5Rf9agJwLVvE2NK3lpqhbNTzlbmwyxckfoCjQ7bfPNPc/s592/PXL_20231031_170626165.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="592" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5S2WJVybFNjesE4FwEKEcrx4iVnCgVW15XQwiWkqxNY6UCSBL-G0zBIGLrutayWi2BGEtM2RW64xSYBho9LkIP9Jc5U7aqKlpx82IE3h-a-7plQrvZzZH_1vFAw8FebRO1sH1PTJp1NuJ4F5Rf9agJwLVvE2NK3lpqhbNTzlbmwyxckfoCjQ7bfPNPc/w400-h336/PXL_20231031_170626165.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>An interesting phosphatic coquina - coquina is a sort of limestone composed entirely of mollusk shells and fragments. We keep finding coquina that is either mixed with phosphatic sand or occasionally phospharized crusts forming on coquina.</i> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pRREyFF7V6IeDSjbUS4Emfx6t4U-WftFq0x3u01Lbo1rd3seC2KvsaMoHdbNYFXM5JJaBd74wSUpaZoE4lEZ2MbjoaUIemcvJzWRtyD-F-G77hpTQb_DF5JaIIsGCzd-K6OiqASO0UuG7fmWVuu1k_jVf2bzEeDVQvFfYhqEziPLj4WIS7-v91QQfRQ/s713/PXL_20231030_194449231.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="713" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pRREyFF7V6IeDSjbUS4Emfx6t4U-WftFq0x3u01Lbo1rd3seC2KvsaMoHdbNYFXM5JJaBd74wSUpaZoE4lEZ2MbjoaUIemcvJzWRtyD-F-G77hpTQb_DF5JaIIsGCzd-K6OiqASO0UuG7fmWVuu1k_jVf2bzEeDVQvFfYhqEziPLj4WIS7-v91QQfRQ/w400-h331/PXL_20231030_194449231.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Every day we leave past all of these shrimp boats, and it reminds me of Cannery Row in Monterey back home.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bgYNNZ4PtT3dK4REzGuBOz9D1arO4tjuUceOyN6IJ-S8-D-il2mw54cSwMlGnBVTEM_GDkaE8UkH7JRPaBRKq4KFQlKwTQSjihlimtVLO703FMKvjZIPmsqsQfIYmnmXA4oDLVsq_GmsuENNd9tvM2H4VFXPrhYo90qPTYXUBfk8FqilHBAuzjI8vZY/s947/PXL_20231030_204710276.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bgYNNZ4PtT3dK4REzGuBOz9D1arO4tjuUceOyN6IJ-S8-D-il2mw54cSwMlGnBVTEM_GDkaE8UkH7JRPaBRKq4KFQlKwTQSjihlimtVLO703FMKvjZIPmsqsQfIYmnmXA4oDLVsq_GmsuENNd9tvM2H4VFXPrhYo90qPTYXUBfk8FqilHBAuzjI8vZY/w301-h400/PXL_20231030_204710276.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A nice tooth of </i>Carcharocles angustidens<i> sitting in a small stream - water pours out of the beach at low tide. <br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHMMfFo6TiQ5TuKw5ZpVO_2m4k0y1VzId9WEbrxZsTQ4k59KydPunMttSqy6nMeNmIsz3rrhLeLlQBlRVpPnLQE2e4TJ2jkiB8AiBem2PFvEmx0K646gvwHQ0MCmB6OSr5GtJdct72teF-zMt_3vimxKJFEWfjQiPvs0fUCKFnzxCjbyH77SLKXbCNyU/s947/PXL_20231031_171722894.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="947" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHMMfFo6TiQ5TuKw5ZpVO_2m4k0y1VzId9WEbrxZsTQ4k59KydPunMttSqy6nMeNmIsz3rrhLeLlQBlRVpPnLQE2e4TJ2jkiB8AiBem2PFvEmx0K646gvwHQ0MCmB6OSr5GtJdct72teF-zMt_3vimxKJFEWfjQiPvs0fUCKFnzxCjbyH77SLKXbCNyU/w400-h301/PXL_20231031_171722894.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A nice delphinid dolphin periotic on the beach. <br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwaiZN3lppF37bqP4Unl-wX2YhhYJ2ZawB2cGl3yzsWHKQIxQIN9cSW9CN6SxqACPbM491S-yWKrYanKYjlf7J8X1DNy6un27g0tfEl3U2LoX54TFM3nISIpSrA27OUsNy2FaKfgWhnaMfLJNcAZXNQyPh3TkOGilNeYYjag-2m_EsaQb6t10KeUnmtA/s1038/PXL_20231031_175524560.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="1038" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwaiZN3lppF37bqP4Unl-wX2YhhYJ2ZawB2cGl3yzsWHKQIxQIN9cSW9CN6SxqACPbM491S-yWKrYanKYjlf7J8X1DNy6un27g0tfEl3U2LoX54TFM3nISIpSrA27OUsNy2FaKfgWhnaMfLJNcAZXNQyPh3TkOGilNeYYjag-2m_EsaQb6t10KeUnmtA/w400-h228/PXL_20231031_175524560.jpg" width="400" /></a><i> <br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> On closer inspection, this one is probably bottlenose dolphin (</i>Tursiops<i>).</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjYrCiIepvZhkDQQfAtzGWc7LLkutY2PeYLcZR71McK5AIc1ib0Dc-oomJNPLWemWztFMLNCbauUf0rS8wyFG1AoJMvQYEVugQHC_U2blA8AFT9uE9xu4MXNYfeBj0YbFpKfthllSJzj-nfgDEYTfp0-GF9LmmnT2QpzcmVHJ6kxtH78QCVmnu-C7Rds/s947/PXL_20231102_200411305.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjYrCiIepvZhkDQQfAtzGWc7LLkutY2PeYLcZR71McK5AIc1ib0Dc-oomJNPLWemWztFMLNCbauUf0rS8wyFG1AoJMvQYEVugQHC_U2blA8AFT9uE9xu4MXNYfeBj0YbFpKfthllSJzj-nfgDEYTfp0-GF9LmmnT2QpzcmVHJ6kxtH78QCVmnu-C7Rds/w301-h400/PXL_20231102_200411305.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="301" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> A great white shark tooth - </i>Carcharodon carcharias<i>.<br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugdis0CqEQbYNU1k5YI1AXLENA-y4mChfaO5ZEIJLJKhBddpZT3L_eOHojBI2hUokRz45K9D0Xl9w1Oix0vrtx0OJbN9ZLRXx0FyzW6VxbwbzC5aVSBnyAw6ieyesuOG17baIXLdS7OmQczeXGUESbS8nYk6V_njJXSA86scWtBTDcAdcdwJh5XEpdYE/s1258/PXL_20231102_180906992.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugdis0CqEQbYNU1k5YI1AXLENA-y4mChfaO5ZEIJLJKhBddpZT3L_eOHojBI2hUokRz45K9D0Xl9w1Oix0vrtx0OJbN9ZLRXx0FyzW6VxbwbzC5aVSBnyAw6ieyesuOG17baIXLdS7OmQczeXGUESbS8nYk6V_njJXSA86scWtBTDcAdcdwJh5XEpdYE/w400-h301/PXL_20231102_180906992.jpg" width="400" /></a><i> <br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> It's worth picking up rectangular bones, even if they look like rib fragments.<br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9W65KFXWwsmVl0O7geMh_fZiBKbNnaijaCjXwmMLllSM1RDOsS-AMcWd4F617dQWyKb2sZBrRKQwIRbRwY-az2wDak3Q-k5uYJ_ElxFTuD6FsV2CGbedmOV4fWP68aV1IkqgddBTFB58qCRYENMdP0nCwEkxeww_QnOtGXIssvCVP_evtdN9GBVszzw/s864/PXL_20231102_180926791.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="753" data-original-width="864" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9W65KFXWwsmVl0O7geMh_fZiBKbNnaijaCjXwmMLllSM1RDOsS-AMcWd4F617dQWyKb2sZBrRKQwIRbRwY-az2wDak3Q-k5uYJ_ElxFTuD6FsV2CGbedmOV4fWP68aV1IkqgddBTFB58qCRYENMdP0nCwEkxeww_QnOtGXIssvCVP_evtdN9GBVszzw/w400-h349/PXL_20231102_180926791.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> This one turned out to be a mandible fragment from </i>Xenorophus<i>! My colleague Kumiko</i> <i>Matsui went home with this specimen.</i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOhNwmETvkLq17-4DSQA56OaH47ptfc7vev7OSYULEuh-jMrAC8h-RlTsjRcQ2HypaXEvRjyWdVmm3VzmXhkN_6QSNOk52v6GDpSK1cQ17OIOXyfaOoAXysUbGoeTAQR2nUz3hrwpt6P44kONXJ_FYHhAX1WJ193YeByIsVLYzLcGsvVA7YhNqAHfEBo/s601/PXL_20231031_180223419.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="601" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOhNwmETvkLq17-4DSQA56OaH47ptfc7vev7OSYULEuh-jMrAC8h-RlTsjRcQ2HypaXEvRjyWdVmm3VzmXhkN_6QSNOk52v6GDpSK1cQ17OIOXyfaOoAXysUbGoeTAQR2nUz3hrwpt6P44kONXJ_FYHhAX1WJ193YeByIsVLYzLcGsvVA7YhNqAHfEBo/w400-h309/PXL_20231031_180223419.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>X marks the spot: this shark vertebra was broken somewhat so you can see the channels through the vertebra.</i><br /></div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xPN2TE_3JWxVvAR9orx970bhu9iGlVmDYS8HzLFQG5zABfvZKl1EqYfbkIpwA48TKebR9zgfiEaAE45GFBz0Xci6vtfio91h3OtnZuppIk4WNCBpJyTu5silMWxY1uZLhSCUR6NDeRway4IAId6tOaVd7KryO70_JP6-q5jV5Hjm_bFnfP-iM-By60o/s1258/PXL_20231102_175829600.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xPN2TE_3JWxVvAR9orx970bhu9iGlVmDYS8HzLFQG5zABfvZKl1EqYfbkIpwA48TKebR9zgfiEaAE45GFBz0Xci6vtfio91h3OtnZuppIk4WNCBpJyTu5silMWxY1uZLhSCUR6NDeRway4IAId6tOaVd7KryO70_JP6-q5jV5Hjm_bFnfP-iM-By60o/w400-h301/PXL_20231102_175829600.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A vertebra from a lamniform (mackerel) shark.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCLZuv1X4hfTXjacD1z4EAcCZnDEctKYazogw-91eUyr825Zn89BbxIXpfZ6Sz5ZUjUcgOYOXlQpCB93TaYy8v63C20osLEAQkLh2NZKtO8QiUi28K76zees2I0ClkBz4VYybE14rCDUT_Y6K05CF03wC8aGy5KN04HccfpqxjxFx8Zt74NX8iwE1aQk/s947/PXL_20231102_182831112.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCLZuv1X4hfTXjacD1z4EAcCZnDEctKYazogw-91eUyr825Zn89BbxIXpfZ6Sz5ZUjUcgOYOXlQpCB93TaYy8v63C20osLEAQkLh2NZKtO8QiUi28K76zees2I0ClkBz4VYybE14rCDUT_Y6K05CF03wC8aGy5KN04HccfpqxjxFx8Zt74NX8iwE1aQk/w301-h400/PXL_20231102_182831112.jpg" width="301" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A fantastic surprise! My marine mammal paleo colleague, Dr. Kumiko Matsui, came down to Charleston with a friend of hers and surprised the hell out of me when she walked down the dock to our boat.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUk588C73mueETRIq30BVevZnuioYulCw3bAxAdywtf3JyiOozdc_ub9mY2ljaT_jRquNzDeHqRDe2xC5-LbEl69nr9x1pOkINlNqshcGNekGsSzZDndz4Jay98m8f7fc3OpkauWlTWtXOwFHYBicKn-yFJPt0ydjLXuLKB6XaJr7A7-97c-JV85Zimk/s1263/PXL_20231102_192740911.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUk588C73mueETRIq30BVevZnuioYulCw3bAxAdywtf3JyiOozdc_ub9mY2ljaT_jRquNzDeHqRDe2xC5-LbEl69nr9x1pOkINlNqshcGNekGsSzZDndz4Jay98m8f7fc3OpkauWlTWtXOwFHYBicKn-yFJPt0ydjLXuLKB6XaJr7A7-97c-JV85Zimk/w400-h300/PXL_20231102_192740911.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> We had a great time catching up - we didn't have quite as much time to talk shop at SVP two weeks prior, so it was a great opportunity. Dr. Matsui ranks pretty high in my book because she is, as of yet, the *only* marine mammal paleontologist who has come to look at </i>Coronodon<i> since we published it in 2017.</i><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpJYJwv4kSNyvghKaL9AYLu3MXr5izrCuztqbcWU9RcUGo9RBrCN0YLCgxulXFF8tT9_Ox8XKQF7p2sRtTQHxWT36wDeb56eQ5ugZDzFAF9RaAs4yboN3yNYrXaHgn5tbT0aC5dFEWKOMxF4dFYnDY70eUXNIikME0zCjS-yX8VVugafc4y0jJ-6D5ds/s947/PXL_20231102_183114941.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpJYJwv4kSNyvghKaL9AYLu3MXr5izrCuztqbcWU9RcUGo9RBrCN0YLCgxulXFF8tT9_Ox8XKQF7p2sRtTQHxWT36wDeb56eQ5ugZDzFAF9RaAs4yboN3yNYrXaHgn5tbT0aC5dFEWKOMxF4dFYnDY70eUXNIikME0zCjS-yX8VVugafc4y0jJ-6D5ds/w301-h400/PXL_20231102_183114941.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A decent </i>Carcharodon hastalis<i> tooth - formerly "bigtooth" mako.</i><br /></div><div><br /></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-55376218745705810502023-11-16T16:10:00.002-07:002023-11-16T16:10:23.820-07:00Recent finds from lowcountry waterways - early October 2023<p></p><p>The past six weeks have been quite busy - I was swamped with work before SVP (Society of Vertebrate Paleontology), then I had the conference, and then I caught covid for a second time - fortunately, no cardiovascular issues, no long covid, and paxlovid is a helluva miracle drug. Since SVP, Charleston Fossil Adventures has transitioned to our off-season tour spot - but that'll be covered in the next post. October - even with SVP and covid - was so fossil-rich that I'm doing two different posts!</p><p>If you want to have a guided tour and be shown how to find (and keep) all sorts of fossils like this, check out available bookings on <a href="https://www.chsfossiladventures.com/.">https://www.chsfossiladventures.com/.</a></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5G5UUqeayPqPOgygl7PYwn6aEuBMFpVwMIvEzRCsaksUGsDGA3xm1CMgXw2pzrQrzP5oV2Vbf8Gd4Q5kOokGf593Rom2zFRMhboDEyuH3LxOcqfxAI8nRMxynG_65mMs1UIiii_T0S3GutTlSt-dqDS8uKMGuXp28kvflaJm2S_miNqKrDOXEwbbNNBc/s1258/PXL_20230929_194644843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5G5UUqeayPqPOgygl7PYwn6aEuBMFpVwMIvEzRCsaksUGsDGA3xm1CMgXw2pzrQrzP5oV2Vbf8Gd4Q5kOokGf593Rom2zFRMhboDEyuH3LxOcqfxAI8nRMxynG_65mMs1UIiii_T0S3GutTlSt-dqDS8uKMGuXp28kvflaJm2S_miNqKrDOXEwbbNNBc/w400-h301/PXL_20230929_194644843.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A nice shark vertebra - probably from a small lamniform shark (mackerel shark).</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOioJolXOOaNTnbx2uF4ih9TDZAhfGOkmhQQxTao40GpV34CxXvkI9ocCMcLdr9Pee8uFQ2PPLrKqdSntIUdzfJK94FbpbF-W6QJTOVbyjtDVhWymSNcZrjEH9tGw5r4299hDrK76rMLFf4DzX-K1vi_j9FBnhdoKZWvrx3EZ2bWd4T5y3hNqZoLuJjps/s947/PXL_20231001_181458628.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOioJolXOOaNTnbx2uF4ih9TDZAhfGOkmhQQxTao40GpV34CxXvkI9ocCMcLdr9Pee8uFQ2PPLrKqdSntIUdzfJK94FbpbF-W6QJTOVbyjtDVhWymSNcZrjEH9tGw5r4299hDrK76rMLFf4DzX-K1vi_j9FBnhdoKZWvrx3EZ2bWd4T5y3hNqZoLuJjps/w301-h400/PXL_20231001_181458628.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="301" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Marsh periwinkles (</i>Littoraria irrorata<i>)</i><i> may be aquatic snails but they like being *just* above the water. They often climb out of the water and can be found on spartina grass like this at high tide. </i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWH3ve4ass1HrKHelKk6Rv2oJcXiBmq1j1rUrFCG44XLYyH6Br-zeF2PLtzfv68qJ1oyDTnLGU3kWNmaRRnllXJZbVbJs1bAtsXNmU7BcBCJ5CdDTcDUBH0T1iL_lW-ZPbSOT7A26gynQlsIRI15mT3ttrEmm4deLYE4kOUmVJph6_KnnYQvqc2Uv5yQ/s634/PXL_20231004_125754221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="634" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWH3ve4ass1HrKHelKk6Rv2oJcXiBmq1j1rUrFCG44XLYyH6Br-zeF2PLtzfv68qJ1oyDTnLGU3kWNmaRRnllXJZbVbJs1bAtsXNmU7BcBCJ5CdDTcDUBH0T1iL_lW-ZPbSOT7A26gynQlsIRI15mT3ttrEmm4deLYE4kOUmVJph6_KnnYQvqc2Uv5yQ/w400-h349/PXL_20231004_125754221.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A nice example of a tooth of the as-yet-unnamed Oligocene </i>Parotodus <i>- 'false mako' and the lesser megatoothed shark lineage. These are my favorite teeth, and I only find them rarely... two clients found these two days in a row. I photographed this one, Ashby photographed the other.</i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFJawV2gVS0VV3EmSUPlHJDgSXSWjLmq0jv2szhMJ-RUVnHRqFmIfpZG3TkftzDDmVipYZViWehAZ4jw5Z5E1I1xbBtqd9mc-KBbg8StAiDssJ14TD0IzE3r2AAslhpIHMVyPhT8PHiK9Ap4cmBE3PNfJQzhAK7Jh1QsTwBodaZ_j62y4rbUcPPJm9WU/s622/PXL_20231004_131213030.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="622" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFJawV2gVS0VV3EmSUPlHJDgSXSWjLmq0jv2szhMJ-RUVnHRqFmIfpZG3TkftzDDmVipYZViWehAZ4jw5Z5E1I1xbBtqd9mc-KBbg8StAiDssJ14TD0IzE3r2AAslhpIHMVyPhT8PHiK9Ap4cmBE3PNfJQzhAK7Jh1QsTwBodaZ_j62y4rbUcPPJm9WU/w400-h340/PXL_20231004_131213030.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A lower tooth of </i>Galeocerdo aduncas <i>- easily confused with </i>Physogaleus contortus, <i>to the point where the two were synonymized for a while. Turns out that they can be separated on the basis of compound serrations on the distal part of the tooth.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gadquhyTsLE1ypn8c3PIOcEPvW-A_8AAq6bgyr9pkrGPSmVgZYBEx9KU_qsHkdYjVkrZ5FJi3gQ2w1HeTKUzTayhCgBUnzEkLd8Y-GZ1tW1g5ygRW6NaCMUNNOi1pknnJKoKJKaBSONT_F-H6kOp0y5T0R_cj1vkFzLYYPPIGLIKbVHDmFIhTuCOWqU/s695/PXL_20231004_145306534.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="695" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gadquhyTsLE1ypn8c3PIOcEPvW-A_8AAq6bgyr9pkrGPSmVgZYBEx9KU_qsHkdYjVkrZ5FJi3gQ2w1HeTKUzTayhCgBUnzEkLd8Y-GZ1tW1g5ygRW6NaCMUNNOi1pknnJKoKJKaBSONT_F-H6kOp0y5T0R_cj1vkFzLYYPPIGLIKbVHDmFIhTuCOWqU/w400-h308/PXL_20231004_145306534.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A nice snaggletooth, </i>Hemipristis serra, <i>sitting in limestone sand.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Ze6HRksYN6CJyHPd8z5e24UeZc-b2XTO82X2VeAANSlPQrZaR6SuN4mdi5UhRG7lktXNBugFF7mdU0a-g5kNEbf30qCO6IvfeFoe4GCVy80jbeveNgX3xhb7rMFKajyoA3qKwSctNE6ag7n360iClo2DDgL05A3AkfIehJx-Ig2kOBuO1p0hJ3hQOLE/s639/PXL_20231004_160644271.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="639" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Ze6HRksYN6CJyHPd8z5e24UeZc-b2XTO82X2VeAANSlPQrZaR6SuN4mdi5UhRG7lktXNBugFF7mdU0a-g5kNEbf30qCO6IvfeFoe4GCVy80jbeveNgX3xhb7rMFKajyoA3qKwSctNE6ag7n360iClo2DDgL05A3AkfIehJx-Ig2kOBuO1p0hJ3hQOLE/w400-h303/PXL_20231004_160644271.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A very, very small caniniform tooth from a barracuda </i>(Sphyraena).<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkedWVWXQd389GEeR_BXXDpWb2ljGDBZwNqifV8uXeRlzlAfQyHJi-94a7w-Mv8hUFB7rB-hHZfGNSXzXt6MqmOK5QKs4-aL5dbBr3ZsZdcapR-BfNTG3_E4MrDpivE80VE7B63Bo7s0aWSftI0QCS-yC-bDtUBVA90VoiCm8-raK02XEHSw3zzvgI1E/s669/PXL_20231004_160836169.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="669" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkedWVWXQd389GEeR_BXXDpWb2ljGDBZwNqifV8uXeRlzlAfQyHJi-94a7w-Mv8hUFB7rB-hHZfGNSXzXt6MqmOK5QKs4-aL5dbBr3ZsZdcapR-BfNTG3_E4MrDpivE80VE7B63Bo7s0aWSftI0QCS-yC-bDtUBVA90VoiCm8-raK02XEHSw3zzvgI1E/w400-h320/PXL_20231004_160836169.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This one puzzled me for a few minutes but Ashby identified it as a partial dentary of a cutlassfish (</i>Trichiurus <i>or Trichiuridae) - kind of fascinating that the teeth appear to break off at the root and new teeth just grow on top of the old ones! But then again, there's a lot about teleosts I don't understand.</i><br /></div><div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9aByVpK0yn_-zzAXkWODw1HpPy5G69Va5SvpPD0u7ivYroQp7gTY6rLok9hvouqqCx-PmKkTsRF1KyuRupGd4H2e1JD4deciSTI0AZf-5_bnnve4st8W-XJBcAOPramuOAHVOfV_gyMbe0c4-s2LkM2VO8KT1mUkVu66gBsCE6OxNL6FDz60vsWGruQ/s1258/PXL_20231004_164848086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9aByVpK0yn_-zzAXkWODw1HpPy5G69Va5SvpPD0u7ivYroQp7gTY6rLok9hvouqqCx-PmKkTsRF1KyuRupGd4H2e1JD4deciSTI0AZf-5_bnnve4st8W-XJBcAOPramuOAHVOfV_gyMbe0c4-s2LkM2VO8KT1mUkVu66gBsCE6OxNL6FDz60vsWGruQ/w400-h301/PXL_20231004_164848086.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>We see bottlenose dolphins (</i>Tursiops erebennus<i>) all the time on our river and harbor tours - 3 out 5 river tours, and 4 out of 5 harbor tours. This day we saw a whole pod, but only got good photos of this individual - I was filming when multiple dolphins came up. I took this with a CELL PHONE.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDz8xXQKfDtVeg5M9AN_cHG9poDBTmoo8stAEYMo4-syRbEylzw3fuW02ArJM3BqHstrGfEds1eMqcj1b1yCMw_Nd2irFN3rEA8sskKkOiBrgM-kOERvo5kFzOKE4TED6u4HhHNxLWU0E78fUztdGklrI3loo_JrmVQAVTm5ug2BGZayTHYYVHRg5YjM/s947/PXL_20231004_171232774.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDz8xXQKfDtVeg5M9AN_cHG9poDBTmoo8stAEYMo4-syRbEylzw3fuW02ArJM3BqHstrGfEds1eMqcj1b1yCMw_Nd2irFN3rEA8sskKkOiBrgM-kOERvo5kFzOKE4TED6u4HhHNxLWU0E78fUztdGklrI3loo_JrmVQAVTm5ug2BGZayTHYYVHRg5YjM/w301-h400/PXL_20231004_171232774.MP.jpg" width="301" /></a></div></div><div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>On one of our accidentally-longer days we decided to head a mile further down the river and check out a slightly larger manmade island with some kind of phosphate spoil or artificial fill on the geologic map - and it turned out to be completely non-fossiliferous. Some of the most beautiful clean white sugary sand in the whole state ended up making up this island - but not a single tooth. Surprisingly clear water - we spent an hour and a half doing some "real Tom Sawyer type shit". It was also just absolutely beautiful.</i><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3psx0POCtdJeJZ2cYuVIFrDllJAIhznOXfKlgV86gP0IbYs0OEU2JtbX5hS3zeRH5hkraDlRwjkb8G561UQcSeZGrwtFhBVaaFRez8GN3xD2rCDV3G9NAKKmtBta1BbeRgJdlG70TFi_mA1MUUht2kMBoZFBgMtc3caDSqf8lXx5WJcqHQlLhCi3g_0A/s1164/PXL_20231004_234057636.PORTRAIT-EDIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1164" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3psx0POCtdJeJZ2cYuVIFrDllJAIhznOXfKlgV86gP0IbYs0OEU2JtbX5hS3zeRH5hkraDlRwjkb8G561UQcSeZGrwtFhBVaaFRez8GN3xD2rCDV3G9NAKKmtBta1BbeRgJdlG70TFi_mA1MUUht2kMBoZFBgMtc3caDSqf8lXx5WJcqHQlLhCi3g_0A/w400-h325/PXL_20231004_234057636.PORTRAIT-EDIT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A nice example of a dolphin periotic bone with the ventral surface of the pars cochlearis busted off so that you can see the entire cochlea (aside from the innermost turn, which is missing). This one is probably a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops sp.) and is likely to be a Pliocene specimen.</i><br /></div><div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktQf86782Cf7nJcn_xNG_K2xXsbTS25ZF47MAYdr-eHccKhA8HMa5tuEuUN1fingv07RoFLu7twZU6enzNk5pc2fExq1H0NhKv8jVU0ULTVlFI10i7nxVi3cWsNmVTjKfNWYv0QSsafmeI0-iP0A3nfChyJg7IOmDWX28VhXLPEb_zVHd9PE6kBAJBIU/s947/PXL_20231006_152651561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="947" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktQf86782Cf7nJcn_xNG_K2xXsbTS25ZF47MAYdr-eHccKhA8HMa5tuEuUN1fingv07RoFLu7twZU6enzNk5pc2fExq1H0NhKv8jVU0ULTVlFI10i7nxVi3cWsNmVTjKfNWYv0QSsafmeI0-iP0A3nfChyJg7IOmDWX28VhXLPEb_zVHd9PE6kBAJBIU/w400-h301/PXL_20231006_152651561.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A large kitefin sawfish rostral spine, </i>Anoxypristis.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKPbiTOSyspPo1fKBJUJrXn5jAM3Abe4RXFuD3-8YlpankKSJIVEZLSm6SnZjP53zhefYJ897GTKHliMBfQEILbM88XPnzHW8wtJDx01TKfvBYlS9vKYNV2eaJBZIOyttIPkkroVdz5TptcyvJtAG1apbbrqteBjuSkwYEeeX8wYk0I2OtZUtiCrtuHo/s627/PXL_20231006_160832297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="627" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKPbiTOSyspPo1fKBJUJrXn5jAM3Abe4RXFuD3-8YlpankKSJIVEZLSm6SnZjP53zhefYJ897GTKHliMBfQEILbM88XPnzHW8wtJDx01TKfvBYlS9vKYNV2eaJBZIOyttIPkkroVdz5TptcyvJtAG1apbbrqteBjuSkwYEeeX8wYk0I2OtZUtiCrtuHo/w400-h339/PXL_20231006_160832297.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Snaggletooth specimens don't get much larger than this out on the river - after all they're probably Oligocene, and the species </i>Hemipristis serra <i>underwent a gradual increase in maximum size from the Oligocene through to the Pliocene/Pleistocene.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQOTi-GT_XW-CnWhpSZyP2YBLSXhGBZ7CMmQ5GLwjC5OtH7MD45ykJBLieHhjxzVWlvxO621yhUARYKqSCojZShpviN-ZDi18QDrP8mdhE14TdlItYbEPLhzin7d2P-CZFdYeo_cGiAXy47tvs5TyZP7Hm1VFrxY-U0zRq0gz_nTaoCfjOMwoaFTG9Q4/s1258/PXL_20231007_114728290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQOTi-GT_XW-CnWhpSZyP2YBLSXhGBZ7CMmQ5GLwjC5OtH7MD45ykJBLieHhjxzVWlvxO621yhUARYKqSCojZShpviN-ZDi18QDrP8mdhE14TdlItYbEPLhzin7d2P-CZFdYeo_cGiAXy47tvs5TyZP7Hm1VFrxY-U0zRq0gz_nTaoCfjOMwoaFTG9Q4/w400-h301/PXL_20231007_114728290.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I had one morning tour on Folly beach in early October - no fossil photos, but I did have a rather glorious view just after sunrise.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6-ZL3n6PXtQyb8cxYS4kprK7wkJQ-5-KrdEAz8hwZ_q3SSE8_MtwFZnwEvGhyphenhyphenCbXviHYEIgC46EPwQAo30lZAzK9j5B5Jqif_7mRvlMkI46UFlGSHyrgYFPHAotfgIf6AqzY9jy7Un7JAF9xxemfE8YKcOxBn_w5LNHcwsccPgP70F-plH_eqUfDCos/s575/PXL_20231008_132345171.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="575" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6-ZL3n6PXtQyb8cxYS4kprK7wkJQ-5-KrdEAz8hwZ_q3SSE8_MtwFZnwEvGhyphenhyphenCbXviHYEIgC46EPwQAo30lZAzK9j5B5Jqif_7mRvlMkI46UFlGSHyrgYFPHAotfgIf6AqzY9jy7Un7JAF9xxemfE8YKcOxBn_w5LNHcwsccPgP70F-plH_eqUfDCos/w400-h329/PXL_20231008_132345171.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>One of our little unidentified coprolites: these are typically flat and have a very ropy pattern to them - almost like filling up an ant farm with soft-serve ice cream. I imagine these are from some kind of fish.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZN909hTIMHII6hDiYwAmiyMs2SWU8JZJ_KOBP8zxIQX9LX25vQUPkOUlmEiRSiBU42OhQCeLjC925Zs01o0HO_sCxKYtvcUhXYvSUZ9VM-5kt482b7VsOz8oCvNZn1ASYKGKM6LyWSmHMDeRCU72sI3JrCbo6NzAvpoDgbx652apDlp7KbEXtcMSAoY/s1258/PXL_20231008_133710248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZN909hTIMHII6hDiYwAmiyMs2SWU8JZJ_KOBP8zxIQX9LX25vQUPkOUlmEiRSiBU42OhQCeLjC925Zs01o0HO_sCxKYtvcUhXYvSUZ9VM-5kt482b7VsOz8oCvNZn1ASYKGKM6LyWSmHMDeRCU72sI3JrCbo6NzAvpoDgbx652apDlp7KbEXtcMSAoY/w400-h301/PXL_20231008_133710248.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A tympanic bulla of an Oligocene dolphin spotted amongst the gravel - a waipatiid dolphin.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhOjjLHe0uyZjrWyQzuvnRZuDggCLyGyOguXf_M4oCgGS-AUdPhMRrtwPs-JDqEA4Cp8YF4hEHFCh_q5bc1YehyphenhyphenXBRRjw-Av-m0Evtx3UNzytKrSSOPIrzWtbGAfhR9gsdI3SrXep0LeiLOipJOv_gb6AKvsMzChk0ceYDHex-SC96ecQmH8mNUhTo-g/s1102/PXL_20231011_142814110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1102" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhOjjLHe0uyZjrWyQzuvnRZuDggCLyGyOguXf_M4oCgGS-AUdPhMRrtwPs-JDqEA4Cp8YF4hEHFCh_q5bc1YehyphenhyphenXBRRjw-Av-m0Evtx3UNzytKrSSOPIrzWtbGAfhR9gsdI3SrXep0LeiLOipJOv_gb6AKvsMzChk0ceYDHex-SC96ecQmH8mNUhTo-g/w400-h275/PXL_20231011_142814110.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A good comparison of a lower tooth of the extinct tiger shark Galeocerdo aduncas (left) versus a tooth of the very similar </i>Physogaleus contortus <i>(right) - note the coarse serrations with finer sub-serrations in on the "heel" (side of the tooth behind the large notch defining the main cusp) of the </i>Galeocerdo <i>tooth and the simple, smaller serrations on the </i>Physogaleus <i>tooth.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCCSuPpJEmh4RM1elfQEA5OZWCSOCb5RiDsVqLgv2FpQTrbotwcMZysSxBJyRayNmZyw6osKfat-ORujvZW4RX5DLcN6FdiL_T1EliMfY0aQvqpwcIvfggjK4Qz8V8dcXdQKSGINe5KxfQDG9OGDBhfa1DnLJ41FhPgWx47gJNWcQTqDOJOEezdT0hGc/s947/PXL_20231013_160208802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="947" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCCSuPpJEmh4RM1elfQEA5OZWCSOCb5RiDsVqLgv2FpQTrbotwcMZysSxBJyRayNmZyw6osKfat-ORujvZW4RX5DLcN6FdiL_T1EliMfY0aQvqpwcIvfggjK4Qz8V8dcXdQKSGINe5KxfQDG9OGDBhfa1DnLJ41FhPgWx47gJNWcQTqDOJOEezdT0hGc/w400-h301/PXL_20231013_160208802.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>At one of our more secret locations we've been finding some unusual teeth, including over 20 specimens of the sawshark </i>Pristiophorus <i>- sawsharks (Pristiophoriformes) are true sharks (Neoselachii) and within the clade Squalomorphii, along with angel sharks (Squatiniformes), dog sharks (Squaliformes), cow sharks (Hexanchiformes). These teeth (rostral spines, rather) differ from those of Pristidae (sawfish) in having enameloid and a root; the spines of sawfish are all osteodentine. Here's a </i>Pristiophorus <i>tooth and the much larger tooth of a kitefin sawfish, </i>Anoxypristis<i>, found moments apart at the same Oligocene dredge spoil.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AUwlTXkzKB45vTMgE-wJALmHUGDkTtNpFTHEAvrtFCfMqmazrn8Rianp7DUWAD6BGnYgI7Bni3QVN9CwYnH1t3lPvYWtZAJ9P5T_DEwePSVn91YXYcLSHici5cHiTg-2mHmu89Cv1W2ZGvP5iNMc9mm8AO9WIgyVoR5eqFv7uh9PY1n0XhfIISo3bbk/s806/PXL_20231013_174540351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="806" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AUwlTXkzKB45vTMgE-wJALmHUGDkTtNpFTHEAvrtFCfMqmazrn8Rianp7DUWAD6BGnYgI7Bni3QVN9CwYnH1t3lPvYWtZAJ9P5T_DEwePSVn91YXYcLSHici5cHiTg-2mHmu89Cv1W2ZGvP5iNMc9mm8AO9WIgyVoR5eqFv7uh9PY1n0XhfIISo3bbk/w400-h321/PXL_20231013_174540351.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A small tooth of a baby snaggletooth shark, </i>Hemipristis serra.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFS33AqwCeU-r4D_ebPpFvbiaWq8ZEkpNK8WEC_3QLJryNRAoAK40kn4uS4xe2OOZYp4J5ZXKZCPICKGEiCfwa5sffCxT75DSni0Woa4-Be8upTBIWBMC5ZnDmQXX4SVCH8wqXytpRsn643TR5TQzbuapSccfihl4PqiwWyJE20B3gtMS0rYWdFfu8_U/s1258/PXL_20231013_175914473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFS33AqwCeU-r4D_ebPpFvbiaWq8ZEkpNK8WEC_3QLJryNRAoAK40kn4uS4xe2OOZYp4J5ZXKZCPICKGEiCfwa5sffCxT75DSni0Woa4-Be8upTBIWBMC5ZnDmQXX4SVCH8wqXytpRsn643TR5TQzbuapSccfihl4PqiwWyJE20B3gtMS0rYWdFfu8_U/w400-h301/PXL_20231013_175914473.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A rather colorful and grumpy mud crab, </i>Panopeus herbstii. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7G_8PMlgCjcvBV6xWyMioJpe_RIggiX_TpD6GL6ns8-6H_5nGshRNrOWAYZ_Bsh3UQy484gKR3ClyTEYmkkKHUrxNgnSdt9XmU0rX6eg4p8gOTsMRrgL22jjYz4bVEWS-sJpCkK3h0CMd4YcHPcQeEnRtPUNvMzRKMKVCSk37CNPT1PyGAMzMeNGJOSk/s610/PXL_20231014_181951154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="610" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7G_8PMlgCjcvBV6xWyMioJpe_RIggiX_TpD6GL6ns8-6H_5nGshRNrOWAYZ_Bsh3UQy484gKR3ClyTEYmkkKHUrxNgnSdt9XmU0rX6eg4p8gOTsMRrgL22jjYz4bVEWS-sJpCkK3h0CMd4YcHPcQeEnRtPUNvMzRKMKVCSk37CNPT1PyGAMzMeNGJOSk/w400-h314/PXL_20231014_181951154.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A small megatoothed shark specimen, probably </i>Carcharocles angustidens. <i>Tip top shape!</i><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFYMaFQ-VxnGTiZpSgqtw6wDOFtASqjPZbSy2PIwOMwRCrchF5MYSO7o20GHRFRiux-QvHxTKAZSJcztNT5o_seYmPT77k5vUpgYs-xC-UPmsP9qwWpn7VrpNjTEKz3f1rZWbC5t-BMsvQuOVr_EAMewzQ6QJIQ_rHzKaoDtqbCmKHNRwJrdZOYBM_7s/s1258/PXL_20231014_193422844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFYMaFQ-VxnGTiZpSgqtw6wDOFtASqjPZbSy2PIwOMwRCrchF5MYSO7o20GHRFRiux-QvHxTKAZSJcztNT5o_seYmPT77k5vUpgYs-xC-UPmsP9qwWpn7VrpNjTEKz3f1rZWbC5t-BMsvQuOVr_EAMewzQ6QJIQ_rHzKaoDtqbCmKHNRwJrdZOYBM_7s/w400-h301/PXL_20231014_193422844.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Several marsh periwinkles (</i>Littoraria irrorata<i>) hitch-hiked back into the boat and ended up a few miles down the river from where they normally lived. Hopefully they're too dim to realize it. It's still all marsh, anyway.<br /></i></div><div></div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmutGPpaWdKik4cjzX00ZXYPxJhhIqJjCGG018BMze4hWuYlpPREF51ztiIbMAHZQZ9OwCapoFIlSphOSN_CGL5eyL11OcuXaeA6ubK6VHwanMzctwm8Us3jNDZOq1qipIM9nYCCW3CRcgW740L7yjGRxrfV4amhwq0PCcYWIr8OzNeTiWajt3lUYKYo/s634/PXL_20231015_165111896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="634" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmutGPpaWdKik4cjzX00ZXYPxJhhIqJjCGG018BMze4hWuYlpPREF51ztiIbMAHZQZ9OwCapoFIlSphOSN_CGL5eyL11OcuXaeA6ubK6VHwanMzctwm8Us3jNDZOq1qipIM9nYCCW3CRcgW740L7yjGRxrfV4amhwq0PCcYWIr8OzNeTiWajt3lUYKYo/w400-h338/PXL_20231015_165111896.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>An ?Oligocene specimen of a diodontid, probably the burrfish </i>Chilomycterus <i>- this beak + toothplate is very, very small, less than 1 cm wide. </i><br /></div><div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixH2ZE86tYj8dAGxUSdiELHVRnzNpDf-rV-5c-qR-AER4mJhFbKzecbtPtfuU8uUjstqlGR1KVCAVYtrX1GXznafyT10nmLNJCMvEHYgCt_eLn0vHi1Hsn_UOt5G7zq1WdznSCVhM1PBHnSP6L0rYEQnt5NtrhcRO8V6E-nuwLK5p5MgLhs_zMfrrTM50/s1258/PXL_20230921_114801703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixH2ZE86tYj8dAGxUSdiELHVRnzNpDf-rV-5c-qR-AER4mJhFbKzecbtPtfuU8uUjstqlGR1KVCAVYtrX1GXznafyT10nmLNJCMvEHYgCt_eLn0vHi1Hsn_UOt5G7zq1WdznSCVhM1PBHnSP6L0rYEQnt5NtrhcRO8V6E-nuwLK5p5MgLhs_zMfrrTM50/w400-h301/PXL_20230921_114801703.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> A sheepshead (</i>Archosargus<i>) left behind by a fisherman. I think it had been gutted. these fish have unusually human-like teeth in the front... and it's all downhill from there once you open the mouth up.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsEiMLZq5JRJdA_TPjd23r0OnT7MQKi5AcI1UY2HGaemwKJXfqKPXT16ffiKmfyzpmMjcmrlQuaKMEOdhkCO-ug5xJO1pEaVtqUzAtRHfjMCGe0koEOqZzXlN0-ms4irXYJIkWt6kEYmt8o5bFJp8lJmSB919HHs7ScsDnfIoY78YvquTnx2rQsK0r3k/s644/PXL_20230908_144329479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="644" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsEiMLZq5JRJdA_TPjd23r0OnT7MQKi5AcI1UY2HGaemwKJXfqKPXT16ffiKmfyzpmMjcmrlQuaKMEOdhkCO-ug5xJO1pEaVtqUzAtRHfjMCGe0koEOqZzXlN0-ms4irXYJIkWt6kEYmt8o5bFJp8lJmSB919HHs7ScsDnfIoY78YvquTnx2rQsK0r3k/w400-h321/PXL_20230908_144329479.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And lastly, a cute little fiddler crab </i>(Uca pugnax)<i> I managed to get a photo of. You practically have to run these guys down and sprint at them and snap off a few shots while their little arthropod brains are struggling to make decisions.<br /></i></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-60138454569207993222023-10-03T11:01:00.001-06:002023-10-03T11:01:33.392-06:00Recent finds from lowcountry waterways - September 2023<div><div><p>Now that I am in the field five days a week I should probably do this more than once a month! I've got tons of photos to share - all of these are finds made by our clients and by our staff. I'm slowly getting used to waking up before 6 many days in a row - on such days I generally take a pretty lengthy post-field nap in the afternoon. I'm also getting used to receiving considerably fewer emails, and having genuinely supportive coworkers. Coming from an academic setting and being tipped by clients is also very weird: as a professor in the post-covid (can we *really* say <i>post</i>?) world, you're used to having a relationship with students that, sadly, is frequently more authoritative and to some degree antagonistic - some form of 'sword of damocles' is often the only hope to get current students to actually do their work, and even then... I'm used to being put on the spot and criticized by students, occasionally yelled at - so actually being <i>tipped </i>is quite strange. Awesome, but strange.</p><p>For a month after my resignation I had no particular interest in doing anything scientific, but that's starting to fade and the research itch is coming back. It's good to know I survived the flames without being irretrievable burned.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ui-M2Md0_Um6GRV1tK7r7-D6fu5JZsIQ66-Oxvdblr0KQ4pWnOI_dbD5Hieh0u2ZvZj9Rtz_9E0kxr57sExAViuu9EUZIrP8YxJ9u9v_yf1SerYHjcUl98jvf9O6-0kJ_Xb8Npyo7C8iUCRVi6IMezB70ty3tyue4dbjP8PlpkJnH0LrDrYjOj_LVpA/s776/PXL_20230904_130855611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="776" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ui-M2Md0_Um6GRV1tK7r7-D6fu5JZsIQ66-Oxvdblr0KQ4pWnOI_dbD5Hieh0u2ZvZj9Rtz_9E0kxr57sExAViuu9EUZIrP8YxJ9u9v_yf1SerYHjcUl98jvf9O6-0kJ_Xb8Npyo7C8iUCRVi6IMezB70ty3tyue4dbjP8PlpkJnH0LrDrYjOj_LVpA/w400-h306/PXL_20230904_130855611.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A cluster of the barnacle </i>Concavus <i>- an uncertain species. The barnacles are some of the only published marine invertebrates from the Oligocene of South Carolina.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjyZePjPS8_ELmfXZ9sB0sRN35Qf0T1MyaFCPF8lVSMf71Aqs8_Myx0E5I95t8hIqphCxaP7RP_QQLsCxMKKev1uc-jYforELVxGHjtwEMKGNOK55wuth60O-L2aZlXetqOGXtkjNUwtowHf1Ty-Ljk6Xitinpf4A2CUFHzhFDZLY71ng4EfHKhKbN1s/s1380/PXL_20230907_132958068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1380" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjyZePjPS8_ELmfXZ9sB0sRN35Qf0T1MyaFCPF8lVSMf71Aqs8_Myx0E5I95t8hIqphCxaP7RP_QQLsCxMKKev1uc-jYforELVxGHjtwEMKGNOK55wuth60O-L2aZlXetqOGXtkjNUwtowHf1Ty-Ljk6Xitinpf4A2CUFHzhFDZLY71ng4EfHKhKbN1s/w400-h251/PXL_20230907_132958068.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> An isolated tooth of "</i>Phoca debilis<i>", originally proposed by Leidy as a fossil seal, but in actuality, the single rooted molar of a heterodont dolphin from the Oligo-Miocene.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bLzZt4MmkO_3sl5d7DHsYYapI7BwQdcJ1Ce7zDhgTL0dzAe8Hxw2qXAdWJekCWU_JEEa8TVd28yD5Fk2hUo3Wjaiy4SMgRhP_6ApQb5xLeh-X4YpKniBG2iIPVtHHk96ccoBWi3w6fhGcSEyPD4SxcnzTD5e6k37bmSb5C1VkudTkE0IJxqmdJBqPfU/s1258/PXL_20230908_144247386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bLzZt4MmkO_3sl5d7DHsYYapI7BwQdcJ1Ce7zDhgTL0dzAe8Hxw2qXAdWJekCWU_JEEa8TVd28yD5Fk2hUo3Wjaiy4SMgRhP_6ApQb5xLeh-X4YpKniBG2iIPVtHHk96ccoBWi3w6fhGcSEyPD4SxcnzTD5e6k37bmSb5C1VkudTkE0IJxqmdJBqPfU/w400-h301/PXL_20230908_144247386.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> A ton of fiddler crabs! </i>Uca pugnax<i>. They move away from you in a hypnotic motion, and I realized that I had never gotten decent photographs of them. So, I charged them really fast and got this photo of a stampede of crabs at the edge of the sand. I apologize to the 10,000 crabs I almost gave little crab heart attacks to.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Hg3bfMNQC4j5FWdyu-z2CaFExnYJ_0Wi0T_oWnS1VYtE-Ua5tzYHNkF80KIA3jpCerYVgNtDbJTNc8wpcJOjYp7UXbf9Sx3kpzZ5qRTsk35liZ-N7sZgZmCTct0Ba5nSPZk7-DxUF7wNcwdPezcfpjJwVnKiFh5nVqal2BwfNGX5AGE2I0_r6LbiarQ/s1011/PXL_20230908_151653708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1011" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Hg3bfMNQC4j5FWdyu-z2CaFExnYJ_0Wi0T_oWnS1VYtE-Ua5tzYHNkF80KIA3jpCerYVgNtDbJTNc8wpcJOjYp7UXbf9Sx3kpzZ5qRTsk35liZ-N7sZgZmCTct0Ba5nSPZk7-DxUF7wNcwdPezcfpjJwVnKiFh5nVqal2BwfNGX5AGE2I0_r6LbiarQ/w400-h388/PXL_20230908_151653708.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></p><i>A nice ?squalodelphinid or possibly platanistid dolphin periotic - more careful comparisons are needed, but this specimen is a duplicate of one I found out on the harbor a few years ago. Most closely resembles "</i>Phocageneus<i>" from the Lee Creek Mine and </i>Pomatodelphis<i>. Specimens like this tell me that there are fossils likely derived from the Miocene out here.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinj51hwky_VT39MlJoHDz2jbc0pSAH_eam0DnufP8HCNJwC8SiKZMlT8vO_nS3Z6VOiVB_N1EKD2B6BwFT4zhNMiyBQ4jvFT3q-yA7_NQTDMfQXQ0Qi9HwZL7sHSzrvt11Owvx-6agaUujMGmnyBb3hBfnMTt7reATnWhCSItPjIxKiVYD-c4cWlCc7M/s1258/PXL_20230908_152922976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinj51hwky_VT39MlJoHDz2jbc0pSAH_eam0DnufP8HCNJwC8SiKZMlT8vO_nS3Z6VOiVB_N1EKD2B6BwFT4zhNMiyBQ4jvFT3q-yA7_NQTDMfQXQ0Qi9HwZL7sHSzrvt11Owvx-6agaUujMGmnyBb3hBfnMTt7reATnWhCSItPjIxKiVYD-c4cWlCc7M/w400-h301/PXL_20230908_152922976.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> I got greedy after finding that periotic and strayed further down towards a gravel line closer to the low tide line, and earned myself a couple of pluff mud 'socks'.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrhkmUlunEqQy7GdWWa-4hnc49n_2Daz93-LfZMQNn46exJfOh1v180QtZb3oAkN436EReQ2rD1nDPUQALQZVSt9nPJ7a8Km7S9fPlswLLjlmkzCVZMOOXxqOlBTUVVQai0l2s99rfhuiKXYcXT0HvTBntVo5OIdvqO6u2UC9pt4OMIPz5ggl3yWPsVY/s994/PXL_20230908_154144558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="994" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrhkmUlunEqQy7GdWWa-4hnc49n_2Daz93-LfZMQNn46exJfOh1v180QtZb3oAkN436EReQ2rD1nDPUQALQZVSt9nPJ7a8Km7S9fPlswLLjlmkzCVZMOOXxqOlBTUVVQai0l2s99rfhuiKXYcXT0HvTBntVo5OIdvqO6u2UC9pt4OMIPz5ggl3yWPsVY/w400-h324/PXL_20230908_154144558.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br />A large tooth of the extinct sand tiger shark </i>Carcharias cuspidata<i>.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClCVcaf9Jq5NEKUIVXY1CxwTfSaNo3Mk6sbO60UyGCR_3yfddwX8gTNm6Ie0Pft3ed5J06R4r1VrK8QL_aBFSzF7N_Em34kdqSnWwCfDB7R0MZx6zCtEoFwBQcl8mx2OGpglkD1lR29UaBtxX42iy5G7NY0T3MFym0jxk72sbdy9KzytoEUL-Kkl4Klo/s947/PXL_20230908_155813706.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClCVcaf9Jq5NEKUIVXY1CxwTfSaNo3Mk6sbO60UyGCR_3yfddwX8gTNm6Ie0Pft3ed5J06R4r1VrK8QL_aBFSzF7N_Em34kdqSnWwCfDB7R0MZx6zCtEoFwBQcl8mx2OGpglkD1lR29UaBtxX42iy5G7NY0T3MFym0jxk72sbdy9KzytoEUL-Kkl4Klo/w301-h400/PXL_20230908_155813706.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="301" /></a></i></div><i><br /> A medium sized channeled whelk (</i>Busycotypus canaliculatus<i>) shell - I did not keep this one because it was already claimed by a large thinstripe hermit crab (</i>Clibanarius vittatus<i>), our second-largest hermit here on the Carolina coast.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjUX0Uq6OB9p2Hhp930ub4_N8_MLqIRRwQfuGsYSanYSxP60-un4p1ruwsHSqnLqO9jMSaJDdhfPITZkZopdc4g6WgX_UW9wZt4iMZzddQxHHXbGxPrRcJzkL8kEkN2KLcE_YmaW3g40YQ4CQ8RYpbXaiQf39Ow94gYGXaW2VCJgRkS8I2mHBrCQ7y3s/s575/PXL_20230912_142225693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="575" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjUX0Uq6OB9p2Hhp930ub4_N8_MLqIRRwQfuGsYSanYSxP60-un4p1ruwsHSqnLqO9jMSaJDdhfPITZkZopdc4g6WgX_UW9wZt4iMZzddQxHHXbGxPrRcJzkL8kEkN2KLcE_YmaW3g40YQ4CQ8RYpbXaiQf39Ow94gYGXaW2VCJgRkS8I2mHBrCQ7y3s/w400-h340/PXL_20230912_142225693.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br />A fantastic little coprolite with some convoluted folding! I assume this is from some kind of bony fish. </i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Dm71gQ3W3JCzCBYjIvpLCCV1rYbhkd7Cc6-SaYsMIFXel-pGr9S_vu9Rb4viQ-njdi675dX5iGPMbiKeug87TRrLrIO4ZrxJsxUyGzvK08g69nhfzwIQrFNx5IXzaiCfqrgY8gfVrCsI4tAxsn47JugqPvQUjdkeNBrbBVW4MO8iqmFpw1zeMVp2_cA/s468/PXL_20230910_144855201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="468" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Dm71gQ3W3JCzCBYjIvpLCCV1rYbhkd7Cc6-SaYsMIFXel-pGr9S_vu9Rb4viQ-njdi675dX5iGPMbiKeug87TRrLrIO4ZrxJsxUyGzvK08g69nhfzwIQrFNx5IXzaiCfqrgY8gfVrCsI4tAxsn47JugqPvQUjdkeNBrbBVW4MO8iqmFpw1zeMVp2_cA/w400-h318/PXL_20230910_144855201.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A reasonably well-preserved waipatiid dolphin periotic staring back up at me from the gravel.</i><br /></div></div><div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bt-pNDNtddeYuFYW-pvN5C8ANHUkh38_TKri8Z23H91t1kG67UP0wgqINInR4448gUJrSZKL1bi34oCvMPNi0DrBJZX-oy5ehRqDWlfYpU35ss10sujX3FnJagrGvOcSkOKVIRFSRwHOUqjSIBmTYe6gKqe8CdXeztaGb0vKa3fXDXTrbASHQleyuRs/s713/PXL_20230913_151649584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="713" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bt-pNDNtddeYuFYW-pvN5C8ANHUkh38_TKri8Z23H91t1kG67UP0wgqINInR4448gUJrSZKL1bi34oCvMPNi0DrBJZX-oy5ehRqDWlfYpU35ss10sujX3FnJagrGvOcSkOKVIRFSRwHOUqjSIBmTYe6gKqe8CdXeztaGb0vKa3fXDXTrbASHQleyuRs/w400-h358/PXL_20230913_151649584.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The smaller of our two Oligocene barnacles -</i> Amphibalanus halosydne -<i> with its distinctive three ridges per plate.</i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqRYctnW7ib9yituGMDO8UnuuPz6sfc-mjjXP-TgrfxA3GTNbgvXeNkG_IYHPsvCMZVp0FyJKhcYThWUV4czNlV-MlraYRsbWWtgciswS8K9ZGkNbgR4vJxqh0Fb7gPKw9lea67kBfdmoY5IqhDaPxwI5s_6lQHVkEd7p3QbsJS4S6li37iSxu5JeCtU/s1006/PXL_20230914_171059471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1006" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqRYctnW7ib9yituGMDO8UnuuPz6sfc-mjjXP-TgrfxA3GTNbgvXeNkG_IYHPsvCMZVp0FyJKhcYThWUV4czNlV-MlraYRsbWWtgciswS8K9ZGkNbgR4vJxqh0Fb7gPKw9lea67kBfdmoY5IqhDaPxwI5s_6lQHVkEd7p3QbsJS4S6li37iSxu5JeCtU/w400-h340/PXL_20230914_171059471.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Not a fossil, but a molar of a modern cow. Occasionally cow bones are found in the marsh... I can imagine the cow getting stuck in the mud at low tide and you can imagine the rest.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidee2JxMHgC18IytSthvLhBf-6VbkEDckiiC2VdIO74iP8IdND9zW00ZRwxzXkv3-0SLVGhtJsaUgAAgMTUxWbHYchp7z72FvnINf0KOhfieatt5b5-6B6kSniKM2xkFUhKwD56bK10jQuYN5GqBxQNR6fAABJscNmmdbstA-cqOAY-ehIvJ4PGlaUsV8/s731/PXL_20230915_162704259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="731" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidee2JxMHgC18IytSthvLhBf-6VbkEDckiiC2VdIO74iP8IdND9zW00ZRwxzXkv3-0SLVGhtJsaUgAAgMTUxWbHYchp7z72FvnINf0KOhfieatt5b5-6B6kSniKM2xkFUhKwD56bK10jQuYN5GqBxQNR6fAABJscNmmdbstA-cqOAY-ehIvJ4PGlaUsV8/w400-h338/PXL_20230915_162704259.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /></i></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> A caniniform tooth of a barracuda, </i>Sphyraena<i> sp.</i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyjmFEZZqGsv2r59kJz_igJyLlDwvMMpzpR0Dqg7CR4NdyI1KqgWxmVR_sA-tZOST9KiMpcKDMdQrVK5Mb09lwO4XH9Uh6KMfK-aBhC9RQDK_87O3TQHQdHfOSIKjCNnJlKkoJnwkY9eUnfR4HwG2W8zmmsYhzNEDGe92teydWG2g7v0XMYqDU82rxGg/s700/PXL_20230915_165957661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="700" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyjmFEZZqGsv2r59kJz_igJyLlDwvMMpzpR0Dqg7CR4NdyI1KqgWxmVR_sA-tZOST9KiMpcKDMdQrVK5Mb09lwO4XH9Uh6KMfK-aBhC9RQDK_87O3TQHQdHfOSIKjCNnJlKkoJnwkY9eUnfR4HwG2W8zmmsYhzNEDGe92teydWG2g7v0XMYqDU82rxGg/w400-h311/PXL_20230915_165957661.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> A tooth and dentary (or maxilla?) fragment from an even more monstrous fish - </i>Conosaurus/Conosaurops bowmani<i>. This species was originally named by Gibbes in 1851 from deposits along the Ashley River - likely the Ashley Formation or perhaps Chandler Bridge Formation. Gibbes originally thought this thing was a mosasaur lineage that had survived into the Cenozoic - Leidy later correctly identified it as a fish. We still don't really know what kind of fish it is: back in the 1950s, Rapp referred it to the Pachyrhizodontidae, which is an extinct group of mostly Cretaceous fish such as </i>Pachyrhizodus<i>. The teeth bear some resemblance to halibut, and I wonder if it's not some monster, big-toothed halibut</i> <i>or something a little more 'Cenozoic'.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQV8bGRLwI5ezHkjJJxVOAJMjHrpzellKHTS5vy8VqgDgDiT1VI0AR-pUMLnYJ5v0HZ4jGKDLACcgE750ULs9pnKlUVOR9c7JwnNRS_g03rwSPOJrBABo29fnwxwLBDPgwHASCchpzR7KFk1-gTOqHDGuSfjYpvndaKMP0iiBPQL_1QdlzpK03Ut1qC30/s816/PXL_20230915_171310130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="816" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQV8bGRLwI5ezHkjJJxVOAJMjHrpzellKHTS5vy8VqgDgDiT1VI0AR-pUMLnYJ5v0HZ4jGKDLACcgE750ULs9pnKlUVOR9c7JwnNRS_g03rwSPOJrBABo29fnwxwLBDPgwHASCchpzR7KFk1-gTOqHDGuSfjYpvndaKMP0iiBPQL_1QdlzpK03Ut1qC30/w400-h316/PXL_20230915_171310130.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> A median tooth of a juvenile devil ray, </i>Plinthicus stenodon<i>. This specimen was only about 5 mm wide (check the sand grains!) and I dropped it on the beach and five of us could not relocate it. That's okay, we'll find another. This one was just exceptionally small; adult median teeth can get up to about 3-3.5 cm wide. They're wonderfully sculpted and resemble a comb.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vawhkzwBfyLJ3n2uxjkd38twyY6V6YOs_uBIDG9e1uKaZQEjuQHlZiyyQOp1mG4sVqIRwyURkXvP_0O-m-ivaMqpWts7cRz7lmuFQFf_wj8oIdMTU0HTKXzEpv5l8MaT4zKj0wnhiq3CRkKwbFGRfG1Vkne0PAWhBrqzbgm7ikUL6RIHt3qvG8VuEDw/s947/PXL_20230915_171835132~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="947" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vawhkzwBfyLJ3n2uxjkd38twyY6V6YOs_uBIDG9e1uKaZQEjuQHlZiyyQOp1mG4sVqIRwyURkXvP_0O-m-ivaMqpWts7cRz7lmuFQFf_wj8oIdMTU0HTKXzEpv5l8MaT4zKj0wnhiq3CRkKwbFGRfG1Vkne0PAWhBrqzbgm7ikUL6RIHt3qvG8VuEDw/w400-h301/PXL_20230915_171835132~2.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> A fistful of shark teeth.</i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz5G7eE0TfxCHOH_-3Ms4UdxQIVWFnbm_WTbRNMi1ykKrRVwpDfUVNSjAHgj-L1IxKcKazDxUTQAhYhjpdsFQtPh38wIOoL0gtzQmBLo7bZhKVLrdlCIXpY7P9GSWyV6CYciQdg3qKPTIwVlyp3NEH-jbv2atHAqC-wPRYxdlS3-vPrUnRSbviLX0ltPs/s761/PXL_20230915_175602763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="761" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz5G7eE0TfxCHOH_-3Ms4UdxQIVWFnbm_WTbRNMi1ykKrRVwpDfUVNSjAHgj-L1IxKcKazDxUTQAhYhjpdsFQtPh38wIOoL0gtzQmBLo7bZhKVLrdlCIXpY7P9GSWyV6CYciQdg3qKPTIwVlyp3NEH-jbv2atHAqC-wPRYxdlS3-vPrUnRSbviLX0ltPs/w400-h349/PXL_20230915_175602763.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> A massive example of a giant thresher</i> tooth, Alopias grandis <i>- this one had such a beefy root I thought it was a 'false mako', </i>Parotodus. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2rOf5joPyH5Lc9V69MWOKsRotAbDZK7gTy46yajz5KB6QhHmV24bbhS8wbLMN8Sfg4wo9dInU0quADPEBqXeiP79hALpX1R_1DOL9uRSalysYi9ciM4-RV3UOIDpJrbxTxVSWAW1eNjVbrDbD8C3eFcKqe02Fd1Z0HlrtFBHNUzEoNjjVY3Juz7zuM0/s598/PXL_20230915_180826446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="598" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2rOf5joPyH5Lc9V69MWOKsRotAbDZK7gTy46yajz5KB6QhHmV24bbhS8wbLMN8Sfg4wo9dInU0quADPEBqXeiP79hALpX1R_1DOL9uRSalysYi9ciM4-RV3UOIDpJrbxTxVSWAW1eNjVbrDbD8C3eFcKqe02Fd1Z0HlrtFBHNUzEoNjjVY3Juz7zuM0/w400-h345/PXL_20230915_180826446.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /></i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A waipatiid dolphin periotic, dorsal side up, as found! I was pretty happy as this one was just about 100% complete.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3SiZ8gqXK7eKDD8bBfYLUFNWKvcnaDxUgturHaK6wQiZ479z0qI30wd8rctATJuRT59kwX7f4dXWZYEb72aeIcJndj8pGimt-dXrG4eN_-inLfeT6kCyLqLmCz0p2g15RS4TkQ2hY_4yzhr5MCTc3dk5_rbdmbX4uSvjEdDpoh0pkxcy7KXJSlOqq7g/s912/PXL_20230915_183352961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="912" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3SiZ8gqXK7eKDD8bBfYLUFNWKvcnaDxUgturHaK6wQiZ479z0qI30wd8rctATJuRT59kwX7f4dXWZYEb72aeIcJndj8pGimt-dXrG4eN_-inLfeT6kCyLqLmCz0p2g15RS4TkQ2hY_4yzhr5MCTc3dk5_rbdmbX4uSvjEdDpoh0pkxcy7KXJSlOqq7g/w400-h278/PXL_20230915_183352961.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /></i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And a closeup of the specimen - this one is a close match for </i>Ediscetus osbornei<i>.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAviIeQHBaCCx7XOlUnvyjoKM0wl-daENGNH3kywyuOSGwzJG0KTnA0LB863JaY_2i8GIcuhYQmDK1Lt0SbW1FW9T5EqlaG3et9jRsLNgUW9OydNOvrZzb2z00LnnSCVf8mPvK7So1cZtS1xeNsx70MWt18iO3WuG2rUaeNwfzQiTl5fWMp3anLRtI7s/s700/PXL_20230917_123416616.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="700" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAviIeQHBaCCx7XOlUnvyjoKM0wl-daENGNH3kywyuOSGwzJG0KTnA0LB863JaY_2i8GIcuhYQmDK1Lt0SbW1FW9T5EqlaG3et9jRsLNgUW9OydNOvrZzb2z00LnnSCVf8mPvK7So1cZtS1xeNsx70MWt18iO3WuG2rUaeNwfzQiTl5fWMp3anLRtI7s/w400-h303/PXL_20230917_123416616.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />A tooth of the extinct tiger shark </i>Galeocerdo aduncas<i> - now interpreted as a lower tooth of this species, formerly assigned to </i>Physogaleus contortus<i>. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBnP801f1Ellq3fCdQcUNFUZpqx0dEGdy87qN-9OflqRwrCX89nhZqEQc1r12ApY-JZQbowG5yqIDgJ_V0MVxtk6k1BuIPhGimRKJNjBVQ8y8d5cLHdkgU0wVmG9jKOnDGttq_PUoyaIaM7Mp648CfPyVx7MiP1-A-SNDxFLWPpFxl5pGMTgPOrBXdqY/s474/PXL_20230917_132751936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="474" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBnP801f1Ellq3fCdQcUNFUZpqx0dEGdy87qN-9OflqRwrCX89nhZqEQc1r12ApY-JZQbowG5yqIDgJ_V0MVxtk6k1BuIPhGimRKJNjBVQ8y8d5cLHdkgU0wVmG9jKOnDGttq_PUoyaIaM7Mp648CfPyVx7MiP1-A-SNDxFLWPpFxl5pGMTgPOrBXdqY/w400-h361/PXL_20230917_132751936.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Sometimes at high tide we can find teeth by just sifting the gravel with our hands - these two tiny teeth were in the same handful. Both are reef sharks, </i>Carcharhinus<i> spp. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KK4n7X3t16Hxu7TDtGIau2WRCpWnfHU6rB7xBQxbW5DTsI7wGbI0IXS8VM0QsmW9x_o3Vt10Ce6c1GNKPFjwm_vI6VWYEGJ_wRW4eEY1CZso8RO6St573xnBj8_R73mZx3aPrubsOPbzLd3o30LlgywElyYhiLbBfKBxlMf8iD29vuLx0nRPOv5TqKQ/s713/PXL_20230917_141516287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="713" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KK4n7X3t16Hxu7TDtGIau2WRCpWnfHU6rB7xBQxbW5DTsI7wGbI0IXS8VM0QsmW9x_o3Vt10Ce6c1GNKPFjwm_vI6VWYEGJ_wRW4eEY1CZso8RO6St573xnBj8_R73mZx3aPrubsOPbzLd3o30LlgywElyYhiLbBfKBxlMf8iD29vuLx0nRPOv5TqKQ/w400-h370/PXL_20230917_141516287.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Some kind of irregular echinoid (sea biscuit) - possibly something like </i>Agassizia mossomi<i> or </i>Maretia carolinensis <i>judging from Kier's paper on Oligocene echinoids from North Carolina. These are not very common and this one, albeit slightly crushed, is one of the more complete specimens we've seen out of the Ashley Formation.<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBFtNDmpLCVk-HmsLTYbhaPW-Smg_zn1fJkf2Q7OXe6T0oNEjaM1bGOOYvA5zofTugyA3O1aYuTwsD-VPVc20y44mYvI2y6p2Hl9BIskh_kohMO_eW2zTEIhncK3Vxm3dMZeY6NLN466axIFfBRCdrwD_VxCi3tSMuNH71kefA9p0G5xxVGnLxKrpx7U/s713/PXL_20230929_192206933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="713" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBFtNDmpLCVk-HmsLTYbhaPW-Smg_zn1fJkf2Q7OXe6T0oNEjaM1bGOOYvA5zofTugyA3O1aYuTwsD-VPVc20y44mYvI2y6p2Hl9BIskh_kohMO_eW2zTEIhncK3Vxm3dMZeY6NLN466axIFfBRCdrwD_VxCi3tSMuNH71kefA9p0G5xxVGnLxKrpx7U/w400-h314/PXL_20230929_192206933.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> A lateral tooth of the megatoothed shark </i>Carcharocles angustidens. <i>I initially thought this tooth belonged to a </i>Parotodus<i>.<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcRss0knHoXgJWgLOZFpiugLL_h7OSde1pHqkTTcq4sI2qseVMYmBBpjeeFZiwBWYJ9hbV5iAW4rf45Lthj6_ZRxndiLRB9GRDWqy0cNUS2bxoaULS8zpgimQ1Q8QYPLJGjv5IzWyY6ioUYBw_A8Q2z5yque5DT8q5Z-MPaN_ActcuXF7cg4BZAKttxg/s489/PXL_20230921_123407114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="489" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcRss0knHoXgJWgLOZFpiugLL_h7OSde1pHqkTTcq4sI2qseVMYmBBpjeeFZiwBWYJ9hbV5iAW4rf45Lthj6_ZRxndiLRB9GRDWqy0cNUS2bxoaULS8zpgimQ1Q8QYPLJGjv5IzWyY6ioUYBw_A8Q2z5yque5DT8q5Z-MPaN_ActcuXF7cg4BZAKttxg/w400-h365/PXL_20230921_123407114.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />A nice "beak" of a barnacle, a plate called the scutum - this was identified by Zullo et al. 1991 as Arcoscalpellum sp. - a gooseneck barnacle! I had *no* idea that these large scuta were from gooseneck barnacles. I need to save some examples now!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_buWc-qYTtoiuE66HUoEwiwNDvIZDy1kV_HVACQvLIpOpUMmmmei7BJEvZ6mE2nA_aKj2hn_fOyWxXFmTB83zkqYCV5vMh5Pm_g5G2R9cMNf43NES_QKOEad5FRx-qZg5rQi6UKf8ZS8FAfPg7r43wQce-nM8QwkFCHLPZ587GEehggOX28TlPue2iW0/s813/PXL_20230921_124324107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="813" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_buWc-qYTtoiuE66HUoEwiwNDvIZDy1kV_HVACQvLIpOpUMmmmei7BJEvZ6mE2nA_aKj2hn_fOyWxXFmTB83zkqYCV5vMh5Pm_g5G2R9cMNf43NES_QKOEad5FRx-qZg5rQi6UKf8ZS8FAfPg7r43wQce-nM8QwkFCHLPZ587GEehggOX28TlPue2iW0/w400-h305/PXL_20230921_124324107.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> A tooth of the snaggletooth shark, </i>Hemipristis serra<i>.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_aAZOz0qmir1dUDDmk6eAiDjjiqR7FzQ-ouN8w9WRFjaWy7l0mNXURmORNdewEfDkScA77q2M1Rf3XoF7fyYYh0z_HXHKG5COlKWXUHt07kktvoYBSWkbuBgYAa2LnYb-DwaBQKDQWEQ4XrtYDQwN9YC7Ue6C3m6h61Hn3vZnaEhvuHhiEF9kUOul-g/s669/PXL_20230921_134949813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="669" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_aAZOz0qmir1dUDDmk6eAiDjjiqR7FzQ-ouN8w9WRFjaWy7l0mNXURmORNdewEfDkScA77q2M1Rf3XoF7fyYYh0z_HXHKG5COlKWXUHt07kktvoYBSWkbuBgYAa2LnYb-DwaBQKDQWEQ4XrtYDQwN9YC7Ue6C3m6h61Hn3vZnaEhvuHhiEF9kUOul-g/w400-h339/PXL_20230921_134949813.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>Another </i>Hemipristis<i>.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgc-gXi-ezQh7WoGZZfOYZRKUofcHvh92MX82pzRtwTCmMuAXsxqT_-whhrYxN_70iLn3xnkrEbzkHcSXt293TrAhZZJ705Hohz5hsmK9Vo6uEkHosGL2ujC4kZHMEY2ly_Qf8K0X3UISW8XoumixolTTSQfllaO8gRUfbr_tiVVccnK5FJEXp0ZbTt1c/s599/PXL_20230921_150047116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="599" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgc-gXi-ezQh7WoGZZfOYZRKUofcHvh92MX82pzRtwTCmMuAXsxqT_-whhrYxN_70iLn3xnkrEbzkHcSXt293TrAhZZJ705Hohz5hsmK9Vo6uEkHosGL2ujC4kZHMEY2ly_Qf8K0X3UISW8XoumixolTTSQfllaO8gRUfbr_tiVVccnK5FJEXp0ZbTt1c/w400-h320/PXL_20230921_150047116.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>A partial tooth of </i>Carcharocles angustidens<i>, the Oligocene member of the otodontid lineage leading to </i>C. megalodon<i>.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZc06s7bXN2jJlXUGLzKCU08RkjBVbnLCAGRBMnKHwLI0oLi9cDoBZr29EW9oLCUNblJ38cktjyg7q6jNpd-sN_IKGM0__bDCXXj_WRdQiikgeqojIWkyAVYm6_T6Nkyhnrq3Dtn-zGA06-mnUeMj37rxLOYO2eT1TaCa9yrpfBGMefDG6tvGyNLZdVU/s509/PXL_20230921_151030227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="509" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZc06s7bXN2jJlXUGLzKCU08RkjBVbnLCAGRBMnKHwLI0oLi9cDoBZr29EW9oLCUNblJ38cktjyg7q6jNpd-sN_IKGM0__bDCXXj_WRdQiikgeqojIWkyAVYm6_T6Nkyhnrq3Dtn-zGA06-mnUeMj37rxLOYO2eT1TaCa9yrpfBGMefDG6tvGyNLZdVU/w400-h330/PXL_20230921_151030227.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>An ancestral great white tooth - or possibly great white proper - </i>Carcharodon hastalis<i> or </i>carcharias<i>.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4j0EzFMUxAJ7NI4H6cHmQytGlYw7o0-3Cwl913DIZS9HVEbi8YePnoimz6MC7ZGxVMRZSIW8BJM0hjWmX-KDdIOZxksgntde0HqbCdxVPgMZ3ZufaYBCgB73UfRZthwT81yBKgxNpNy4Mp6HeU1M3x4MFYbAfb_6cUDC9KlFnzSEGbnGePdSN2eyM7XU/s563/PXL_20230925_144800238.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="563" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4j0EzFMUxAJ7NI4H6cHmQytGlYw7o0-3Cwl913DIZS9HVEbi8YePnoimz6MC7ZGxVMRZSIW8BJM0hjWmX-KDdIOZxksgntde0HqbCdxVPgMZ3ZufaYBCgB73UfRZthwT81yBKgxNpNy4Mp6HeU1M3x4MFYbAfb_6cUDC9KlFnzSEGbnGePdSN2eyM7XU/w400-h333/PXL_20230925_144800238.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> An internal mold or steinkern of a rather tall-spired gastropod in the family Turritellidae.<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQYOD8laEmXeFVEid3FulLRxxN0pqQGdf3rUPjHuAXqevn46HaGtlmabyBcK2BMu_IF1Wc0iHKks46qJGmdUtVbe5-lwZLnbimbCi-mlXl3fQPm28CUjizwHOKBhV3HuWdOrxoIQb8a_-LQPOTtPwo4k2lYbT9baRqT351kddMauGxYwCs7mgnVa50Ic/s614/PXL_20230925_132657917.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="614" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQYOD8laEmXeFVEid3FulLRxxN0pqQGdf3rUPjHuAXqevn46HaGtlmabyBcK2BMu_IF1Wc0iHKks46qJGmdUtVbe5-lwZLnbimbCi-mlXl3fQPm28CUjizwHOKBhV3HuWdOrxoIQb8a_-LQPOTtPwo4k2lYbT9baRqT351kddMauGxYwCs7mgnVa50Ic/w400-h318/PXL_20230925_132657917.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>Another </i>Carcharocles angustidens<i> tooth.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Mt8yO8lP0ykZ4QAiKaj67Feqqxm1vkNLVpM-WD7AILbNAhuAlYSgbmLiPCcYrtNt79cqMtJyBbgSpeNmnoSvttc7O52JUO95mdD9czCLIRmsU7rQACC9mOmbbR3EIbEjbBYyXXf51yF5tbkPVWDWXb5V777MgCFxXXFwjgoiMZ7uTyc4fbjMaSqCMeI/s1016/PXL_20230925_134408549.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1016" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Mt8yO8lP0ykZ4QAiKaj67Feqqxm1vkNLVpM-WD7AILbNAhuAlYSgbmLiPCcYrtNt79cqMtJyBbgSpeNmnoSvttc7O52JUO95mdD9czCLIRmsU7rQACC9mOmbbR3EIbEjbBYyXXf51yF5tbkPVWDWXb5V777MgCFxXXFwjgoiMZ7uTyc4fbjMaSqCMeI/w400-h314/PXL_20230925_134408549.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>A rather large tooth of </i>Hemipristis serra <i>- snaggletooth shark.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZlAyE49-82F50vMQtaTrkBkIp-0p1epVs0Cpt3r-HpQ4xrXBkzdKm65vyy2pe_I2jK0dC6CKbVcfAD52w3UET6skwl8r0bOV0XV5kyIjr-QYoY2_wkdhWZQ0Y4cmOeKn2TJubvHHJbOfGJO9oi51XMYEux8-1Y4TF7C2eABQBjKcilaQwpVAyiV-eEVI/s859/PXL_20230929_194644843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="859" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZlAyE49-82F50vMQtaTrkBkIp-0p1epVs0Cpt3r-HpQ4xrXBkzdKm65vyy2pe_I2jK0dC6CKbVcfAD52w3UET6skwl8r0bOV0XV5kyIjr-QYoY2_wkdhWZQ0Y4cmOeKn2TJubvHHJbOfGJO9oi51XMYEux8-1Y4TF7C2eABQBjKcilaQwpVAyiV-eEVI/w400-h336/PXL_20230929_194644843.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>A small vertebra of some kind of sand tiger or mackerel shark, Lamniformes.<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnul4BQGNQG-Zd42B3EaaSg8Pop50hnJSwwi7K1LCccEWoKQlls1txf0mJ-0o-ZMwbW57EcqoK_rEph0T8FUDgMacp8bwVrZxv-lEHracuXNAhvDDqh9_K8392SxPYZqjG6MpuLVCGblXbnsqz3Px9FTgXVzSM_lkh69o9V1jA1XuqjPKthFZn_yUfTnk/s713/PXL_20230925_141021678.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="713" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnul4BQGNQG-Zd42B3EaaSg8Pop50hnJSwwi7K1LCccEWoKQlls1txf0mJ-0o-ZMwbW57EcqoK_rEph0T8FUDgMacp8bwVrZxv-lEHracuXNAhvDDqh9_K8392SxPYZqjG6MpuLVCGblXbnsqz3Px9FTgXVzSM_lkh69o9V1jA1XuqjPKthFZn_yUfTnk/w400-h346/PXL_20230925_141021678.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>Another great Carcharocles tooth - possibly </i>C. chubutensis<i> or </i>C. angustidens<i>.<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><br /></div><div><p></p></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-30116768956229601032023-09-27T13:11:00.001-06:002023-09-27T13:18:39.426-06:00Bucket-o-earbones from a lowcountry river site: preliminary findings and analysis<div><p>Last weekend I had a river tour for Charleston Fossil Adventures get cancelled owing to some pretty nasty thunderstorms, and so Ashby Gale and I instead went and worked a table at the first annual fall Artifact and Fossil show at Cypress Gardens*. I saw a number of familiar faces, including Cade Kaufmann, a tour guide for Charleston Outdoor Adventures - Cade takes folks kayaking around the lowcountry, and makes many visits to some fossil sites that are difficult for just about anyone else to get to. I know exactly where they are, but 1) of course won't share publicly and 2) wouldn't go there without asking Cade to show me. Back in 2016, Cade donated a few pieces to CCNHM collections (Mace Brown Museum of Natural History) including a nice partial tooth of <i>Coronodon</i>, which we published in our ginormous PeerJ monograph earlier this year. He also donated a tympanic bulla of a waipatiid dolphin at the time. For a while he's been telling me he had saved up quite a few earbones from his sites. When I first saw him at the show last weekend, it had been a couple years, but he nonchalantly reminded me that he "had a few earbones" for me. Now, I'm happy to find one periotic bone a week out on the river - so I was not expecting much, a couple of specimens, at most. I expressed some gratitude, and quickly forgot about it as I began setting up our table.</p><p><i>*Cypress Gardens is where they filmed many scenes from The Patriot,
including all of the cypress swamp scenes and the small Spanish mission
where Mel Gibson's militia was hiding out. Most of the movie was filmed
in and around Charleston!</i> <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sSYCD6BY2S-hyRAnSc_mjhAfr1EvXEPaGk1gIiL8fJxDAh3QDg9dCQ2fIybIV5jwIva7fKaxKsUTEVAJEQAhNCim0EUng_iru5chxmiSM5ekgEJyly75Q4kgwcwyHp5vYxjwhyphenhyphenXL7oK18nSMZVORWnNwTjjeMJY6yW6bsOAcgiHyQqzZ-hIG_-Ty7zY/s947/PXL_20230909_190852342.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sSYCD6BY2S-hyRAnSc_mjhAfr1EvXEPaGk1gIiL8fJxDAh3QDg9dCQ2fIybIV5jwIva7fKaxKsUTEVAJEQAhNCim0EUng_iru5chxmiSM5ekgEJyly75Q4kgwcwyHp5vYxjwhyphenhyphenXL7oK18nSMZVORWnNwTjjeMJY6yW6bsOAcgiHyQqzZ-hIG_-Ty7zY/w301-h400/PXL_20230909_190852342.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> Cade Kaufmann and his bucket of earbones! Cade is a guide for Charleston Outdoor Adventures.</i><br /></p><p></p><p>About an hour later Cade comes by and hands me a small 14 oz container like what a small to-go salad might be kept in - and it was overflowing with dolphin periotics! The number of periotics was so absurd my reaction was just maniacal laughter - followed by a quick reversal to polite, but effusive thanks to Cade. I asked him whether he had locality data for all these - and he indicated that they were all from ONE small location! I was floored. These specimens were from one dredge site, most are nearly complete, and most are well-preserved enough to be of publication quality. Now, Ashby Gale has found many periotics (and bullae) over the past 6-7 years or so doing his fossil tours, and he was just as floored as I was. </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEOQrFji7v7USElq8amAc0Rb-ZBrYUMxoEKymDzT-qP5vg4RxAOr9m51jx6pVv9Bm_7_1lT7uiAWZjeLYZjM2O3iSCnthPPn44vE1pkRiz36eZ1IsDqj-Lpd2M7rcXnKdDVfHUTksKowXU54vjgGmrJ_ZrMKmLFQWuSaX7t9qF-9efvnc7-TkgnMI9wc/s1291/PXL_20230909_152241525.PORTRAIT~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1291" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEOQrFji7v7USElq8amAc0Rb-ZBrYUMxoEKymDzT-qP5vg4RxAOr9m51jx6pVv9Bm_7_1lT7uiAWZjeLYZjM2O3iSCnthPPn44vE1pkRiz36eZ1IsDqj-Lpd2M7rcXnKdDVfHUTksKowXU54vjgGmrJ_ZrMKmLFQWuSaX7t9qF-9efvnc7-TkgnMI9wc/w400-h294/PXL_20230909_152241525.PORTRAIT~2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> The bucket-o-earbones.</i><br /></p><p>I've already started work on a sample of about 200-300 periotics collected by Ashby, his clients, and Sarah and I from various Lowcountry waterways - some locations a bit secret, and from other well-known fossil sites like Folly Beach, Northbridge Park, and Drum Island - and this single bucket-o-periotics increased the sample by ~25-20% or so! This increases the sample size, and also the amount of work considerably - almost ensuring that this study will end up being a short monograph in length (that's a LOT of periotics to figure!).</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYM5aWe8ogzragV9S6_hqFEFvrVI8v48iZAEN0hCuSoOjJTj3FxTxV93-Y63ZFWGrPJVDa1E7UcoSmTeCHJuWgb3uXHu7quurzbcWAWOFEwVhyphenhyphen_MC6hJH0I7Ou6_EZOIURRVsUcxMvfcJqEngCya6__ZeGqe_LOZmyVdf5jKCydUBkqYl2gZ5Nw5lMQPY/s1258/PXL_20230914_234232589.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYM5aWe8ogzragV9S6_hqFEFvrVI8v48iZAEN0hCuSoOjJTj3FxTxV93-Y63ZFWGrPJVDa1E7UcoSmTeCHJuWgb3uXHu7quurzbcWAWOFEwVhyphenhyphen_MC6hJH0I7Ou6_EZOIURRVsUcxMvfcJqEngCya6__ZeGqe_LOZmyVdf5jKCydUBkqYl2gZ5Nw5lMQPY/w400-h301/PXL_20230914_234232589.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>All of the earbones laid out in approximate taxonomic groupings.</i><br /></p><p> So, I thought it might be fun to do a blog post about what we can learn from this collection. First off, sample size: there are 48 periotics and 24 tympanic bullae in here. That's a damned good sample! For example, the periotic sample from the entire Purisima Formation in California where I started my whaleontological studies, with the exception of one private collection, is less than that. </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuvYbnLwon_0rL_8xp1e9LayOk00IuTb2AOAX5L9Nyp7JHnE5s7R8menQz5IlJ2FpENMpLYQKarRpwOGnXWzucGtk2Fsc0lA4gD5qvg2XTQjAcM4_NJWUZz4r2KE6qdhtfr-XM23n8KoQ-aod8xCOkU1V8VuruIZvogUognsTgUHYckx5J6e666t_Djc/s5034/PXL_20230926_233351388.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2704" data-original-width="5034" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuvYbnLwon_0rL_8xp1e9LayOk00IuTb2AOAX5L9Nyp7JHnE5s7R8menQz5IlJ2FpENMpLYQKarRpwOGnXWzucGtk2Fsc0lA4gD5qvg2XTQjAcM4_NJWUZz4r2KE6qdhtfr-XM23n8KoQ-aod8xCOkU1V8VuruIZvogUognsTgUHYckx5J6e666t_Djc/w400-h215/PXL_20230926_233351388.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> Xenorophid periotics - </i>Xenorophus <i>above, </i>Albertocetus <i>below.</i><br /></p><p><b>1) Xenorophidae</b></p><p>Two periotics are identifiable as xenorophids. One is larger than the other, and is a good match for <i>Xenorophus sloanii</i>; the other is likely <i>Albertocetus meffordorum</i>.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6eV_fqAvXJXC3QR7iM7-nWRlJf4vKBRqCSysxi1GJnzzIWMW7f9SqY4z7ahFzELJ73Mz7FXBCxHin9jOjYGGBbYGQKtB8W2r6CBh4BPvooWCNPAHHy-j9OYFKI4vFbm522xtR3Cuk5Qb32-pqtU__mLPlmC_JwrWbH0TWMdF2wh7ICSP_z8EZqmVhAs/s4453/PXL_20230926_234404242.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3805" data-original-width="4453" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6eV_fqAvXJXC3QR7iM7-nWRlJf4vKBRqCSysxi1GJnzzIWMW7f9SqY4z7ahFzELJ73Mz7FXBCxHin9jOjYGGBbYGQKtB8W2r6CBh4BPvooWCNPAHHy-j9OYFKI4vFbm522xtR3Cuk5Qb32-pqtU__mLPlmC_JwrWbH0TWMdF2wh7ICSP_z8EZqmVhAs/w400-h341/PXL_20230926_234404242.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> Periotics of "spear-toothed" waipatiid dolphins, including those similar to skulls I've preliminarily identified as aff. </i>Waipatia<i>.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizS-oS9MdIMHBDSP7ouQ316LOuhgAicZRiDGPmI2SluCMCK1eIPKCeKZRJc1fZjb0ydsI9P-8yXeJzzwa8xDLoHTRVPvOgnUMUSxNwGXGMsfdpGB6AQxgPLe13UrYNp43PSVmRr3UkGuxCS3Orh2YRpoy7bQUSK3jy_-fQGp4wPcTSfCFAEBKoqB_d3yk/s3290/PXL_20230926_234248939.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3290" data-original-width="3037" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizS-oS9MdIMHBDSP7ouQ316LOuhgAicZRiDGPmI2SluCMCK1eIPKCeKZRJc1fZjb0ydsI9P-8yXeJzzwa8xDLoHTRVPvOgnUMUSxNwGXGMsfdpGB6AQxgPLe13UrYNp43PSVmRr3UkGuxCS3Orh2YRpoy7bQUSK3jy_-fQGp4wPcTSfCFAEBKoqB_d3yk/w369-h400/PXL_20230926_234248939.jpg" width="369" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> A beautiful periotic closely resembling </i>Ediscetus osbornei.<br /></p><p><b>2) 'Waipatiidae'</b></p><p>Ten periotics and eight bullae are identifiable as waipatiids - noting of course that waipatiids may be an evolutionary 'grade' rather than a clade. Several periotics closely resemble one morphotype from the Chandler Bridge Formation with a skull that closely resembles <i>Waipatia maerewhenua </i>from New Zealand, although the periotics are not quite so close a match; they are distinctive in having a bit of a wedge-shaped pars cochlearis. This taxon I have preliminarily identified as aff. <i>Waipatia</i>. One periotic with a more spherical pars cochlearis has a pronounced articular process, making it a rather good, albeit imperfect, match for <i>Ediscetus osbornei</i> and is perhaps best identified as <i>Ediscetus</i> sp. for the time being.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17zZrXkfXX8i3vs476cMXsxGgrPKF8-9W3f1cvMOda6ZCjVoLmJdo8oMCkjz9Je2WfMz6fZd6QrlcyDBJ0EodcRpWg3xst-cbC3-Ab82d9ws9qK34qcZj41qq69C_pOmr2Gn4hGbAy_0JTilKq-l9_JzJB_dE02uHcLE1wvRcOAI15e118LBhMwsU6Cc/s6118/PXL_20230926_233716084.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3956" data-original-width="6118" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17zZrXkfXX8i3vs476cMXsxGgrPKF8-9W3f1cvMOda6ZCjVoLmJdo8oMCkjz9Je2WfMz6fZd6QrlcyDBJ0EodcRpWg3xst-cbC3-Ab82d9ws9qK34qcZj41qq69C_pOmr2Gn4hGbAy_0JTilKq-l9_JzJB_dE02uHcLE1wvRcOAI15e118LBhMwsU6Cc/w400-h259/PXL_20230926_233716084.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Periotics most closely resembling </i>Ankylorhiza (<i>and </i>Squalodon).<br /></p><p><b>3) 'Agorophiidae' - <i>Ankylorhiza</i> spp.</b><br /></p><p>Four periotics and two bullae represent 'giant' dolphins in the genus <i>Ankylorhiza</i>, which in a couple of phylogenies form a clade with <i>Agorophius </i>and may represent a redefined Agorophiidae*. There are at least a couple of periotic morphotypes present, and none of these are massive enough to represent "Genus Y", the still-unnamed larger species of <i>Ankylorhiza</i> from the Chandler Bridge Formation; <i>Ankylorhiza tiedemani </i>is still not yet known from specimens with periotics.</p><p>Though the skull is quite different, the periotics of <i>Ankylorhiza </i>- and these - do share many features in common with true <i>Squalodon</i>, and detailed comparisons with <i>Squalodon</i>, <i>Agorophius</i>, and <i>Eosqualodon</i> are clearly warranted.<br /></p><p>*<i>Agorophiidae used to include virtually all stem odontocetes more primitive than </i>Squalodon<i>, including the xenorophids, and has been considered a wastebasket taxon. A redefined Agorophiidae would include </i>Agorophius<i>, </i>Patriocetus<i>, and </i>Ankylorhiza<i>, which form a reasonably supported clade in some analyses - for example, in our 2020 paper introducing </i>Ankylorhiza<i>.</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheS5NF2jiZqFZ4sR6t7mc2Cv9kmHj8Fu4LsPfQv-kklv-kUftjrwOTG7slyl45gNI4LZ8ZcJAk3KaAS-mpM-foRBSm1QmJtgRKP1MVNzzZJPPd6ugkhoTRrbh3VCo3nG5Ql4oNYQpvF5a2VSh9rWoeYfadISpXFnWr2iEsRK33bhtVni44kN3xerTFwkA/s2131/PXL_20230926_234223336.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2131" data-original-width="2023" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheS5NF2jiZqFZ4sR6t7mc2Cv9kmHj8Fu4LsPfQv-kklv-kUftjrwOTG7slyl45gNI4LZ8ZcJAk3KaAS-mpM-foRBSm1QmJtgRKP1MVNzzZJPPd6ugkhoTRrbh3VCo3nG5Ql4oNYQpvF5a2VSh9rWoeYfadISpXFnWr2iEsRK33bhtVni44kN3xerTFwkA/w380-h400/PXL_20230926_234223336.jpg" width="380" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> The best example periotic of a squalodelphinid from the sample; the remainder are partials.</i><br /></p><p><b>4) Squalodelphinidae</b></p><p>Four periotics and five bullae represent the squalodelphinids, the sister taxon of the Platanistidae. These are somewhat longirostrine dolphins with thickened bone over the orbit, and typically possessing somewhat large single-rooted teeth with rugose, conical tooth crowns. Several species formerly assigned to the Platanistidae such as <i>Dilophodelphis </i>and <i>Araeodelphis </i>now appear to represent squalodelphinids along with <i>Squalodelphis</i>, <i>Notocetus</i>, <i>Huaridelphis</i>, and <i>Phocageneus</i>. The best-preserved periotics here most closely resemble periotics formerly assigned to <i>Phocageneus </i>from the Pungo River Formation/Limestone at the Lee Creek Mine, but are somewhat smaller; I described a similarly small periotic from the Oligo-Miocene Belgrade Formation at Belgrade Quarry, North Carolina, last year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiz1A9To4tSU1c8XoaX_KVEbZvxUv6dEMphpFwDn8no9y0oa1Y-4xE08zWMLBtynSGS81A4neuzqsi1Vb_6Zg0mJ5i5PoYfKsotE2u5ZWTd_AHofC4Y5pRveGGLcgKKwo2oOWSLf6K29v0gMKKo-uTTUdDqWUAHdlsgRlO04x4WBZlhnGWyVCzOOT-xmU/s4085/PXL_20230926_234024969.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2165" data-original-width="4085" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiz1A9To4tSU1c8XoaX_KVEbZvxUv6dEMphpFwDn8no9y0oa1Y-4xE08zWMLBtynSGS81A4neuzqsi1Vb_6Zg0mJ5i5PoYfKsotE2u5ZWTd_AHofC4Y5pRveGGLcgKKwo2oOWSLf6K29v0gMKKo-uTTUdDqWUAHdlsgRlO04x4WBZlhnGWyVCzOOT-xmU/w400-h213/PXL_20230926_234024969.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Two periotics of eurhinodelphinids, the top one representing </i>Xiphiacetus<i>, perhaps </i>X. bossi. <i>The bottom one is not clearly any described eurhinodelphinid taxon, differing somewhat from </i>Xiphiacetus<i>, </i>Schizodelphis<i>, and </i>Eurhinodelphis<i>.</i><br /></p><p></p><p><b>5) Eurhinodelphinidae</b></p><p>Nine periotics and nine bullae represent the Eurhinodelphinidae, with one complete periotic closely resembling <i>Xiphiacetus bossi </i>from the Calvert Formation of Maryland and Pungo River Formation of North Carolina (Lee Creek Mine). Eurhinodelphinids are common Miocene longirostrine dolphins with a distinctive toothless extension of the rostrum beyond the mandible, much like a swordfish (hence why I call these "swordfish dolphins" when talking to the public). There is certainly more than one morphotype represented here.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg481K69xipsPrliZtfjvxMBZrAU6Atm6G0c7GoCg6cnUkmm9DmbbLNegFlzeC472_zbh_WSIDp8-OPpQKAuD7Aen1KtKJgC_dsYqRp1BfD9oO3lJINBvLW3PuJmJyLXqdWiaC5xbBns__y681v0TXB6Wf2WVc90VRetQLSfkBPoBhjqA0S-Ocox-mQ-vk/s1027/PXL_20230926_234128294.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="1027" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg481K69xipsPrliZtfjvxMBZrAU6Atm6G0c7GoCg6cnUkmm9DmbbLNegFlzeC472_zbh_WSIDp8-OPpQKAuD7Aen1KtKJgC_dsYqRp1BfD9oO3lJINBvLW3PuJmJyLXqdWiaC5xbBns__y681v0TXB6Wf2WVc90VRetQLSfkBPoBhjqA0S-Ocox-mQ-vk/w400-h359/PXL_20230926_234128294.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <i>Four of the periotics assignable to </i>Eoplatanista <i>or Eoplatanistidae.</i><br /></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEges9QTXlLYkJq_44ljmeV1T03n6Ty-VEG09OMRjdf-j_i9GwvEDVM3zyNc7AZqYKYIrQreDZBFyzqC2IA2EZBWOg1niz-SlcghaDoVbsPZPsmFvwjsaUWuitqA-8kd6hVEEfuvaqopisLHmEb8DaSKNCogT2th0Lyfq3q53V4AFZlTl_-ouP17vlj9i6Q/s1184/Muizon%201988.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="1184" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEges9QTXlLYkJq_44ljmeV1T03n6Ty-VEG09OMRjdf-j_i9GwvEDVM3zyNc7AZqYKYIrQreDZBFyzqC2IA2EZBWOg1niz-SlcghaDoVbsPZPsmFvwjsaUWuitqA-8kd6hVEEfuvaqopisLHmEb8DaSKNCogT2th0Lyfq3q53V4AFZlTl_-ouP17vlj9i6Q/w400-h351/Muizon%201988.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>For comparison, here is the figure showing three periotics of </i>Eoplatanista <i>spp. from Muizon's 1988 paper on the "Acrodelphidae".</i><br /></p><p><b>6) Eoplatanistidae</b></p><p>Six adorable periotics represent <i>Eoplatanista </i>or something similar within the Eoplatanistidae. These periotics were a bit of a mystery to me until I re-read Christian de Muizon's 1988 paper on the "Acrodelphidae" in which he included some great figures of periotics of <i>Eoplatanista </i>from Europe: they closely resemble eurhinodelphinid periotics but are tiny and have very short anterior and posterior processes. The tympanic bullae of <i>Eoplatanista </i>have a convex ventral side and are otherwise very similar to eurhinodelphinids - no such bullae are present in this sample. I reported cf. <i>Eoplatanista </i>from the Belgrade Formation of NC last year, based on such a bulla. <i>Eoplatanista </i>is otherwise unknown outside Europe; there are a shocking number of these periotics found in the South Carolina lowcountry, always close to the coast. Surprisingly, no such specimens have ever been reported from Calvert Cliffs and no skulls of <i>Eoplatanista </i>were reported in the Lambert et al. 2023 chapter on odontocetes from the Calvert Formation, aside from the newly described <i>Caolodelphis milleri</i> which has some similarities with Eoplatanista, and was reported from low in the Calvert Formation (early Burdigalian Pope's Creek Sand member, ~19 Ma). Similarly, no such periotics are known from the spoils of the Lee Creek Mine.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVbAvvWsqxod9a2b51rylP6wjMrWF2HYgtoz-6WpvUIs7504N4IwWMD_7Ru88wwtoN_2_5_NMDwXUBRNqS16oQQKl4EyjmcsDUuaFKvwTEnV9e4FIbhwgWmo5MEQyvIwwvb7wJlLwjWmDJMT4b4TDfu3_sZhgkvT_Oo7iPn59sZ5SY1NcJi6LE6-ZT5o/s4852/PXL_20230926_233851982.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3280" data-original-width="4852" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVbAvvWsqxod9a2b51rylP6wjMrWF2HYgtoz-6WpvUIs7504N4IwWMD_7Ru88wwtoN_2_5_NMDwXUBRNqS16oQQKl4EyjmcsDUuaFKvwTEnV9e4FIbhwgWmo5MEQyvIwwvb7wJlLwjWmDJMT4b4TDfu3_sZhgkvT_Oo7iPn59sZ5SY1NcJi6LE6-ZT5o/w400-h270/PXL_20230926_233851982.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Periotics belonging to unidentified family/genera of early odontocetes: the top two resemble an unnamed dolphin from Europe, and the bottom one resembles </i>Papahu taitapu <i>and cf. </i>Papahu <i>from the early Miocene of New Zealand.</i><br /></p><p><b>7) Family Uncertain</b><br /></p><p>A number of strange periotics with a mix of waipatiid-like and eurhinodelphinid-like features have also turned up in the South Carolina lowcountry, also close to the coastline, and within Cade's sample there are twelve of these. Some of these approach <i>Papahu taitapu </i>(early Miocene, New Zealand) in some features and there are also some similarities with <i>Yaquinacetus meadi</i>. There is an unpublished odontocete from Europe that these periotics may be referable to, but I won't spoil it for now and will update this post after the beast is published. These periotics are similarly not known from the spoils from the Lee Creek Mine or from Calvert Cliffs.</p><p><b>Geology, Age, and Interpretations</b></p><p>I obviously won't "spoil" the location at all since it's Cade's secret - but I can share that these are dredge spoils along a local riverbank. The fossils are a bit different from what Ashby and I collect from our tours through Charleston Fossil Adventures; our specimens are virtually all black, dark grey, and occasionally have a bit of brown. At Cade's locality, these periotics are a variety of earth tones including quite a bit of red - the earbones from Cade's collections are just *pretty*.</p><p>Now, what formation are they from? It's a simple question with a complex answer, I'm afraid. There are loads of dredge islands all over the South Carolina lowcountry. River channels have been deepened and canals have been dug all over the lowcountry in order to permit maritime shipping: the Ashley, Cooper, and Wando rivers during the 19th century, the Intracoastal Waterway in the late 19th and early 20th century, and Charleston harbor pretty continuously since the age of steam. What candidate rock units could our fossils come from? </p><p><u>Ashley Formation: </u>the major bedrock unit here in the lowcountry and typically the unit that all manmade holes bottom-out within. This is a light tan to khaki and occasionally olive green sandy limestone with sparse invertebrates, phosphate pebbles, and well-preserved vertebrate remains; the unit is quite thick, 10-30+ meters, and the bottom is only ever exposed locally in deep core samples. The Ashley Formation is late Rupelian in age (early Oligocene), dating to 28-30 Ma. Fossil cetaceans include the toothed baleen whale <i>Coronodon</i>, eomysticetids like <i>Micromysticetus</i>, xenorophid dolphins (<i>Xenorophus</i>, <i>Albertocetus</i>), waipatiid dolphins (<i>Ediscetus</i>), and giant dolphins (<i>Ankylorhiza</i>). <br /></p><p><u>Chandler Bridge Formation:</u> the major fossil-producing unit in West Ashley, North Charleston, and Summerville: a thin (10-100 cm) unit consisting of sand and silt with abundant phosphate pebbles, shark teeth, and other marine vertebrates that is completely leached of all calcareous material - however, this unit is generally not exposed, even in the subsurface, south of highway 17 or within the I-526 corridor - in other words, generally not present near the coast or near downtown. It's been eroded away - but may produce fossils that were reworked into the basal Pleistocene unconformity, which is mantled with a mix of Oligocene-Pleistocene fossils wherever it is present in Charleston. This unit is late Oligocene in age, approximately 24-23.5 Ma. The Chandler Bridge Formation preserves cetaceans including: <i>Coronodon</i>; <i>Eomysticetus</i>; xenorophids like <i>Xenorophus</i>, <i>Albertocetus</i>, <i>Echovenator</i>, and <i>Cotylocara</i>; waipatiid dolphins (all unnamed taxa, but NOT <i>Ediscetus</i>); and the giant dolphin <i>Ankylorhiza</i>.</p><p><u>Edisto Formation:</u> a bit of a mystery unit that dates to about the Oligocene-Miocene boundary (~23-23.5 Ma). This unit is quite thin and mostly exposed in the subsurface, but is a light yellow-brown sandy limestone, somewhat similar in lithology to the Ashley Formation. Much of the commercially mined phosphate from the "Ashley Phosphate Beds" is hypothesized to have been derived from this unit - the type locality of which does not exist, since it was named based on a block of white phosphate. Supplementary sections have since been defined along the Edisto River, and it's been identified in the subsurface from auger holes and core samples. However, it looks quite similar to the Ashley Formation from what I can tell and is never separated from it by the Chandler Bridge, so the capacity for misidentification of this unit is high - the Ashley Formation, after all, does vary quite a bit in lithology. Some land mammals (<i>Daeodon mento, Anchippus texanus</i>) from the "Ashley Phosphate Beds" have been reported that indicate earliest Miocene age (e.g. late Arikareean/Hemingfordian NALMA correlative) but have adhering calcareous matrix, clearly post-dating the Ashley and must derive from the Edisto Formation.* Barry Albright suggested in his 2019 monograph that the matrix adhering to the holotype rostrum of <i>Ankylorhiza </i>tiedemani may better represent the Edisto rather than Ashley Formation; we suggested the latter in our 2020 paper, but Barry may be correct as we reported an S. tiedemani skeleton from the Chandler Bridge Formation (but, also, from the Ashley Formation). No other fossil cetaceans are certainly known from the Edisto Formation.</p><p>*This suggests I may have been too cavalier in referring isolated specimens from our rivers to the Ashley Fm., and some specimens might actually be derived from the Edisto Formation. <br /></p><p><u>Mark's Head Formation:</u> another unit that's locally a bit enigmatic as it is only exposed in the subsurface. However, it is thick and well-exposed along river bluffs in Georgia where it was named, and is contemporaneous with zones 7-8 of the Calvert Formation further north in Maryland, and Burdigalian in age (early Miocene, ~18 Ma). When exposed or penetrated by auger holes, this unit is an olive brown calcareous sandstone/sandy limestone.</p><p>So, what are the likely stratigraphic origins of these dolphin specimens? The xenorophid periotics could originate from either of the two well-known Oligocene units, the Ashley or Chandler Bridge formations - and in theory, the Edisto Formation as well. The waipatiid <i>Ediscetus </i>is so far known only from the Ashley, suggesting that at least some of these Oligocene specimens originate from the basalmost unit out here. The other waipatiids more closely resemble Chandler Bridge formation morphotypes, which doesn't necessarily preclude Ashley or Edisto formation origin. Eurhinodelphinid specimens, on the other hand, are strictly Miocene, and the occurrence of one so similar to <i>Xiphiacetus bossi </i>strongly suggests origin from the Mark's Head Formation.</p><p>More puzzling are the specimens that belong to taxa not recorded anywhere else in the North Atlantic: <i>Eoplatanista</i>, and the unusual unidentified periotics. We have plenty of early middle Miocene and late early Miocene dolphins from places like the Calvert Cliffs, Lee Creek Mine, and the copious assemblages from Belgium, but very, very few earliest Miocene (Aquitanian) dolphin assemblages along the western Atlantic margin. Given how intensely sampled Calvert Cliffs and Lee Creek are, it's tempting to suggest that these periotics belong to dolphins and/or originate from some unit that is younger than the Chandler Bridge and older than the fossil assemblages further north from the Calvert and Pungo River formations. The Edisto Formation would be such a prime candidate - however, there is also the Parachucla, another 'ghost' unit present in a few auger holes west of Charleston that are correlated with thicker deposits further south in Georgia and Florida. There's also a mystery bed of the Chandler Bridge that continually produces unusually derived-looking fossil cetaceans - we encountered it and documented it in 2018 at a nearby construction site, where it consisted of two meters of clean, quartzose sandstone with eurhinodelphinid-and squalodelphinid-like odontocetes (in addition to <i>Ankylorhiza </i>and xenorophids).</p><p>Ultimately, it's anyone's guess - informed or no - where some of these specimens are derived from. However, there is adhering matrix on most of these specimens, and perhaps something can be gleaned from it. Regardless, it does indicate that Cade's locality represents spoils either produced by dredging that cut through multiple rock units, or that these rock units were all eroded into and a composite lag was then dredged and dumped into a spoil pile. In reality, both are likely. Further study and expansion of the collection will help - along with publication of more specimens of Oligocene and early Miocene dolphins with associated earbones, from all corners of the globe.<br /></p>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-61165582945036668242023-09-06T12:42:00.002-06:002023-09-06T12:42:44.228-06:00Some recent finds from Charleston, SC waterways - August <p><i>For those of you unaware, Sarah and I recently both resigned from our positions at the College of Charleston - we had been contemplating this for quite some time. Neither of us has been terribly happy there. We put up with a toxic work environment, decreasing liberties, and some pretty unfair work practices. For a while, the incredible fossil collection made it worth it. Eventually I got sick of carrying someone else's water and doing work for someone else's paycheck. That's all I'll say for now. But, I've left academia and am no longer an overworked, underpaid, and exploited adjunct.<br /></i></p><p><i>Since mid-August, I've been working for Charleston Fossil Adventures as a fossil tour guide, as well as taking the occasional tour for Palmetto Fossil Excursions - a big thank-you to both Ashby Gale (CFA) and Skye and Josh Basak (PFE) for rescuing me. After a few days on the job I realized when I came home in the evenings that I was actually happy and relaxed - normally I'd be stewing over something a shitty colleague said to me at the office or some petulant student</i> <i>mouthing off to me, or stressed about having to do something without pay amongst other mounting demands. Being out on the boat, seeing wildlife, getting a nice tan, exercise, and showing folks how to find fossils and identifying them has been a lot of fun and surprisingly relaxing. And I get tipped! What a foreign concept - I still am surprised most days when I get tip money. "OH right, I'm in the hospitality industry now!" I have to remind myself, and thank them profusely.</i></p><p><i>Anyway, here are some of my finds, and the finds of our clients, over the past few weeks on our boat tours through Charleston Fossil Adventures. </i><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDy6e6wvmhL0m2xkClP1Tvj4BrMIn-J1jy9hj2AkLZfntyQ0iGkoMo81rHtPpQkYmzITX2jnir7HXz71C3KibXmVjdwZXr1Ailyaqjw4DzUdfg7-KnJ0qbAIxP053ghhmhPZ-bO7jPCAKZDS1dUB8BxhuOvqwtm4U2dbGeFkA4elh-eDwjTFpN2hTBxEg/s783/PXL_20230901_184330948-EDIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="783" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDy6e6wvmhL0m2xkClP1Tvj4BrMIn-J1jy9hj2AkLZfntyQ0iGkoMo81rHtPpQkYmzITX2jnir7HXz71C3KibXmVjdwZXr1Ailyaqjw4DzUdfg7-KnJ0qbAIxP053ghhmhPZ-bO7jPCAKZDS1dUB8BxhuOvqwtm4U2dbGeFkA4elh-eDwjTFpN2hTBxEg/w400-h314/PXL_20230901_184330948-EDIT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><i>This distinctive tooth is a rather well-preserved specimen of the snaggletooth shark, </i>Hemipristis serra. <i>These are by far and away the most common (and distinctive) 'medium-sized' shark teeth at our sites. Most of the teeth at this spot are all derived from the Oligocene Ashley Formation; all of these sand grains are bits of limestone and Oligocene shell fragments. For example, the little cylinder to the left of the tooth is a sea urchin spine!<br /></i></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVMibAhz8aeqTBl95BprkEHTX0zYVTfcW_Egk7rFow1O5YYg2TFK8DhlvB5yRZYk30E8G2dHIv8tSKY2r9rbefjaqtUbYA_kkTx90MYC-761y8QTbWGV0yImN3Q3hSdJWD-sv5VFe0UouXebkdn3j0gqIxZDb5tPSV6rfg8-piQMTj3vIPryBqAGr18Y/s1258/PXL_20230818_200305018.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVMibAhz8aeqTBl95BprkEHTX0zYVTfcW_Egk7rFow1O5YYg2TFK8DhlvB5yRZYk30E8G2dHIv8tSKY2r9rbefjaqtUbYA_kkTx90MYC-761y8QTbWGV0yImN3Q3hSdJWD-sv5VFe0UouXebkdn3j0gqIxZDb5tPSV6rfg8-piQMTj3vIPryBqAGr18Y/w400-h301/PXL_20230818_200305018.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-HqZpJ6Ij-kkU5YBhU5aOS9EWldByiiQQLiT0Q6fs55LwDNWlW9GBrjRXoNRpb8x6df9vYAwAzdGW_fKd7k7vAQWmqxsVH0gcH9LmB3YI3irvp59NzyR-sL0Sh3xGiWeoBqoRYt8HJoYylVEdPkvgdqQ-ChvB27L6BN6QZt16PKwdAvgOVniaDgj1gEI/s1258/PXL_20230818_200310874.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-HqZpJ6Ij-kkU5YBhU5aOS9EWldByiiQQLiT0Q6fs55LwDNWlW9GBrjRXoNRpb8x6df9vYAwAzdGW_fKd7k7vAQWmqxsVH0gcH9LmB3YI3irvp59NzyR-sL0Sh3xGiWeoBqoRYt8HJoYylVEdPkvgdqQ-ChvB27L6BN6QZt16PKwdAvgOVniaDgj1gEI/w400-h301/PXL_20230818_200310874.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br />A rather large tympanic bulla (earbone) from a large xenorophid dolphin - initially I thought it was so huge, it had to be something new - however, I realized that it's just slightly larger (by 1-2 mm) than the very largest earbones of </i>Xenorophus sloanii. <i>This specimen has a modern oyster shell stuck in the tympanic cavity. Almost certainly from the Oligocene Ashley Formation.<br /></i><p></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7UvmkAriIq4JPUFwQghXAHxu5-4rKB_G6KRp7FH39DUJtGqL0GxdMvOwNJcc-Z_J5GJcxjybMrpUD8sD6ljdCFFsJ8DD-VzazYseyqBXgvxy3rLxQdbk8naJ8h0sVFqQO2MSBs3onPwkpWDjUNPoyhVOEnW1q9VA5Ve8KXpLIOuYNeGWnpcByppgZR0/s712/PXL_20230819_203636011.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="712" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7UvmkAriIq4JPUFwQghXAHxu5-4rKB_G6KRp7FH39DUJtGqL0GxdMvOwNJcc-Z_J5GJcxjybMrpUD8sD6ljdCFFsJ8DD-VzazYseyqBXgvxy3rLxQdbk8naJ8h0sVFqQO2MSBs3onPwkpWDjUNPoyhVOEnW1q9VA5Ve8KXpLIOuYNeGWnpcByppgZR0/w400-h371/PXL_20230819_203636011.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i>One of our clients took the patient, fine-scale approach of sitting down and searching the immediate sand/gravel near her - and it paid off. This is a tooth of </i>Parotodus <i>sp., an unnamed species of "false mako" and progenitor of the "other" megatoothed shark, </i>Parotodus benedeni. <i>This unnamed species frequently retains cusplets (like its possible ancestor </i>Otodus obliquus<i>) and is only found in Oligocene strata - making it a very rare shark indeed. Absolute killer find! Probably from the Oligocene Ashley Formation.<br /></i><p></p><p><i> </i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZlRtiQxdfWmeqV2kHrfe5Oc12_sJGJ8csgJBdQW0rbXRRsT7vi94n5hkH4gEpHJP_ORgd5yX90sKckLGQSmhHoKOdZpxrENNEcp4T8sW-MbnyOboQaJdHKExYpxL6u1_3VGGNglg0kezwD3ssvDj36nCIFtqMUvzJqcT5vWCZhhb5P0roqH1PiY6loY/s889/PXL_20230901_203627874-EDIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="889" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZlRtiQxdfWmeqV2kHrfe5Oc12_sJGJ8csgJBdQW0rbXRRsT7vi94n5hkH4gEpHJP_ORgd5yX90sKckLGQSmhHoKOdZpxrENNEcp4T8sW-MbnyOboQaJdHKExYpxL6u1_3VGGNglg0kezwD3ssvDj36nCIFtqMUvzJqcT5vWCZhhb5P0roqH1PiY6loY/w400-h304/PXL_20230901_203627874-EDIT.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br />One of my favorite personal finds from the past few weeks - a gorgeous inner ear bone (periotic) of a squalodelphinid dolphin. This one is very similar to </i>Notocetus <i>and </i>Araeodelphis <i>(the former known from the early Miocene of Argentina and Calvert Cliffs, the latter only known from Calvert Cliffs).</i><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzmvacojB1e43gC9Qe6Ymf4qWxwYiioxpMLF1wJlBDWSTSpDwumctQufdE7P5Yfs4GVq-OFM6YqBslj8enZ3FV59mUWa4JPBFxAMWh5j-72ogDc5N15Y_TDSHrK24WFYMwM5Q-oBaF0xrtKgKTloh5k-Bq8ZXpYt9LiJLQHPL59XIZ3k_MfF7Q0G5L-w/s1422/PXL_20230901_195411248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1422" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzmvacojB1e43gC9Qe6Ymf4qWxwYiioxpMLF1wJlBDWSTSpDwumctQufdE7P5Yfs4GVq-OFM6YqBslj8enZ3FV59mUWa4JPBFxAMWh5j-72ogDc5N15Y_TDSHrK24WFYMwM5Q-oBaF0xrtKgKTloh5k-Bq8ZXpYt9LiJLQHPL59XIZ3k_MfF7Q0G5L-w/w400-h266/PXL_20230901_195411248.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> This periotic even has a few bite marks on it! Here's a couple more views. Squalodelphinids are longirostrine dolphins, and some of the only extinct species that seem to truly form a sister group with the Ganges River dolphin </i>Platanista <i>- in other words, some of the only really convincing fossil Platanistoidea. Squalodelphinids are quite diverse, and include some taxa that were formerly considered to be platanistids (e.g. </i>Araeodelphis<i>, </i>Dilophodelphis<i>). Most squalodelphinids have absurdly inflated zygomatic processes of the skull and thickened bone over their orbits, perhaps a precursor of the incredible bony ridges over the orbits in modern </i>Platanista gangetica<i>. This specimen is almost certainly early Miocene in age, and probably derived from the Marks Head Formation.<br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGjVmXJY4g1h1gpyXncsZku-mvMXt35FGCEP0CedOC07rAoV9WDyahnxiVPP7mCL_JktaqET-Ou6YcYNNnAcgw0aXFGRy1pxFcEjkywOyDpQ4ZSDS33kezjkVPPG6QHvAkENWPm88t_3egLqCe-9Qo7KWcAeCM-VyIZV4HraLT8xZgNy-VXCymfcjluQ/s455/PXL_20230818_163924474.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="455" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGjVmXJY4g1h1gpyXncsZku-mvMXt35FGCEP0CedOC07rAoV9WDyahnxiVPP7mCL_JktaqET-Ou6YcYNNnAcgw0aXFGRy1pxFcEjkywOyDpQ4ZSDS33kezjkVPPG6QHvAkENWPm88t_3egLqCe-9Qo7KWcAeCM-VyIZV4HraLT8xZgNy-VXCymfcjluQ/w400-h348/PXL_20230818_163924474.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> Hammerhead shark teeth (genus </i>Sphyrna<i>) are uncommon, but usually if you pick up enough teeth that look like reef shark teeth, after cleaning the sand off at the end of a tour, there's usually at least one. I estimate a regular sort of hammerhead - perhaps </i>Sphyrna zygaena <i>- is found for every 40-60 reef shark teeth (</i>Carcharhinus<i>). This is an actually quite rare tooth - great hammerhead, </i>Sphyrna mokarran<i>. It is much larger than all the other hammerheads, and is unique in having serrated cutting edges and a very deep nutrient groove. This one was found by a client, and is probably Pliocene or Pleistocene in age.<br /></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHWhqSJHDJuvw_g3wWH4Fe4J3G6R1nP_s18jg-r1IAdkhuS0qxzfVejPJR4_2ERR3vLU4MC5M-d1yBkD44Fuiu8YP3bwBnmeCqnsn3CIC6nLF3bFlFKYSnX4LQBXUiVyZQUMUKzLwW9HZDtBYB4yWtJN4sb3FrxUdGzVeaNQIQwCG3O6bdmGzp--ccp0/s828/PXL_20230901_181344787.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="828" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHWhqSJHDJuvw_g3wWH4Fe4J3G6R1nP_s18jg-r1IAdkhuS0qxzfVejPJR4_2ERR3vLU4MC5M-d1yBkD44Fuiu8YP3bwBnmeCqnsn3CIC6nLF3bFlFKYSnX4LQBXUiVyZQUMUKzLwW9HZDtBYB4yWtJN4sb3FrxUdGzVeaNQIQwCG3O6bdmGzp--ccp0/w400-h285/PXL_20230901_181344787.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> We always keep our eyes peeled for wildlife - and I'm a habitual tidepooler. I saw this cute little mud crab (</i>Panopeus herbstii<i>) that was unusually blue in color, and had to get a photo. Usually they are, well, mud-colored. I've accidentally introduced two of these into my saltwater tank before (and fished them out and threw them into the pond near my house before they did any serious damage!).</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYXWVG1t3QaZzbm00eOtuTl71W7BzdSBdEMVpcwv008wtrZLpXzVQJb1qnEVY6lCwyxACIA4v1tUJKzyn7au4pJggrCRK6YUPSgWdD3ynBh4Z3Hg4LguOrDUoEsaW9Wy0Pr0FSleZ2Y86VXtqh7foILpIhVm3pS7jlkjZvP3pqts1yJWi8TD9KQXb0RQ/s592/PXL_20230828_145630655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="592" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYXWVG1t3QaZzbm00eOtuTl71W7BzdSBdEMVpcwv008wtrZLpXzVQJb1qnEVY6lCwyxACIA4v1tUJKzyn7au4pJggrCRK6YUPSgWdD3ynBh4Z3Hg4LguOrDUoEsaW9Wy0Pr0FSleZ2Y86VXtqh7foILpIhVm3pS7jlkjZvP3pqts1yJWi8TD9KQXb0RQ/w400-h355/PXL_20230828_145630655.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> Here's a tympanic bulla of a pygmy sperm whale - family Kogiidae. There's a surprising amount of the fragile outer lip that was still preserved, despite the bulla being so beat up. This is probably Pliocene in age.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjosVDKqmSzbPrhnRp4ZsHmzoL6er_gnF3xpedVCMKERU-OHhUUJjC7gKxHjcp3bMpuYVyXwWppjq0dVpB8z157mlvjpy00gkYVxhMWd2zQF54y2eJTQlbdLp9BZb7JaDTpHH0qkrEoKsSV3XPuAaiOv5bj8c90f3OC5rGFY_H8ZV303WfPKH1iCPkiKH0/s1068/PXL_20230830_140218464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1068" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjosVDKqmSzbPrhnRp4ZsHmzoL6er_gnF3xpedVCMKERU-OHhUUJjC7gKxHjcp3bMpuYVyXwWppjq0dVpB8z157mlvjpy00gkYVxhMWd2zQF54y2eJTQlbdLp9BZb7JaDTpHH0qkrEoKsSV3XPuAaiOv5bj8c90f3OC5rGFY_H8ZV303WfPKH1iCPkiKH0/w400-h355/PXL_20230830_140218464.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>"Hubbell teeth" are small heart-shaped teeth from juvenile </i>Carcharocles megalodon<i>; there are probably only a couple of tooth positions that produce these funny, stubby little teeth. On rare occasions you can find "Hubbell teeth" of the older megatoothed shark </i>Carcharocles angustidens<i> - like these two, found a few days apart. Probably Oligocene Ashley Formation.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXrzdOoTugH3-SsQ4Uy5-JxLPT2Q3TstUZXRo_zXuur-hx7d-Llk6R4bxv118vg86-rNygoLwH3gZrnetQGKsPIKh0YmRZJ3uPxfEK0cOhDcxQWk7ev7wud2eZJC8JVc3zIMeF4nQS8vKWFAhm8d89NaSyqWIoneWRBKGA9udA9qGkWroPBZc1h1DumE/s641/PXL_20230827_133742786.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="641" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXrzdOoTugH3-SsQ4Uy5-JxLPT2Q3TstUZXRo_zXuur-hx7d-Llk6R4bxv118vg86-rNygoLwH3gZrnetQGKsPIKh0YmRZJ3uPxfEK0cOhDcxQWk7ev7wud2eZJC8JVc3zIMeF4nQS8vKWFAhm8d89NaSyqWIoneWRBKGA9udA9qGkWroPBZc1h1DumE/w400-h331/PXL_20230827_133742786.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> Last earbone for this post: a beautiful, pale blue periotic of the early Miocene odontocete </i>Eoplatanista<i>. </i>Eoplatanista <i>is a preliminary ID, but these basically resemble the periotics of eurhinodelphinids like </i>Xiphiacetus <i>and Schizodelphis, but are much smaller and more compact. Both </i>Eoplatanista <i>and Eurhinodelphinidae are longirostrine dolphins and possibly quite closely related to one another. </i>Eoplatanista <i>has not yet been reported outside Europe and I am looking forward to publishing these records.</i><br /><i></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT44J8E8MTMGnLxHuR_35EuI9BeZDlKjtM3bFiXzFuQw_NyZ_WSpMgrpfAcugdwdSURAX-c80teVpE-Qng3R_Sa5KzvESNmRb_UVfUQyChBuzGX_egfTwlTJDPKcz9b1ITMTfvRngzBcDGNyw3siypwmn_F_fdVfCPpGAdD7vQqkjuNvuOgtMzyB54EMk/s587/PXL_20230901_183606880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="587" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT44J8E8MTMGnLxHuR_35EuI9BeZDlKjtM3bFiXzFuQw_NyZ_WSpMgrpfAcugdwdSURAX-c80teVpE-Qng3R_Sa5KzvESNmRb_UVfUQyChBuzGX_egfTwlTJDPKcz9b1ITMTfvRngzBcDGNyw3siypwmn_F_fdVfCPpGAdD7vQqkjuNvuOgtMzyB54EMk/w400-h359/PXL_20230901_183606880.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>An Oligocene reef shark tooth embedded in a tiny chunk of Ashley Formation limestone. This is a tooth of </i>Carcharhinus gibbesi<i>. Same Gibbes as the discoverer of the original skull of the early dolphin </i>Agorophius pygmaeus<i>, and the same family as the Gibbes Museum in downtown Charleston. "Matrix" specimens like this are uncommon here in South Carolina, but locally common at this location.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpqiovdzu-lpdbCXx5B5FvoCEqenbczA025-DvVD90Df4-Emx3WQ1m97dtBmfHGzlBQ_bqcCe1amoCmMVrJcjxGwipJqzEhTt3kS1fiNsGnjEz_RsGGf-PL8m2jvJIuQUJcT-XOlAF9LmUSl-8qYOcwhYe9zxMXLNH48SgxMTTJQDRjaYuOOsWNemeE4/s747/PXL_20230901_182722487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="747" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpqiovdzu-lpdbCXx5B5FvoCEqenbczA025-DvVD90Df4-Emx3WQ1m97dtBmfHGzlBQ_bqcCe1amoCmMVrJcjxGwipJqzEhTt3kS1fiNsGnjEz_RsGGf-PL8m2jvJIuQUJcT-XOlAF9LmUSl-8qYOcwhYe9zxMXLNH48SgxMTTJQDRjaYuOOsWNemeE4/w400-h284/PXL_20230901_182722487.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>And an exciting one to finish with: Ashby found this very, very rare example of a sawshark rostral spine - </i>Pristiophorus<i> sp. NOT sawfish (</i>Pristis<i>/Pristidae), but sawshark - Pristiophoridae. These are smaller than sawfish, and are true sharks within the Selachii (sharks) rather than the Batoidea like the sawfish (Pristidae) and the extinct sclerorhynchoids. These rostral spines differ from the substantially more common sawfish in having enameloid rather than only being composed of osteodentine. Oligocene Ashley Formation.<br /></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><br /></p><p></p>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-45269525877101898212023-08-15T12:33:00.002-06:002023-08-15T12:33:56.157-06:00Excavation of a dwarf baleen whale, Herpetocetus, from the Pliocene Purisima Formation<div><p>Last December I paid a visit to one of my longtime research localities in the Purisima Formation in northern California - one I've been visiting for nearly 20 years now (I found the site in 2004 after getting a tip from a surfer), and have received three permits for collecting. I've published several articles on fossils from this site, and back in 2011 to 2013 published two papers providing an account of the entire marine vertebrate fauna. Since 2013, I've been seeking a permit to return to the locality and was awarded one earlier this year. In December, I was checking up on spots where I had found fossils in the past, and l came across a medium-sized concretion in the base of a cliff. The bone was difficult to see, but the fact that the concretion protruded from the top of the shell bed drew my attention to it. Once I got close, I could clearly see relatively porous bone, complicated structure, and symmetry - when combined with size, these told me that I was looking at a fossil skull. A relatively large skull - about 16 inches wide (~40 cm) - but belonging to one of the smallest baleen whales to ever evolve, <i>Herpetocetus</i>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCt4aYlUAbfo0epHNfzmbUrEoRCZziCik1lb9dVXwVA5q6bpTpCN8CzjRt0iaB3q3RMFu22B6xM6csgjs-jY4t-ObuZTBW1Ru7QSIZSHuQz_MFMIekHhTh_lstUr4nW6xJWYmj0uMcsePOJFAUBzXkmBFVVbxKpzWibAfRxdnBQIKBK9fyBrrLPSfAm7g/s1263/PXL_20221218_211531105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCt4aYlUAbfo0epHNfzmbUrEoRCZziCik1lb9dVXwVA5q6bpTpCN8CzjRt0iaB3q3RMFu22B6xM6csgjs-jY4t-ObuZTBW1Ru7QSIZSHuQz_MFMIekHhTh_lstUr4nW6xJWYmj0uMcsePOJFAUBzXkmBFVVbxKpzWibAfRxdnBQIKBK9fyBrrLPSfAm7g/w400-h300/PXL_20221218_211531105.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> <i>The </i>Herpetocetus <i>skull as I first found it - the rock hammer (for scale) is sitting on top of it.</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">Unfortunately for the completeness of the specimen, the entire rostrum of the specimen as well as the orbits had eroded away. This was partially mediated by the structural geology of the locality: there is a small fault line with an unknown, but likely minor degree of slip here - perhaps calling it a fault is a bit grandiose, but either way, there is a bit of shearing going on here. We are only a mile or so off from the San Gregorio fault, one of the largest faults in the California coast range; as a result, there are loads of more minor fractures paralleling the cliff face with a few millimeters to about 20 cm of offset. In older parts of the section this can result in many parallel fractures spaced a few centimeters apart with some larger fossils fractured like an accordion! I usually leave those behind, but a couple of larger specimens I've collected from that end of the locality have required some challenging preparation as a result. Though less common in the sandier upper parts of the section, a fracture has cleaved the specimen in half and there is a deep sand-filled trench - I suspect there were several parallel fractures in this zone that resulted in weakening of the sandstone, and this zone was blasted out by wave action - including the remainder of our skull.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiVVJFqkzrKlVOwkFMC5w10S_Sc8NTusu-qJOOb2EI6Q3t8nqURq7u7gqSUSsLCBPlJKScnmbUpmnFswxdI4EyNbl-fyGnOoO4F9zGO8gbKu-cDj3_GKhFICCggy8qqooSd-L_C579CYG04v-aJdhidtavScejA_QsgOmKy01_MEBz_j4fxHW4_iyqbo/s1263/PXL_20221218_211037689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiVVJFqkzrKlVOwkFMC5w10S_Sc8NTusu-qJOOb2EI6Q3t8nqURq7u7gqSUSsLCBPlJKScnmbUpmnFswxdI4EyNbl-fyGnOoO4F9zGO8gbKu-cDj3_GKhFICCggy8qqooSd-L_C579CYG04v-aJdhidtavScejA_QsgOmKy01_MEBz_j4fxHW4_iyqbo/w400-h300/PXL_20221218_211037689.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Explanation of the fossil as discovered in December 2022.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Fortunately for us, this meant that the fossil could be collected in one nice self-contained block that would certainly not exceed 100 lbs (45 kg). This is extremely fortunate, as the specimen was found about a mile from the nearest road! I knew it would take some creativity in physically removing the specimen from the beach. At the time of discovery I wondered how much it would weigh if I just popped the concretion out - I decided against it when I realized that in addition to the skull, there was at least one partial mandible and some ribs, meaning that a somewhat more careful excavation lasting at least a couple hours would be needed. In 2022 when I found this, I was by myself - Chris Pirrone joined me for a half day, but had other obligations. I would not have the help. Certainly, I could have excavated and jacketed the specimen by myself - it would have been a bit of a pain, but it would be doable. However, I would have been unable to move the specimen on my own. Sure, you can always leave a plaster jacket and come back for it another day - that's nearly standard practice in western interior paleontological fieldwork (e.g. Montana, Dakotas, Wyoming, Colorado). But all of those places lack something significant and irritating that I have to deal with: tides. The ocean is great when it's eroding fossils out for you to discover, but it's also dangerous and always trying to kill you and your team and can make life very difficult. As a result of this, I prefer to keep excavations short and remove specimens ASAP. Plaster jackets get blasted away by waves if left until tide cycles and weather catch up. Excavations in the intertidal zone can only last a few hours. We were well up out of the intertidal here, but a jacket would have been buried or blasted away by wave action if left for a few weeks. Plaster is also bright white and attracts attention: this section of beach is remote, but still attracts a few beachgoers and fishermen walking down every day. So, I made the decision to leave the specimen in the field without touching it. </p><p style="text-align: left;">This decision gave me no shortage of anxiety. Two weeks after I left California, an incredible and unprecedented train of spectacular winter storms began hammering the coast. I spent my last semester of teaching here in Charleston with the *worst* case of FOMO ever, watching all of this incredible erosion take place and being unable to check out any of the freshly exposed fossils! And worse, fearing that this little baleen whale skull had eroded away. It wouldn't be until May 2023 that I visited the spot and confirmed that the skull was intact. I was also worried that the skull would be buried by several meters of beach sand.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqScMuATj758MYbF3VIiXMn1wCfxjA12uGwiqTgCamrBdXfrdjlVNX4ifqlOZKaZPoUuSm_LEW81VjCGyTn5vxz0x-7T7bzD70BddXCzCefQZCOnXzK39SZvk4kjmNnMXReL_E0zmR-pPTP3WbNVvE7Y9OhBblme7FiflRVbMwxZMM_dN9KA4afSma3Q/s846/Herpetocetus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="846" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqScMuATj758MYbF3VIiXMn1wCfxjA12uGwiqTgCamrBdXfrdjlVNX4ifqlOZKaZPoUuSm_LEW81VjCGyTn5vxz0x-7T7bzD70BddXCzCefQZCOnXzK39SZvk4kjmNnMXReL_E0zmR-pPTP3WbNVvE7Y9OhBblme7FiflRVbMwxZMM_dN9KA4afSma3Q/w400-h315/Herpetocetus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> The distinctive lectotype mandible of </i>Herpetocetus scaldiensis<i> from the Pliocene of Belgium, illustrated by Van Beneden.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Before we continue with the excavation - what's the deal with <i>Herpetocetus</i>, anyway? <i>Herpetocetus scaldiensis </i>was first named in 1872 by Joseph-Pierre Van Beneden, a Belgian paleontologist who named a large number of (occasionally chimaeric) cetaceans from Miocene and Pliocene strata near Antwerp, Belgium. The fossils included a distinctive mandible with a tall joint (condyle) and a long angular process, the combination of which resembled a reptile mandible - hence the name, 'reptile whale'. For years the taxonomy of <i>Herpetocetus</i> was frozen because it became clear that the mandible and other elements such as the tympanic bulla (earbone) were not associated with one another and represented completely different families of mysticetes. Worse, the designation of type specimens had not yet fully caught on and Van Beneden did not select a type specimen. Starting in the 1960s and 1970s more specimens began to be collected in California, Japan, and North Carolina that either consisted of or included mandibles with the same distinctive morphology. Paleontologist and later Nazi Othenio Abel XXX. The long-awaited Lee Creek Mine Volume IV included an entire chapter on <i>Herpetocetus</i> and <i>Nannocetus</i>, written by Frank Whitmore and Larry Barnes in the 1970s and 1980s and submitted in the 1990s. The manuscript and volume were in press (somewhat analogous to 'development hell' in film) for over a decade, but it finally came out. In this study, Whitmore and Barnes (2008) reviewed the material belonging to <i>Herpetocetus</i> <i>scaldiensis </i>and XXX. Chief among these observations was that a skull fragment figured by Van Beneden and likely associated with the mandible included the highly diagnostic squamosal of <i>Herpetocetus</i>, permitting several new skull specimens to be referred to the genus even though they lacked the mandible. These authors also described <i>Herpetocetus transatlanticus</i>, based on a partial braincase from the lower Pliocene Yorktown Formation at the Lee Creek Mine, and <i>Herpetocetus bramblei, </i>based on a fragmentary skull and mandible from the Purisima Formation near Santa Cruz, California! It was good timing for them, because in 2007, I collected about 2/3 of a skull of <i>Herpetocetus </i>from a sandy bed near what would soon be the <i>Herpetocetus bramblei </i>type locality. I would have certainly named it as a new species at the time. I held off study because just when I completed preparation of the specimen, the Whitmore and Barnes (2008) paper had come out - and it was very clearly referable to <i>Herpetocetus bramblei</i>. The timing was further quite good, because just two years later a seawall was built over the entire section of cliffs. This specimen catapulted me down a road studying <i>Herpetocetus</i> and finding many more fossils - and virtually all of this is unpublished still! Now that I'm no longer teaching and my research fellowship has expired, I plan on returning to this research after leaving it for nearly 15 years. It was only a matter of time before I found more <i>Herpetocetus </i>remains.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrycjsFU7cNADCQ4IPlLpvod_WOeHAaqWaRN3l_TWwRExZt81ZtN5lAz9JE4SVnJjmS-g6glk0V-7TSCFeHWeszGz3WoDnrsOXkncUPXAAQDUF0lFmarrcI_WEsUr9_T1Imc_ac5MguHnLfNLTTUuvI9hrjNBT-XCT3X0WvoS-_cWvCCD1KNc048q3Jbc/s1070/comparison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1070" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrycjsFU7cNADCQ4IPlLpvod_WOeHAaqWaRN3l_TWwRExZt81ZtN5lAz9JE4SVnJjmS-g6glk0V-7TSCFeHWeszGz3WoDnrsOXkncUPXAAQDUF0lFmarrcI_WEsUr9_T1Imc_ac5MguHnLfNLTTUuvI9hrjNBT-XCT3X0WvoS-_cWvCCD1KNc048q3Jbc/w400-h254/comparison.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Comparison of the erosional cross-section through the concretion (flipped upside down) with the CT scan of </i>Herpetocetus bramblei <i>from the Purisima Formation in Santa Cruz, and approximate location of the cross-section based on the reconstruction of </i>Herpetocetus morrowi <i>from the coeval San Diego Formation (from El Adli et al., 2014).</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">I managed to scrape together a small field crew before leaving for the east coast at the tail end of a vacation - Dr. Ash Poust (San Diego Natural History Museum), Sarah, and our amateur colleague (and friend of the blog) Chris Pirrone helped us. I knew between the four of us we'd be able to get it excavated and transported off the beach, hopefully with time to spare. We spent some time cleaning dust off of it to get our bearings, and then began trenching around it. The concretion stuck a bit further into the rock, but in most places the surrounding sandstone could easily be carved away. Within an hour we had found a couple of bones behind the skull and otherwise had a competent trench around most of it. We started undercutting it, which was surprisingly easy - like a hot knife through butter.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAdTFhEp9rT2ffgj2ErARRrEmBt6sIrC3rWI4ljY02zP9aQG0AtOyH-9A0JT3Eq4x5ovRzGg0AL3fEWfT-OHnx7JyXR2gpS2SEVWMk8DfiDK8YpuY6D4kmI-cOvp6O4fkOYXfhP_6yYtxG6WlHnFyR8m8-mi-pq6_RG4fosHYui1ee2-rkAVvCpx7_iA/s1258/PXL_20230812_195751966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAdTFhEp9rT2ffgj2ErARRrEmBt6sIrC3rWI4ljY02zP9aQG0AtOyH-9A0JT3Eq4x5ovRzGg0AL3fEWfT-OHnx7JyXR2gpS2SEVWMk8DfiDK8YpuY6D4kmI-cOvp6O4fkOYXfhP_6yYtxG6WlHnFyR8m8-mi-pq6_RG4fosHYui1ee2-rkAVvCpx7_iA/w400-h301/PXL_20230812_195751966.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Chris and I exposing the concretion with this tiny brush. I neglected to bring along a whisk broom: my old whisk broom had plastic bristles, which finally decomposed and disintegrated in December after 20 years.</i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqYcGq-rmE2B0cSHy-0UCihP_FOr1im7G5hM8YoPCf31f5mTFD7YS8ZDyzGuvduasq-n-YgyN8yBAzzLucKb9QFvduCLazau3AK5li4mCv2pMpC_nzGf1b5qArogMM0ER-2wf6lsJyUBFSp4AbaXO42_X-yJQp9oVF-EQeqtpvItB2YU3Avqn8hSmCoo/s1258/PXL_20230812_201301696.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqYcGq-rmE2B0cSHy-0UCihP_FOr1im7G5hM8YoPCf31f5mTFD7YS8ZDyzGuvduasq-n-YgyN8yBAzzLucKb9QFvduCLazau3AK5li4mCv2pMpC_nzGf1b5qArogMM0ER-2wf6lsJyUBFSp4AbaXO42_X-yJQp9oVF-EQeqtpvItB2YU3Avqn8hSmCoo/w400-h301/PXL_20230812_201301696.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>We encountered a couple of bones in one of the trenches pretty early on. Here Ash is trying to make sense out of what is exposed without attempting to 'field prep' the bone. We decided it was probably a rib - but it may have actually been a small mandible.</i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYFmaVoCcLgzeLDmx-vCkKoJtSVyhizh9WAbCPSLy_PsYnscb0bAgyejFL20u5LEnrNd-wclT7xIGm_Vhvq-p1mYyBY-AfXFfaRHPW0WA0E97o1p1QiPDHpgN_FUYn5VNoxITbwPY6Qj8xpbsQvMdZFAxgMGDYJ9S5VEzLFRGnnFjQw2rU6G2r94p7Ks/s1263/PXL_20230812_210243442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYFmaVoCcLgzeLDmx-vCkKoJtSVyhizh9WAbCPSLy_PsYnscb0bAgyejFL20u5LEnrNd-wclT7xIGm_Vhvq-p1mYyBY-AfXFfaRHPW0WA0E97o1p1QiPDHpgN_FUYn5VNoxITbwPY6Qj8xpbsQvMdZFAxgMGDYJ9S5VEzLFRGnnFjQw2rU6G2r94p7Ks/w400-h300/PXL_20230812_210243442.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>After 90 minutes, we had quite a bit of the specimen already trenched.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdQfW611GPsh_c934uDxZ8huhCAI24gomAmBHrcQjdE9z_YUHQNkuml633UOZSNlvGxdkFnE9hl36kuR2DJKu-so4BROo88aRfegmEJRwW2cVZaN7pi_K6JSgiI-OMUJTm1w6MvFya64otrmE2ohrv-maZTtXWwhi1AlEiAVDr3T2OfysWt8pH9Eeo4M/s1263/PXL_20230812_210256405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdQfW611GPsh_c934uDxZ8huhCAI24gomAmBHrcQjdE9z_YUHQNkuml633UOZSNlvGxdkFnE9hl36kuR2DJKu-so4BROo88aRfegmEJRwW2cVZaN7pi_K6JSgiI-OMUJTm1w6MvFya64otrmE2ohrv-maZTtXWwhi1AlEiAVDr3T2OfysWt8pH9Eeo4M/w400-h300/PXL_20230812_210256405.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>You really couldn't ask for a more scenic backdrop to an excavation than this. A gorgeous view of the Pacific ocean whenever we turned around.</i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHUlrI9n1sDCVGEymbmiCIHsigOawWrKBwNNrk_jPlGo3DxzoxSEtuiCN1BOOOx3cKSEQkX_nqR6DIUjRSBZrPbh1R21u6cUgY7qpipvW2H5J6SpwRM4ERt5CzESmNP4zGihrRiECJrq3C_kKReHohGe4Fm8X3cyWVWetxOswqRNAb7ysM_JHkzMpmig/s1263/PXL_20230812_210315563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHUlrI9n1sDCVGEymbmiCIHsigOawWrKBwNNrk_jPlGo3DxzoxSEtuiCN1BOOOx3cKSEQkX_nqR6DIUjRSBZrPbh1R21u6cUgY7qpipvW2H5J6SpwRM4ERt5CzESmNP4zGihrRiECJrq3C_kKReHohGe4Fm8X3cyWVWetxOswqRNAb7ysM_JHkzMpmig/w400-h300/PXL_20230812_210315563.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Ash undercutting the whale block while Sarah labels bags containing some of the associated bones of our little whale.</i><br /></div><div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLmWrECiaUS2OVEQgpx7mg3HjRSxJSRxRor_4n9h7AVnPoAusmtUMnds69bG1YK4UT-BC97yT93oxKZYYdAX-JN2pbBDzizSh7vKGmP3hoDFlu8qJYkOcO072Vhy3YhsWvA12NNs7iGtJXpurSORhVS_AEJhzxWG--gmJyLQDlXZPsH2f6_8IaqoOsmk/s947/PXL_20230812_212337953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLmWrECiaUS2OVEQgpx7mg3HjRSxJSRxRor_4n9h7AVnPoAusmtUMnds69bG1YK4UT-BC97yT93oxKZYYdAX-JN2pbBDzizSh7vKGmP3hoDFlu8qJYkOcO072Vhy3YhsWvA12NNs7iGtJXpurSORhVS_AEJhzxWG--gmJyLQDlXZPsH2f6_8IaqoOsmk/w301-h400/PXL_20230812_212337953.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>After trenching was deemed complete, it was time to get ready for plaster jacketing. The first step is to make a barrier to keep the plaster from bonding directly to the bone or rock. I prefer paper towel as it is quite thick, has perforated lines for easy tearing (sometimes a liability), and if several layers are added it can give a slight extra bit of padding. Aluminum foil is also quite popular and requires no water. All of our water had to be carried in: saltwater will apparently make plaster cure extremely fast and generally cannot be used. I used my camelback hose to carefully drip water onto the paper towel so it would stick to the specimen.</i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IlH_XZxpKBfwj3wx_4DAkE1IcmzTmUFQExb4ZEE5E3WGlIanWTTBbrl3siij-lYB9Ncm3kDJeXnAnXtfTAkN_Nv-kTkZGrHOM3-swaYBOY2GU0hOqXpg8Ccpv41ka2k0UluobfXeP5vqZPPfQ0jglY2y-KhWnPk7jim05WvljBRiSDjV4TkYtW2Pk5k/s1258/PXL_20230812_212849439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IlH_XZxpKBfwj3wx_4DAkE1IcmzTmUFQExb4ZEE5E3WGlIanWTTBbrl3siij-lYB9Ncm3kDJeXnAnXtfTAkN_Nv-kTkZGrHOM3-swaYBOY2GU0hOqXpg8Ccpv41ka2k0UluobfXeP5vqZPPfQ0jglY2y-KhWnPk7jim05WvljBRiSDjV4TkYtW2Pk5k/w400-h301/PXL_20230812_212849439.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>After the separator is applied, we can now start the plastering process. I like to make my plaster runny (think about the viscosity of olive oil or melted ice cream), but I've found that on the cold, foggy, and humid coast of California the outer layer of the jacket never completely cures. Runny plaster means you get more working time - thicker plaster has considerably less working time, and the difference in water added can be quite small (a few table spoons worth). So, I decided instead this time to try an experiment: mix plaster at the viscosity of a milkshake in small batches. This worked great, and we had about 5-6 minutes working time, just enough for a few strips at a time. Also, not bad, because the relatively little volume of plaster and freshwater we had meant that precision was needed.</i><br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3onvNrX4VdpRXT-CG-vZodUe1Ki-Wll9ffwrgHko1_UmvpMJd0jRiu6cssolu7VyG2-Ssj00AXK5E_qeKe2aAOtF6jaNC-LjTVpmVJCF_YXC6UNFhZthtH-10DkL1q-udVb6ppoOx054bPGD7Gv_jBDgmZgnEdp1c9_3aKdnkYj8QUggjGEeKN79qzF4/s1258/PXL_20230812_213748105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3onvNrX4VdpRXT-CG-vZodUe1Ki-Wll9ffwrgHko1_UmvpMJd0jRiu6cssolu7VyG2-Ssj00AXK5E_qeKe2aAOtF6jaNC-LjTVpmVJCF_YXC6UNFhZthtH-10DkL1q-udVb6ppoOx054bPGD7Gv_jBDgmZgnEdp1c9_3aKdnkYj8QUggjGEeKN79qzF4/w400-h301/PXL_20230812_213748105.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p></p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>We ended up using every single ounce of plaster mix we carried out with us to finish the top jacket! After about 20 minutes of curing (during which I found a rather large palatoquadrate cartilage from a skate, and a nearly complete humerus of a fur seal), we flipped it and were delighted to find that there were no obvious broken bones in the pedestal. We expected that given the bones we found in the trench, but fractures made during excavation fortuitously manifested between the jacket and these bones. Ash quickly dug these out while Chris and I finished the jacket and tried rigging up our makeshift sled made out of a laundry basket and 60 feet of nylon cord. Sarah and I wrapped and labeled the associated bone blocks and we distributed these amongst the different backpacks.</i><br /></div><div><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3p4vhFwJF91Tprf4gcSLnffJxllbXuRkxMre3hNrdPD4-pqwnK6qaUuGw7IeNDQSU492kju27Y7OAbNfGY_y3Ucq_GmCL2A-yA97hBDjmZy8RvZF-ly6KWTgjdYYcMYGCYOWrJ8wS6_HTFALUB9dJUbKQA1brDBnGxn8gP_X01BbkHfnV-g8lUn3fY8/s1085/carry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="1085" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3p4vhFwJF91Tprf4gcSLnffJxllbXuRkxMre3hNrdPD4-pqwnK6qaUuGw7IeNDQSU492kju27Y7OAbNfGY_y3Ucq_GmCL2A-yA97hBDjmZy8RvZF-ly6KWTgjdYYcMYGCYOWrJ8wS6_HTFALUB9dJUbKQA1brDBnGxn8gP_X01BbkHfnV-g8lUn3fY8/w400-h293/carry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>At first we tried this admittedly clumsy approach with one person (Chris) stooped over and lifting the front of the laundry basket. We would make it about 100 feet at a time before the person in back would need to rest.</i><br /></div><div><p></p></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtnDmOUS_dUYw_DC2FOt_i-opxtNkF2n6inwERjXNkajqV40aXLiKOJ9g4CVnv_QDWC41HgjIN2BDry-ohtoQ9n5zCHhVgF8K4-fLSn3w05GNBvNtYLwFxA3DUF5-Q9FyQ3Qut2sXzJUzKJi5LMB-E-zJTbIE7FoFkmpz1UfTP6TjQuyLHuyjlaCpbW8/s1263/PXL_20230812_225715103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtnDmOUS_dUYw_DC2FOt_i-opxtNkF2n6inwERjXNkajqV40aXLiKOJ9g4CVnv_QDWC41HgjIN2BDry-ohtoQ9n5zCHhVgF8K4-fLSn3w05GNBvNtYLwFxA3DUF5-Q9FyQ3Qut2sXzJUzKJi5LMB-E-zJTbIE7FoFkmpz1UfTP6TjQuyLHuyjlaCpbW8/w400-h300/PXL_20230812_225715103.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Chris and Ash were a bit skeptical of my engineering efforts and preferred this for a hundred yards. My shoulder was killing me when I took my turn so I insisted we try something else. The relative ease at which Chris and I had been able to move the sled with only one person pulling on the ropes gave me an idea.</i><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRaF5I_voser5TwF8QIquVtLgtQjGAAbBvoeZ40OilBmECnsO9zMWum1BAaU_e_tENDGSdXsUoY_Xbfi2e9mZkZ49gCsaiOxLHJWJnQWYzqqs7YrVUW56Np3mFpU1bRpn9sHkCge7VOxOWNznjTLGE4G17HGswOcJHiJ8Vn-3mF9B2_-DvAAk4ktzqXY/s1258/PXL_20230812_230829047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRaF5I_voser5TwF8QIquVtLgtQjGAAbBvoeZ40OilBmECnsO9zMWum1BAaU_e_tENDGSdXsUoY_Xbfi2e9mZkZ49gCsaiOxLHJWJnQWYzqqs7YrVUW56Np3mFpU1bRpn9sHkCge7VOxOWNznjTLGE4G17HGswOcJHiJ8Vn-3mF9B2_-DvAAk4ktzqXY/w400-h301/PXL_20230812_230829047.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I thought - what if we loop the rope forward and put it on a piece of driftwood to be used as a "yoke", like for oxen on the Oregon Trail? The front end of the sled just needs to be slanted up with the center of mass close to the back in order for it to be dragged efficiently. Ash got up in front and took the "reins", analogous to a husky, with Chris and I each lifting about 30-40 lbs continuously while advancing at a walking pace.</i><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoUQPMeiuVEXtFYQy9cHq8LiRCmcccx7HbAxkD5QYX0Utvq21QDhqCycHYC_OXxtxfJ47Msx8s3pqPAoxW3zcAB-1rSi-vOxkFKLY-ArV6dOgbvoHdPvYGV5LUKd2qk96ul5uhYK8Tx5ZiYu4ylc0sAi8LBp8jLEL81ef4xP8KGlvGkzo_2BFJZ5Ft7k/s1258/PXL_20230812_231003633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1258" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoUQPMeiuVEXtFYQy9cHq8LiRCmcccx7HbAxkD5QYX0Utvq21QDhqCycHYC_OXxtxfJ47Msx8s3pqPAoxW3zcAB-1rSi-vOxkFKLY-ArV6dOgbvoHdPvYGV5LUKd2qk96ul5uhYK8Tx5ZiYu4ylc0sAi8LBp8jLEL81ef4xP8KGlvGkzo_2BFJZ5Ft7k/w400-h301/PXL_20230812_231003633.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /> This method worked so well that we did not bother trading off and we slid the jacket about an entire kilometer down the beach this way. We also had a convenient tire track in the sand that we could use as a rut for the 'sled'.</i><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnT66DRX9ExHg8oihdsalGpasJTI4a6fpySEyyEnyuLbubULdmkYfFYE_qZD2C8abS4SJfZcY5XUvUkvFPPSJt-WePpUhgTW_WTbZaJ0HWygYnAnrdn0Oni7gdQZrmJ18EkJHccxQb6oyRHTcW3EhpCGuzuwFf1vk7oa7par1z_FTox_9sWLb_5S3Eso/s1263/PXL_20230812_233623420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnT66DRX9ExHg8oihdsalGpasJTI4a6fpySEyyEnyuLbubULdmkYfFYE_qZD2C8abS4SJfZcY5XUvUkvFPPSJt-WePpUhgTW_WTbZaJ0HWygYnAnrdn0Oni7gdQZrmJ18EkJHccxQb6oyRHTcW3EhpCGuzuwFf1vk7oa7par1z_FTox_9sWLb_5S3Eso/w400-h300/PXL_20230812_233623420.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> By 4:30, only four hours after we parked, we had the plaster jacket in the back of the vehicle! Ash, half jokingly, suggested getting ice cream and I immediately agreed. It tasted very, very good.</i><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-70915582681601695792023-08-09T17:42:00.009-06:002023-08-09T17:45:31.008-06:00More on maintaining research notebooks - some Q & A<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PnVEaOlrhEi_oju80Uf2X_O5mch8_-jU0yOxJ3WB31EHa_9ccCxrKM7WSzmszKlbfbYjD6v9XdJTSi8B0dxw1AHxAAQ91-fyH3RY24lmHxH0qcb6ymKYLAVnm7Re9oiNj87-HDbO3ciQTG8XdH_2P_oDw5FkD3ILyI4zG0nKT6xeAjX19xzhHhgQI0I/s1190/IMG_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PnVEaOlrhEi_oju80Uf2X_O5mch8_-jU0yOxJ3WB31EHa_9ccCxrKM7WSzmszKlbfbYjD6v9XdJTSi8B0dxw1AHxAAQ91-fyH3RY24lmHxH0qcb6ymKYLAVnm7Re9oiNj87-HDbO3ciQTG8XdH_2P_oDw5FkD3ILyI4zG0nKT6xeAjX19xzhHhgQI0I/w400-h300/IMG_0003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p><span></span></p><p><span>I recently received these questions as a comment on a recent post by Dr. Aretha Guimaraes, a botanist at the </span>Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia. Dr. Guimaraes writes: <b>"<i><span>Hey Robert, thanks for answering my comment! </span></i><span><i>I have a few questions regarding the organization of your notes</i>."</span></b></p><p><span> <b><br />1)
<i>I’ve read that you divide your notebooks using tabs according to the
specimen that you are describing. But how do you continue your note
about a certain fossil if the pages that you left for that description
are over? Do you continue in another notebook? And if you do continue to
write in another notebook, how do you store the complete description
later? </i></b></span></p><p><span>Great question! This happens all the time - either I 1) have supplementary observations or 2) mitigating circumstances require me to interrupt an entry and begin a new entry. In this case, I write up at the top of the page "continued on page X" and typically write this at the very end of the entry as well. When I get a chance to get back to the original entry, I write in "continued from page X" at the very beginning, so it is clear where I should flip to. Now, this becomes a problem when you split an entry between two different notebooks - I tend to use roman numerals for my notebooks, so I can cross-reference entries between notebooks. For example, Notebook I is one I started in 2008 on fossil pinnipeds from California; Notebook II is chiefly on fossil cetaceans, and Notebook III is on miscellaneous marine vertebrates (birds, otters, sharks, bony fish, sea turtles) from California. I think I stopped there, though I have a single notebook dedicated to fossils of Herpetocetus, one or two more on Eomysticetidae from my Ph.D., and two full notebooks of descriptions I've made while at CCNHM in South Carolina.<br /></span></p><p><span></span></p><p><span></span></p><p><span></span></p><p><span><br /><i><b>2) By now you should have lots of notebooks stored. Do you
keep a “master index” where you can check when you are looking for a
particular description or info?</b></i></span></p><p><span>No, not yet, but in a few more years that might be needed!</span></p><p><span><i><b> <br /></b></i></span></p><p><i><b><span>3) Do you make any copies of these notebooks? Like a digital copy or something?</span></b></i></p><p><span>I have digitized my field notebooks, but have not bothered digitizing any of my research notebooks. I tend to type up my descriptions shortly after writing them out by hand, so in a way it gets digitized. I use the marked up photographs as guides to constructing my figures (which are generally based on the same edited photographs). </span></p><p><span><i><br /><b>4)
I have the same problem that you described in one of your posts, where
you told us you had to move to the US with a bag full of heavy
notebooks. I’ve been moving a lot recently (Brazil – UK – Amazon and so
on) and I’ll probably move a lot until I can become a full professor
somewhere. I tried to use a digital notebook in order to be more
practical to carry things around (since I’m not available to afford
shipping all of my notebooks) but I didn’t like it. Did you manage to
solve that problem?</b></i> </span></p><p><span>I have not solved this problem - in my opinion this is a good, but intractable problem to have. I don't like staring at screens, and in my experience it is much easier to have a hard-drive failure than to lose your physical notebook or have them destroyed by water or fire.<br /> </span></p><p><i><b><span>5) Regarding the fieldnotes, do you have a field
notebook or do you keep your notes in the same notebooks that you use
every day?</span></b></i></p><p><span>I have a completely different set of field notebooks that are regionally or project specific: for example, I have two general field catalogues (1 and 2) for fieldwork in Santa Cruz county with the prefix RWB, a notebook for Point Reyes (RBPR), and an east coast field notebook (RBEC).<br /> </span></p><p><b><i><span>6) Are you still using A4 notebooks? When you have a
drawing of something larger to stick in your notebook, how you do to
prevent damage? </span></i></b></p><p><span>I use the XL moleskine notebooks which measure 19x25cm (7.5x9.75"), just slightly smaller than "letter" size paper here in the US (letter = 8.5x11", 22x28cm). I do not paste in anything that is larger than the page in both dimensions - but I do paste in foldouts that unfold laterally. I'm not exactly sure what kind of damage you're referring to, but I prevent tearing and tattering of the edges by making sure everything pasted in is small enough so it doesn't protrude from the sides of the notebook.<br /> </span></p><p><b><i><span>7) Do you keep daily notes like research diary?</span></i></b></p><p><span>I do not - I am much too scatterbrained to do that consistently. I only take notes when I've blocked off some time to focus and pour my undivided attention onto one task.<br /></span></p><p><span></span></p><p><span><br />Also,
I’d like to tell you that I always share your notebook posts with my
students so that I can convince them to keep their notes, especially my
husband (who is also a scientist) and refused to take notes on stuff. I
used your notebooks post to convince him of my point and now he keeps
things more organized. <br /> </span></p><p><b><i><span>Thanks again for your content! I found you by
randomly searching in google a few years ago and I always keep an eye
on your posts.<br />Best wishes,<br />Aretha Guimaraes</span></i></b></p><p><span>I'm so glad you find these posts and tips helpful! Thanks for the great questions, Aretha!<br /></span></p>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-19134720291052307662023-08-05T12:57:00.001-06:002023-08-07T10:54:22.202-06:00Lowcountry riverbank fossils from July 4<div class="separator"></div><p style="text-align: left;"><i> One month ago I spent the day on my first paid river fossil tour with Ashby Gale and Charleston Fossil Adventures. Ashby recently got his captain's license, and can now take clients out along lowcountry waterways to collect fossils from hard-to-reach spots that cannot be walked to - and locations known only to the two of us and a couple others. Ashby had three tours back to back booked for July 4, and he was kind enough to not make me join him for the early morning tour at 9am! It was still a long day, though, with a heat index of 105. We took out a couple of different families and found some great stuff; this post will be more of a slideshow with commentary than anything else.</i></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxlBVMOghgKRt10lfo7-6E6-e8gqXbxetz9hosaHfEEcjdX3oy1nO5_f_lAXUOiNyWWsqibyD-CLrIGQ1GW8ndxc6YCKI308Zi7Om5EAQ2cTProwOWb1R6c77zIHxy-nMR4F-vrql1b1-mEpvuZiywsNBCGWN4XpW7bnJS2sbVCTmQLvrNas_7JakK8Dw/s1190/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxlBVMOghgKRt10lfo7-6E6-e8gqXbxetz9hosaHfEEcjdX3oy1nO5_f_lAXUOiNyWWsqibyD-CLrIGQ1GW8ndxc6YCKI308Zi7Om5EAQ2cTProwOWb1R6c77zIHxy-nMR4F-vrql1b1-mEpvuZiywsNBCGWN4XpW7bnJS2sbVCTmQLvrNas_7JakK8Dw/w400-h300/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> </p><p><i>Ashby Gale and I, the first secondary tour guide hired for Charleston Fossil Adventures! I gotta say, this really beats the hell out of teaching introductory geology labs. The office is considerably nicer.</i></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijq-lS1_wDZxuUrf5JrabgLsDF-DdF9uTmwch4WoejWyQKAvkg_WYvA7IjlU5zE3eDTUsI5baAFiiTmVcBqq78ZYcx4q0dfxXnZ9HDWmiCTR2HhWrLgQzKT4wWwtbIvJqF_GdtER7tzCjKpng4jMuvJ70xu_4Ukss6PuAqV8JMAXq2t3nSc1iVtWXwGWs/s617/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="617" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijq-lS1_wDZxuUrf5JrabgLsDF-DdF9uTmwch4WoejWyQKAvkg_WYvA7IjlU5zE3eDTUsI5baAFiiTmVcBqq78ZYcx4q0dfxXnZ9HDWmiCTR2HhWrLgQzKT4wWwtbIvJqF_GdtER7tzCjKpng4jMuvJ70xu_4Ukss6PuAqV8JMAXq2t3nSc1iVtWXwGWs/w400-h369/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i> An osteoderm of the extinct "beautiful" armadillo </i>Dasypus bellus<i>, which was slightly larger than the modern nine-banded armadillo (</i>Dasypus noveminctus<i>) often seen lying by the side of the road in South Carolina. Dasypus bellus</i> <i>is known only from the Pleistocene in North America.</i> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7mxg7iCBYyaNd-FYPAyxCnbZWVTF4ImGFl9QFyrTum5YoJ3SiQgySz9nhubro_XJdhDHiUpx-3Kl1oOwwQPY2d0ZO_swI2JTF5UDOAiJ2V-uxi3rwbg5YhBfImFreycNQaCQRLR5OdnVw3ZrtoLZXVkLimV4hePaU_idmEPI3iHhi71UniokgOhZlqA/s618/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="618" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7mxg7iCBYyaNd-FYPAyxCnbZWVTF4ImGFl9QFyrTum5YoJ3SiQgySz9nhubro_XJdhDHiUpx-3Kl1oOwwQPY2d0ZO_swI2JTF5UDOAiJ2V-uxi3rwbg5YhBfImFreycNQaCQRLR5OdnVw3ZrtoLZXVkLimV4hePaU_idmEPI3iHhi71UniokgOhZlqA/w400-h315/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><i>A tooth of the devil ray </i>Plinthicus stenodon, <i>my favorite batoid. When collecting with Ashby, Sarah, and I, it's basically illegal to not call out "Ooh a </i>Plinthicus<i>!" </i>Plinthicus<i> is only known from Oligocene through middle Miocene rocks, and was named by E.D. Cope. </i></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavnvAa6JMU9nF4KweC96bJqoNc0U1z5l1ZtdC-n9mkotHBnXmf8clInPhKhu2O5IJASAp17djK6H-ww1w53cwN48RR8oQnwA9fYaws42Zn-miH7XuDN6MoZMFjIlox1Jj7JoQQNeIBXo3X6nvYw6o3aq1GjShhBd2iZWpEaC_mSbfxHWAItB94b6O25g/s1190/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavnvAa6JMU9nF4KweC96bJqoNc0U1z5l1ZtdC-n9mkotHBnXmf8clInPhKhu2O5IJASAp17djK6H-ww1w53cwN48RR8oQnwA9fYaws42Zn-miH7XuDN6MoZMFjIlox1Jj7JoQQNeIBXo3X6nvYw6o3aq1GjShhBd2iZWpEaC_mSbfxHWAItB94b6O25g/w400-h300/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i> </i><p></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><i>A single lower tooth of </i>Galeocerdo aduncas/Physogaleus contortus<i>, an Oligocene-Miocene tiger shark with long, twisted cusps- at least on its lower teeth. Whether or not these species are synonymous is a controversial topic in shark paleontology, and I've been yelled at by shark experts on facebook for daring to consider synonymy as likely.</i></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SGKX9cyxejT7SSN0T_ACRHe261lmKTh2yjheuHGhZwHFI_6DlAqEcpM-px78Cyg09hf4cvxBad1Z1iXosRoeuai_5SfoOxjgrCgmCCDOpu1X5nQ1Phudr69Z1bJq2L7s6dU-0yM4Ctc51V-3Mrrst4pkknR5VS-ztvLsP_XGMNkvdyFjxx2UOnZRpC4/s1148/5A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1148" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SGKX9cyxejT7SSN0T_ACRHe261lmKTh2yjheuHGhZwHFI_6DlAqEcpM-px78Cyg09hf4cvxBad1Z1iXosRoeuai_5SfoOxjgrCgmCCDOpu1X5nQ1Phudr69Z1bJq2L7s6dU-0yM4Ctc51V-3Mrrst4pkknR5VS-ztvLsP_XGMNkvdyFjxx2UOnZRpC4/w400-h305/5A.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i> A rather large blade of a mako (</i>Isurus<i>) tooth found by a client - </i>Isurus desori<i>? </i>flandricus<i>? Clearly not </i>I. hastalis<i> or </i>I. oxyrhinchus<i>.</i><p></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyRbY45DStbLozAsL6reoU_0SH5tiQ_sMc6hLLUCnJfUVEfeU5L1lJu4t--lS2nIzeVoG7cmAcs3F_Aqr48glRMFBkUXCD1bsl_tS5dUSAXbFb1Uh1XfFaiOX7vx4a6KpiSQ8CA51qbsDsKUu86qbZfytoBxzVMRZJR_Loqy4yxD6QwnCq3HiAY1_dzc/s1190/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyRbY45DStbLozAsL6reoU_0SH5tiQ_sMc6hLLUCnJfUVEfeU5L1lJu4t--lS2nIzeVoG7cmAcs3F_Aqr48glRMFBkUXCD1bsl_tS5dUSAXbFb1Uh1XfFaiOX7vx4a6KpiSQ8CA51qbsDsKUu86qbZfytoBxzVMRZJR_Loqy4yxD6QwnCq3HiAY1_dzc/w400-h300/6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i> Another </i>Physogaleus contortus<i> tooth amidst a field of phosphate, limestone, and oysters.</i><p></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjny1-cB3UlYcCbiCKMatMhCjHy0GAgp2WgTYPsH_j_unFTIImQhlQlWAp9PEyiH8V3tJUXnilnGSYxwrktqDz055nspWUs5kTadsn1YXHBOxq5M4MXeEfk_YRqQoqJ62zHVrjn3IJmZtWuqEpe5swaOzbbSvnPe_LSsfhxAiWsH6koiXmaTsTX0nVt6eA/s691/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="691" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjny1-cB3UlYcCbiCKMatMhCjHy0GAgp2WgTYPsH_j_unFTIImQhlQlWAp9PEyiH8V3tJUXnilnGSYxwrktqDz055nspWUs5kTadsn1YXHBOxq5M4MXeEfk_YRqQoqJ62zHVrjn3IJmZtWuqEpe5swaOzbbSvnPe_LSsfhxAiWsH6koiXmaTsTX0nVt6eA/w400-h366/7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i> A partial tooth of the extinct megatoothed shark </i>Carcharocles angustidens <i>with an incomplete root.</i><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhet3qYxgT_KvBgSqVGflx22nB-1mJ2hXTXo1yuycBp5ys81dSPXFlc4C68tmtKTBdVH6APyT4X_9LVwLNqaZ-fWoe-Bp1lrIVWzbwD2mXhtw_pS40aHvLZ4s3w7qpT2qnNmgmosEwI2LIeehphwSLpaDtYdldjEg885FGml80pVOaqUTNx-ECsKqetdKg/s1190/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhet3qYxgT_KvBgSqVGflx22nB-1mJ2hXTXo1yuycBp5ys81dSPXFlc4C68tmtKTBdVH6APyT4X_9LVwLNqaZ-fWoe-Bp1lrIVWzbwD2mXhtw_pS40aHvLZ4s3w7qpT2qnNmgmosEwI2LIeehphwSLpaDtYdldjEg885FGml80pVOaqUTNx-ECsKqetdKg/w400-h300/11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><i>A large upper lateral tooth of the snaggletooth shark </i>Hemipristis serra<i>.</i></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2s4FyGHVzVSDYl3rgN4bSRft3oR7tmRYIMTjlNuRiGJE-U5fSrLGoYA2ocqbVs_H_jGlMLx7wkL4t8-52XvBYZdxwZyVk3FlrsJxzcjt0FR47cR28ofIdTevqGSusYU1ssscec1ML1ou0224ZUnsnf9hNV-eF4snLMB5O4j-QUmeK7_1VU4A_pqup3hg/s699/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="699" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2s4FyGHVzVSDYl3rgN4bSRft3oR7tmRYIMTjlNuRiGJE-U5fSrLGoYA2ocqbVs_H_jGlMLx7wkL4t8-52XvBYZdxwZyVk3FlrsJxzcjt0FR47cR28ofIdTevqGSusYU1ssscec1ML1ou0224ZUnsnf9hNV-eF4snLMB5O4j-QUmeK7_1VU4A_pqup3hg/w400-h323/9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><i>Another mako tooth (</i>Isurus desori<i>? </i>flandricus<i>? </i>retroflexus<i>?), although one with a complete root. This looks like it weathered directly out of the Ashley Formation rather than being derived from reworking.</i></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rjm7_Rhj4sltYh9eZWElOYbM1ue8c2L257QJmMucNYJf5SOdZ-aauhNp4Mvc1v_947KGshuA0QOyEieI6nHUJfd0j1Zh91wz5L6QtSz4BIR93J7AcxH46exa_dVIDvWfOqhLHxCK55Izwp94cYiUiq4c-sGTuyyvTqpPo_CYMj82vsvHUJXbwZEPZ7Y/s494/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="494" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rjm7_Rhj4sltYh9eZWElOYbM1ue8c2L257QJmMucNYJf5SOdZ-aauhNp4Mvc1v_947KGshuA0QOyEieI6nHUJfd0j1Zh91wz5L6QtSz4BIR93J7AcxH46exa_dVIDvWfOqhLHxCK55Izwp94cYiUiq4c-sGTuyyvTqpPo_CYMj82vsvHUJXbwZEPZ7Y/w400-h388/10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i> </i><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;">Another
megatooth, this time a juvenile tooth of</span></i><span style="line-height: 107%;"> Carcharocles
megalodon. </span></span></span><p></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRXtMs3DzrenA0i-j4gkQ5HCSWeieb8CK9S8-TUpJTMlpll88bGN0JokuAfm_eEpvJb20Y4zagjZruV598lx3uHM3n2kNHGoERBU4m3bHvzqiVSDuuf1pWKTqeDLRNnQH1PK7vVc28dJAlPLjqIavAZTgqlSlTte3LSAfCQbEmhjd_CVt215kXBHy4k8/s911/12b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="911" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRXtMs3DzrenA0i-j4gkQ5HCSWeieb8CK9S8-TUpJTMlpll88bGN0JokuAfm_eEpvJb20Y4zagjZruV598lx3uHM3n2kNHGoERBU4m3bHvzqiVSDuuf1pWKTqeDLRNnQH1PK7vVc28dJAlPLjqIavAZTgqlSlTte3LSAfCQbEmhjd_CVt215kXBHy4k8/w400-h376/12b.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i>An adorable lateral tooth of the megatoothed shark </i>Carcharocles angustidens - <i>I love finding tiny teeth of extinct giants.</i></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrsvSlUrHGxqTP4eR7GmUy8oqiUHrgNI6XiTAmAPlGZnGjICY8CZVx5CthY2QF2dpX2BHNRA98sFbqltaBZxYgb9bB3sNKOXKRrqOgY6kgzxL1XyVSCEIjGuBVqJBSyQep7rIFukjne2H1PDMNBHqHUqGz5Y6jnP_soQorhghBF3T1uMWjUuzEi3HYds/s1190/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1190" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrsvSlUrHGxqTP4eR7GmUy8oqiUHrgNI6XiTAmAPlGZnGjICY8CZVx5CthY2QF2dpX2BHNRA98sFbqltaBZxYgb9bB3sNKOXKRrqOgY6kgzxL1XyVSCEIjGuBVqJBSyQep7rIFukjne2H1PDMNBHqHUqGz5Y6jnP_soQorhghBF3T1uMWjUuzEi3HYds/w400-h261/13.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
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Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
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mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
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mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
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</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The
highlight find of the day – a beautiful tooth of</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> Squalodon! <i>And yes, an actual,
factual tooth of</i> Squalodon <i>from South Carolina. Unlike</i> Ankylorhiza, <i>teeth
of true</i> Squalodon <i>have highly rugose enamel rather than the more gently
fluted enamel of its Oligocene relative. Found and donated for study by the Hammond family!<br /></i></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i> </i> </span><i></i></span></span></p><p></p>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-39486014807218863082023-07-19T07:46:00.007-06:002023-07-20T06:40:17.856-06:00Fossil prep updates: beluga and fur seal specimens from the Purisima Formation of California<div><p>We had some great luck while on our May field trips in coastal California, as reviewed in my last couple of posts. Sarah and I have added a few more scientifically significant specimens to the faunal list for this locality. The fossil vertebrate assemblage from the Purisima Formation is certainly not the most numerous in terms of specimens, but is rapidly becoming the most completely published. In 2013 I published a hefty monograph on the marine mammal assemblage from the locality, following an earlier paper reporting all of the sharks, bony fish, and sea birds - and a followup that same year reporting the world's youngest well-dated bony-toothed bird fossil (<i>Pelagornis</i>). Localities like this are quite critical since they are the youngest diverse assemblages of marine vertebrate fossils from our coast: Pleistocene marine vertebrate assemblages are poorly known from the west coast and typically non-comparable in terms of diversity, given that they are typically 'singleton' records and not evenly sampled for both "lower" and "higher" vertebrates. The new records I'll be discussing in this post are marine mammals, though we've made some interesting new non-mammal additions which I'll cover in a later post. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="710" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbb2C2G5LPOMoJA6I8g96loFo4SwcvCpAVq-EqEXIyQP1l74Yp5M0s-gx3--aem9Xf3CWkjcsXS_QfRMC0sHbhXncMYwwjoJ_-b9FwPDHp2-0F6aMl7372IHInRvdvdJtwdwIhxe400AiOX8ABamS4nTMklJ8wj00QHHaALaMCR0bh79nTI2HDCV_Azk/w400-h394/bobby%20jaw.jpg" width="400" /></div><i><br /></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> This photo is unintentionally hilarious - I was *so* happy by this fossil! Sarah made no mention of the fact that you cannot tell what the hell I am actually holding, it just looks like a shitty little chunk of sandstone. Didn't matter, I was so happy, and this is far funnier than if it was this spectacular field glory photo.</i><br /></p><p>The first noteworthy specimen is a partial mandible with teeth of a tiny little fur seal. Pinniped remains are quite rare, outnumbered by cetacean fossils in the Purisima Formation by at least 10 to 1 or 20 to 1 (they are over-represented in UCMP collections, but even then still outnumbered by cetaceans by 5 to 1). Most pinniped fossils from the Purisima Formation consist of isolated limb elements and teeth; skulls, mandibles, and fragments thereof are considerably more rare. Mandibles are frequently diagnostic within pinnipeds, and so I had always been on the look out for one at this locality. I had previously collected a partial radius of a dusignathine walrus (<i>Dusignathus</i> sp.) and a very nice calcaneum and upper third incisor from a small fur seal - along with specimens collected by Larry Oliveira (such as a nearly complete but very small humerus), I tentatively identified this fur seal as the extinct <i>Callorhinus </i>sp., cf. <i>C. gilmorei</i>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVjS1YQ37HHEh3VIcTZ2nrpXEykqU2aqsesc3Mio7mgPiidbDsnPN2h7rnXCfpox71t7vahrabSBKTSFfxIvVcyt7L2iGrG737rZlEE17bpSfYJv_XZvQ2ctA8YbCMde9i17SyKonb7xREe7hTiYNT826HHivnkdh5v-U5HTgyJhKk_mKhSLMg6mb738/s3117/IMG_4997.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1529" data-original-width="3117" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVjS1YQ37HHEh3VIcTZ2nrpXEykqU2aqsesc3Mio7mgPiidbDsnPN2h7rnXCfpox71t7vahrabSBKTSFfxIvVcyt7L2iGrG737rZlEE17bpSfYJv_XZvQ2ctA8YbCMde9i17SyKonb7xREe7hTiYNT826HHivnkdh5v-U5HTgyJhKk_mKhSLMg6mb738/w400-h196/IMG_4997.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The holotype (female) mandible of </i>Callorhinus gilmorei <i>from the Pliocene San Diego Formation.</i><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASwxI2S4E4k-ztDEB2TPXSbXBqGV0Sqdkg3i__EQ74mI2ipjuifyeTffxvUWaXAmY-oZIC2JXb-nQHeY8p4ybI8zMEP7S54dy2qWFFUPmnl_HMkVdV_KDQHzJ55L2Ba2zFAVunCa9lfQaf_eCzh6bKmVtyziABkCkzycHiW1QZAikL8Fufo2E8d1_Swk/s1007/Pithanotaria.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="1007" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASwxI2S4E4k-ztDEB2TPXSbXBqGV0Sqdkg3i__EQ74mI2ipjuifyeTffxvUWaXAmY-oZIC2JXb-nQHeY8p4ybI8zMEP7S54dy2qWFFUPmnl_HMkVdV_KDQHzJ55L2Ba2zFAVunCa9lfQaf_eCzh6bKmVtyziABkCkzycHiW1QZAikL8Fufo2E8d1_Swk/w400-h314/Pithanotaria.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Referred mandibles of</i> Pithanotaria starri <i>from the upper Miocene Monterey Formation of Orange County, CA. From Velez-Juarbe (2017: PeerJ 5:e3022) .</i><br /></p><p><i>Callorhinus gilmorei</i> just so happens to have a pretty distinctive mandible, even if the teeth aren't terribly distinctive. It is one of the few fossil otariids where only a couple of the premolars are single rooted, and the rest are double rooted; the original specimen is a fragmentary but nonetheless well-preserved female skeleton from the coeval San Diego Formation. Other mandibles show a bit of variation, and at least one mandible has all double-rooted teeth. You see, pinnipeds evolved from terrestrial mammals that had double rooted premolars and triple rooted molars, and this condition was retained in the earliest pinnipeds like <i>Enaliarctos</i>. Early fur seals and sea lions (Otariidae) from the middle and late Miocene, such as <i>Eotaria</i>, <i>Pithanotaria</i>, and <i>Thalassoleon</i>, mostly have double rooted teeth - though all modern fur seals and sea lions have single rooted teeth. </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAXV_nUT7XMhcsvXqD96emdrdzlkCP41kcoYsSvNzXRFCFykzPZJQVGZoUt9CZwTZsEiC6q-9FS8-V7wjTndVbnYa17_AIqnWnrV_UBGwS8P-XIQPGxxJf6pSvWCafzQfKzVZLtgwN-rLciXisrgt7B05A_yEk7v-fiyGaWhfQ_uHdhskG6ihPYcfFY0/s1277/purisima%20jaw.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1277" data-original-width="1250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAXV_nUT7XMhcsvXqD96emdrdzlkCP41kcoYsSvNzXRFCFykzPZJQVGZoUt9CZwTZsEiC6q-9FS8-V7wjTndVbnYa17_AIqnWnrV_UBGwS8P-XIQPGxxJf6pSvWCafzQfKzVZLtgwN-rLciXisrgt7B05A_yEk7v-fiyGaWhfQ_uHdhskG6ihPYcfFY0/w391-h400/purisima%20jaw.jpg" width="391" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><i>Partially prepared mandible fragment with in situ premolars collected back in May.</i> <br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">This new mandible I collected in May ended up having all double-rooted teeth, which alone would not prevent this specimen from representing <i>Callorhinus gilmorei. </i>However, unlike this Pliocene species, this specimen has relatively smooth enamel that lacks accessory cusps and completely lacks lingual cingulum: cingulum is a little ridge on the base of the tooth crown. Most modern fur seals and sea lions have cingulum along the tongue side (lingual = tongue side) and only a few sea lions have labial cingulum. This specimen, however, has neither labial nor lingual cingulum, and the one complete tooth is also a bit low crowned. These features make this specimen resemble <i>Pithanotaria </i>- which, so far, is only known from the late Miocene (Tortonian, ~9-11 Ma). This specimen is probably, but uncertainly early Pliocene in age.<br /></p><p>Another such specimen I found ended up being the anterior (chin) end of a mandible of a relatively large fur seal, collected from a bonebed dating to the early Pliocene - and a bit further up-section. After a bit of preparation, it ended up having single-rooted first and second premolars, identifying the specimen as <i>Callorhinus gilmorei</i>, and likely confirming my earlier identification of specimens of <i>Callorhinus</i> sp., cf. <i>C. gilmorei</i> from these same layers.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipb8fhYA8i8YxbJ6nu906isU_Dxq_0CIlqznzQD8tSL-FRwxOIoNb3Dvw21hkejR_pY-zOtkqvL0JMsjZXKA3WCcXhVu-lkKFqjGtTm3J_stxgYxswOsf1q0u-popDXVkLWPCJdw2ZlENjeLkDLNdMWJLq_QdFXeoRcBYn_OdKd9_g8gJKmGwQP7uNGQ0/s1606/PXL_20230517_225041622.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1606" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipb8fhYA8i8YxbJ6nu906isU_Dxq_0CIlqznzQD8tSL-FRwxOIoNb3Dvw21hkejR_pY-zOtkqvL0JMsjZXKA3WCcXhVu-lkKFqjGtTm3J_stxgYxswOsf1q0u-popDXVkLWPCJdw2ZlENjeLkDLNdMWJLq_QdFXeoRcBYn_OdKd9_g8gJKmGwQP7uNGQ0/w400-h236/PXL_20230517_225041622.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> The beautiful beluga periotic I collected in May! My very first monodontid periotic. I've only been looking for one for 15 years. Even on the east coast where they're more common!</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zZ0nIHkDww7fXUnpjDKwlingYjNc9gFh8Y-Y9ZwW7RGk2x5SD6-i0QkfhAYrN3_FdtzOl5RbuUVII4moMDo6caIr8zBeG-xJ622IldetxTnRv2hOfkMDDO6NqD36UvRriawVhR1gcDDGJJWtEL298QFr8CchSI-doOx5athjR2yIvtS-NtlKY8AhM8Q/s1692/beluga%20periotic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1692" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zZ0nIHkDww7fXUnpjDKwlingYjNc9gFh8Y-Y9ZwW7RGk2x5SD6-i0QkfhAYrN3_FdtzOl5RbuUVII4moMDo6caIr8zBeG-xJ622IldetxTnRv2hOfkMDDO6NqD36UvRriawVhR1gcDDGJJWtEL298QFr8CchSI-doOx5athjR2yIvtS-NtlKY8AhM8Q/w400-h229/beluga%20periotic.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> The new associated periotic and bulla of a small monodontid, collected under permit from the Purisima Formation.</i><br /><p></p><p>One of the other really interesting specimens that I collected was an associated periotic and tympanic bulla of a large odontocete - which I was immediately able to identify to the family level in the field, owing to its distinctive anatomy: it is from a white whale, family Monodontidae - closely related to modern belugas and narwhals (and probably more the former). If you're unfamiliar with the fossil record of monodontids - and, surprisingly, I've never ever covered them here before (I should change that) - they parallel the walrus fossil record in a few surprising ways. First, they show up during the late Miocene, and have a similar distribution in the temperate and even subtropical North Pacific and North Atlantic. Aside from a couple of fragmentary finds of fossil narwhals, most are attributable instead to "delphinapterines" - tuskless monodontids more closely resembling belugas (<i>Delphinapterus</i>) than the narwhal (Monodon). These include species like <i>Denebola brachycephala </i>from the latest Miocene of Baja California, <i>Bohaskaia</i> <i>monodontoides </i>from the early Pliocene of North Carolina, and the more recently named <i>Haborodelphis japonicus</i> from the early Pliocene of Japan. There is additionally an unnamed fragmentary monodontid from the Pliocene of Belgium briefly described by my colleague Olivier Lambert in 2007, and several unnamed species of monodontids in the late Miocene-Pliocene fossil assemblages of California known from partial to complete skulls, possibly representing two or more genera.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzpAqgDQRRLiFzXVcVVoEB1-FkjlRb5xAiLT5PR0rr3vbHRSbOhyGsi6pMTx8aGOyuDuuK9osVxx3k4NoK5byW2Sru5053BBCIgG3x610iWZKQzU5MyuLEZUaOiLjrYe-gtJ-ULOZsAcCiF77BS_JWzuYHSuBep-C3iJHuvgje_oIARwFT0VKtOFaKyM/s1250/denebola.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1250" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzpAqgDQRRLiFzXVcVVoEB1-FkjlRb5xAiLT5PR0rr3vbHRSbOhyGsi6pMTx8aGOyuDuuK9osVxx3k4NoK5byW2Sru5053BBCIgG3x610iWZKQzU5MyuLEZUaOiLjrYe-gtJ-ULOZsAcCiF77BS_JWzuYHSuBep-C3iJHuvgje_oIARwFT0VKtOFaKyM/w400-h336/denebola.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> The fractured skull (left) and periotic (right) of the small pilot whale-convergent beluga </i>Denebola<i> </i>brachycephala <i>from the upper Miocene Almejas Formation of Baja California, Mexico. From Barnes (1984: PaleoBios 42:1-46).<br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-davexnLo_YRRBhyO3UcuxBu57gma-2iHpBh3ao-qzC5vy0SoV3q_usiS26yhsvokuUtXP0kTXTNJ8NhuuwpRaXFyD68Ob1fpFZat8Lhtj-neqt3cYcmm7xKwv16HmbM_EOa9gCnJx0DAuE-8opUh0WiL9MU7NIp8Vjue_zurGyow4LqbHQql4DWoDd0/s2624/Haborodelphis%20skull.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2128" data-original-width="2624" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-davexnLo_YRRBhyO3UcuxBu57gma-2iHpBh3ao-qzC5vy0SoV3q_usiS26yhsvokuUtXP0kTXTNJ8NhuuwpRaXFyD68Ob1fpFZat8Lhtj-neqt3cYcmm7xKwv16HmbM_EOa9gCnJx0DAuE-8opUh0WiL9MU7NIp8Vjue_zurGyow4LqbHQql4DWoDd0/w400-h325/Haborodelphis%20skull.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i>The small beluga </i>Haborodelphis japonicus<i> from the lower Pliocene Embetsu Formation of Hokkaido, Japan. From Ichishima et al. (2019: Papers in Palaeontology 5: 323-342).<br /> </i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKujXKLcnfCEWGMKpedIMKx3KpmWUyyKWlHL5HBpGW0_IpyUbuUEIluW8wLF0yBhXgwktkNvVANAbUwipNJHU8gsOja7wJhOt0mXIwVaR0CZ6CwA12u6Aqa24LNn3fAGY4sKj2672Zfrk6SHXU8hjA4-_pF3Q4wtZTacELdGSG2aAI7wDzDHPAUPzdHJE/s3038/Haborodelphis%20earbones.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3038" data-original-width="2600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKujXKLcnfCEWGMKpedIMKx3KpmWUyyKWlHL5HBpGW0_IpyUbuUEIluW8wLF0yBhXgwktkNvVANAbUwipNJHU8gsOja7wJhOt0mXIwVaR0CZ6CwA12u6Aqa24LNn3fAGY4sKj2672Zfrk6SHXU8hjA4-_pF3Q4wtZTacELdGSG2aAI7wDzDHPAUPzdHJE/w343-h400/Haborodelphis%20earbones.jpg" width="343" /></a></i></div><i><br /> The periotic and tympanic bulla of </i>Haborodelphis japonicus<i>. </i><i>From Ichishima et al. (2019: Papers in Palaeontology 5: 323-342).</i><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Out of these three named fossil species, only <i>Denebola </i>and <i>Haborodelphis </i>have periotics preserved that can be directly compared with my new specimen. One unnamed monodontid from a different locality in the Purisima Formation a few miles away has periotics that are a bit dorsoventrally thicker than my new one. The new one seems to have a proportionally larger anterior process than <i>Denebola</i>, and more closely resembles <i>Haborodelphis</i>. The tympanic bulla, on the other hand, is perhaps a bit more informative: the thickened part of the bulla, the involucrum, is absurdly thick anteriorly in <i>Denebola </i>and bears a long anterior tip; the new specimen looks quite a bit more like <i>Haborodelphis</i> and many other delphinoids. The bulla of the new specimen is only 3/4 the size of <i>Denebola</i>, yet the periotic is somehow larger. These are cursory observations, but I'm inclined to identify the specimen as cf. <i>Haborodelphis</i> for the time being. Finding fossils of marine mammals in California belonging to species originally discovered in Japan should not be surprising: <i>Desmostylus</i> and <i>Paleoparadoxia </i>(now <i>Neoparadoxia</i>), <i>Callorhinus </i>and <i>Eumetopias, Herpetocetus</i>, <i>Hydrodamalis</i>, and many others have been found in both places.<br /></p>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-32507682190793714462023-06-12T19:07:00.005-06:002023-06-12T19:07:53.420-06:00Fieldwork snapshots: juvenile Herpetocetus mandible and more in the Purisima Formation<p><i>It's been a very rough couple of weeks for Sarah and I, so I apologize for being MIA. I'll explain later. But, for the time being, we're back to regular posting. <br /></i></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6O5S8Lj_MDoWSPgckY_4l9RocIXaTlEqdbQoeCi08KyvUyNfyG3kiyh-11n918BKVsXBluk_79RB3yimJlVItOsMq_OMWFP5qbwRRu0s9mEMeKotwi5EX4WSnPuh9KSE4VgMIkReMaGmJ7bcsJ-emm7Xno83A5lObnTOgLly8fMOFJtDFqR98Ymeb/s1263/PXL_20230520_232224912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6O5S8Lj_MDoWSPgckY_4l9RocIXaTlEqdbQoeCi08KyvUyNfyG3kiyh-11n918BKVsXBluk_79RB3yimJlVItOsMq_OMWFP5qbwRRu0s9mEMeKotwi5EX4WSnPuh9KSE4VgMIkReMaGmJ7bcsJ-emm7Xno83A5lObnTOgLly8fMOFJtDFqR98Ymeb/w400-h300/PXL_20230520_232224912.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> Sarah below some rather imposing cliffs.<br /></i></p><p>After our marathon day out in Half Moon Bay I realized there were a couple of localities we didn't get to return to, and one specimen in particular that remained uncollected. For some reason I thought that I had first spotted it in fall 2019 and I thought "Oh, I'll come back and collect it in the summer when I have a permit" and then Covid lockdown happened - it did dash my plans for summer fieldwork and I didn't bother applying for a new permit at the time. Going back through my photos, I realized I had actually spotted this fossil in December 2016! I then recalled revisiting the locality several times and failing to re-locate the specimen: a tiny little baleen whale mandible that was perhaps only 4 cm in height, which I figured must have been from a juvenile <i>Herpetocetus </i>- my favorite little dwarf baleen whale. The mandible was eroding out on a bit of a flat bench, so it was at less danger of being washed away - but it was frequently covered with loose bits of rock and dust that fell off the cliff face. On our prior day out there with Jorge Vazquez, Marsha Lidzbarski and Wayne Thompson, I had re-located the specimen - but it was quite a bit further up the cliff face than I had remembered, and I immediately recalled searching the wrong area once I found it. At least a few inches of the specimen had been eroded away forever - a bit of a bummer, but not bad considering I first spotted it seven years prior! I knew from the direction that the mental foramina opened on the side of the mandible that the diagnostic posterior end remained inside the cliff. These foramina (holes) are located on the tooth-bearing part of a regular mammal mandible, but in baleen whales, this part is rib-shaped and of course toothless - and they have more mental foramina than a land mammal, and they have long, anteriorly opening sulci. So - you can immediately tell which direction a mandible is going if you see just a little bit of it. If it's going straight into a cliff, it's a lot more difficult, nigh impossible, to tell.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6tq8c8_PzZIfChNNSUdWXeU0ieBKAViIUDa_1bdnCM0i7fo7GxxNlTpZ_porY5tFAlXZcVK_sMHKfXZhBDYV8cliOIN8J3ZoM3E6fTaJik5DUy-apsD6puPVlSSva-Y6KPtjhwHNUG0qNCXDYVoJNJEP6fzbxuz3x3o8Ps7kT4o7bjq2c63rZLLJ/s947/IMG_2637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6tq8c8_PzZIfChNNSUdWXeU0ieBKAViIUDa_1bdnCM0i7fo7GxxNlTpZ_porY5tFAlXZcVK_sMHKfXZhBDYV8cliOIN8J3ZoM3E6fTaJik5DUy-apsD6puPVlSSva-Y6KPtjhwHNUG0qNCXDYVoJNJEP6fzbxuz3x3o8Ps7kT4o7bjq2c63rZLLJ/w300-h400/IMG_2637.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i> The juvenile </i>Herpetocetus <i>mandible as I first saw it in December 2016, partly washed </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>off by winter storms.</i><br /></div><div><p></p><p>Sarah and I hiked down the beach and passed a mollusk-bearing bed at the base of the cliff. Sarah froze her ass off the last time we had been out, and I promised her we'd keep today's field trip to about three hours. So, I suggested that she try and collect some mollusks while I dug out the <i>Herpetocetus </i>mandible. I climbed up the ledge and started carving away: the rock was very soft, which made me worry about the integrity of the bone. Earlier collections from this stratum resulted in rather crumbly bone. When I started, I also noticed that the mandible was just beginning to flare out into a ridge - I was pretty sure the coronoid process* of the mandible was present, and complete at that. After a little more digging, I identified the mandibular condyle* and knew that the entire posterior end was fortunately intact. </p><p>*The coronoid process is what the temporalis muscle inserts into on the mandible. The condyle is the jaw joint.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJTetj-dwaEdo-532MBoN4pkyD_1UarAyUYqwp69ss8AYDfLZdZZXD94cgi-Fk1XCueDfY-oD67e3l0dRgQ69GESOQ5lhF6jzwvyDschNWQhWj3K9JsUlobLyEdb1i6qqAe78B21yO0rBFIlEGjqvveSbcoFAE1Qvx4ZmjwshxoPhtcqzO3V-G7zs/s947/PXL_20230520_225034118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJTetj-dwaEdo-532MBoN4pkyD_1UarAyUYqwp69ss8AYDfLZdZZXD94cgi-Fk1XCueDfY-oD67e3l0dRgQ69GESOQ5lhF6jzwvyDschNWQhWj3K9JsUlobLyEdb1i6qqAe78B21yO0rBFIlEGjqvveSbcoFAE1Qvx4ZmjwshxoPhtcqzO3V-G7zs/w300-h400/PXL_20230520_225034118.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /> The mandible in May 2023, nearly seven years later - at least a few inches had eroded away.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZ4oaD-5dFTFugG74FiY_bDhFKgOfHpn_RGWyGQhzvwMnQZaPGO1bTOVip0A37gcYuZll60rKvfDmxrsPMA8IaLGULonOIlXhtxC1v9MAsW6MHyLzs50Lro1dMUTNWzKOGZfkarRWrQCLNHLpWAEO2ka6Z8-MoHGdDlGsf7THPg6dmUj3M0hYwxk_/s980/PXL_20230520_230320285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="829" data-original-width="980" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZ4oaD-5dFTFugG74FiY_bDhFKgOfHpn_RGWyGQhzvwMnQZaPGO1bTOVip0A37gcYuZll60rKvfDmxrsPMA8IaLGULonOIlXhtxC1v9MAsW6MHyLzs50Lro1dMUTNWzKOGZfkarRWrQCLNHLpWAEO2ka6Z8-MoHGdDlGsf7THPg6dmUj3M0hYwxk_/w400-h339/PXL_20230520_230320285.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Sarah with her well-preserved scallop, possibly </i>Patinopecten healyi<i>.</i><br /></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-VZl5CAf0K2gjfSe6-VONsg4Zkmjah9Ir4ldMThJnsdccdtCSaTg726sp96f3-uy-plOOqYfjfPkb9Hf6PvxQkCO0hHMoHdNYNLV5lDbIeSZxCzyIQLvr7N1gN_KGF9eFHhy2h6m9IAq4qlrdnizECWyi1cq43z_3ypeQb7p1fc_mMXdXQDAms3kM/s1263/PXL_20230521_000601530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-VZl5CAf0K2gjfSe6-VONsg4Zkmjah9Ir4ldMThJnsdccdtCSaTg726sp96f3-uy-plOOqYfjfPkb9Hf6PvxQkCO0hHMoHdNYNLV5lDbIeSZxCzyIQLvr7N1gN_KGF9eFHhy2h6m9IAq4qlrdnizECWyi1cq43z_3ypeQb7p1fc_mMXdXQDAms3kM/w400-h300/PXL_20230521_000601530.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>I waved to Sarah, about a hundred yards away, motioning that I was almost done. She returned to the ledge and pulled out a very well-preserved scallop shell that she had expertly collected: I had seen that individual scallop sticking out of the cliff, but left it, since I assumed I would break it. She had collected it in once piece, and even the little ears (auricles) were preserved near the umbo. I was impressed and congratulated her on the find! Such scallops are often crucial index fossils for Neogene fossil localities - though in this case, as covered in the prior post, this section of the Purisima Formation is soon to become the most tightly geochronologically constrained marine section for the Pliocene anywhere on the west coast, to a far greater degree than invertebrates can help.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWA_6EooawoGzrdnF91mAQWrdjdo8EJbUNRE_hbjXDPKQmzz_VoOcAygO4tG5S6Qoy7ONFalw46jdqhwTWfYuRJ-HT0jADNu7LJIDEOaI-h6R-iK1H0YjmfI6HNWSGrmALZmxyl-60s25oqN5lLJukrbOxE0T42yyKpnMQBSqoVL6SMX5hJkj2aqSf/s1263/PXL_20230520_230430338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWA_6EooawoGzrdnF91mAQWrdjdo8EJbUNRE_hbjXDPKQmzz_VoOcAygO4tG5S6Qoy7ONFalw46jdqhwTWfYuRJ-HT0jADNu7LJIDEOaI-h6R-iK1H0YjmfI6HNWSGrmALZmxyl-60s25oqN5lLJukrbOxE0T42yyKpnMQBSqoVL6SMX5hJkj2aqSf/w400-h300/PXL_20230520_230430338.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Excavating the tiny whale jaw from the ledge. Despite the way this photo looks, I'm actually about 20 feet (~7 meters) above the beach here.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGj3dxuuuN0JzF5wf2xUOFPgZLgvT3-u_E9FMxcAdpz-Ftq8SZHk0B6rqFeWeK7ydkV69FV-WzsdyrKwPsjNenTfh7EUPwwvY-3i13lwKgR37VtPsX44HftAmihD2q0DV6Yon7frcTGR1VqTCA9yHznfTNLNKyJ8ivm_op0sfXvSrfJEtnblAQPvVE/s1263/PXL_20230520_225837930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGj3dxuuuN0JzF5wf2xUOFPgZLgvT3-u_E9FMxcAdpz-Ftq8SZHk0B6rqFeWeK7ydkV69FV-WzsdyrKwPsjNenTfh7EUPwwvY-3i13lwKgR37VtPsX44HftAmihD2q0DV6Yon7frcTGR1VqTCA9yHznfTNLNKyJ8ivm_op0sfXvSrfJEtnblAQPvVE/w400-h300/PXL_20230520_225837930.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br />Some mollusks from just above the mandible - mostly </i>Anadara trilineata<i>, the common late Miocene-Pliocene ark clam from the west coast. </i><br /><p></p><p>After a few more minutes of carving a trench into the soft sandstone and outlining a brick-shaped (and sized) block containing the mandible, I stuck my wood chisel horizontally and began to undercut the block with a few gentle taps. The block popped loose rather easily - and then in half, unfortunately. However, it was a very clean fracture, so I wrapped up each block separately with a few sheets of paper towel.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnRC8s1jWUWiaMlZE_WvjYA4j_w8DwSmZ96oNtG1NPYO35pLag9r__EE0YVVHnhA3IcnE2CIuMZhz6WwJk8W-FgDUYoynLke8QBudX8091AkBI-8Eq7LID5KUF4wxmmgxfIIZnOtXQu4g_1abzNg0LSbb7AGToU1ZV7sgQF1cs1iAaPsWMZAXUQvN/s947/PXL_20230521_000531604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnRC8s1jWUWiaMlZE_WvjYA4j_w8DwSmZ96oNtG1NPYO35pLag9r__EE0YVVHnhA3IcnE2CIuMZhz6WwJk8W-FgDUYoynLke8QBudX8091AkBI-8Eq7LID5KUF4wxmmgxfIIZnOtXQu4g_1abzNg0LSbb7AGToU1ZV7sgQF1cs1iAaPsWMZAXUQvN/w300-h400/PXL_20230521_000531604.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Teichichnus pescaderoensis</i> burrows in the Purisima Formation. <br /></div></div><div> </div><div>After everything was bagged up, we headed down to the last locality. In this section, the Purisima Formation is dominated by the trace fossil <i>Teichichnus pescaderoensis</i>, a rather large trace fossil indicating relatively deep deposition on the outer shelf or slope, but as shallow as middle shelf. The trace itself looks like other <i>Teichichnus</i> but is enormous - up to 1.2 meters wide according to the original paper, but I've seen individual traces up to 1.5 meters. The original authors considered the trace too large for an annelid worm, and suggested that some kind of infaunal deposit feeding crustacean would dig down, form a horizontal tunnel or gallery, and then excavate sediment from the roof and the gallery would migrate upwards.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdro3BfkqAfLdVBXcv_t5Y4tF8_9jToDZd01x4-hZ7FS4R4lOBJjjgzenrjpDW1xvPUbNkRJ5GjefPoi4yPm5YsuzCgyBO6qg75rpye_kllGtiAO3XyEu4YlxPRFq3MlflfH5z1iFJG3uHKwIsCrxLvSHP-jomnuJYLFg-FRcAst2Cz9P2qUzukLmE/s947/PXL_20230520_235715664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="947" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdro3BfkqAfLdVBXcv_t5Y4tF8_9jToDZd01x4-hZ7FS4R4lOBJjjgzenrjpDW1xvPUbNkRJ5GjefPoi4yPm5YsuzCgyBO6qg75rpye_kllGtiAO3XyEu4YlxPRFq3MlflfH5z1iFJG3uHKwIsCrxLvSHP-jomnuJYLFg-FRcAst2Cz9P2qUzukLmE/w400-h300/PXL_20230520_235715664.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Some more </i>Teichichnus pescaderoensis <i>burrows in a fallen block of the Purisima - rotated to match stratigraphic up (the burrows themselves are good geopetals - they're always concave up).</i><br /></div><div> </div><div>There are no macroinvertebrates in this section, and vertebrates are rare, but there's at least one good bonebed with quite a bit of material in it. I've collected a smattering of decent specimens there over the years.<span> <br /></span></div><div><span> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjltCIRVIuVfFz3ofBc4y-s8CDvdfUKm3aGv8qC1IQN0EwR5oNQLZ77sGOdjTKdHWm0EiGmcxhdkDl8AxPNCdmTdGByNgrUWah2AYfeOkyupkeUUtXsjm3KsJdza60fXf2uhCVgGYpO6ZVN-vih_SH2Xpb0YVWuCr4eD6SG3qSTPR7TuxWwi63KKPr/s1263/PXL_20230520_235547926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjltCIRVIuVfFz3ofBc4y-s8CDvdfUKm3aGv8qC1IQN0EwR5oNQLZ77sGOdjTKdHWm0EiGmcxhdkDl8AxPNCdmTdGByNgrUWah2AYfeOkyupkeUUtXsjm3KsJdza60fXf2uhCVgGYpO6ZVN-vih_SH2Xpb0YVWuCr4eD6SG3qSTPR7TuxWwi63KKPr/w400-h300/PXL_20230520_235547926.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Here's a pretty messed up lumbar vertebra of a medium sized cetacean, likely a small baleen whale, that's all fractured and faulted. Specimens in this part of the unit are frequently fairly faulted apart.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrp8SNjr_gOaKtcVb6-eAwqq9ATeD00i3oZ4T4WE4XP7eMKdKwgE_blk59SGPO2dMvxoXieBa4m-x-QnYtCN26yz1BLtjlfC33lZYXELeDh4PRsGXJ_4gCu5UqKp8P9EcBmgLkSYMXkePE6Vn_Ynv-mKQKtKumaYkHbEzpSoPyUfOi7Bczgvp3Ygn/s1263/PXL_20230520_234640940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrp8SNjr_gOaKtcVb6-eAwqq9ATeD00i3oZ4T4WE4XP7eMKdKwgE_blk59SGPO2dMvxoXieBa4m-x-QnYtCN26yz1BLtjlfC33lZYXELeDh4PRsGXJ_4gCu5UqKp8P9EcBmgLkSYMXkePE6Vn_Ynv-mKQKtKumaYkHbEzpSoPyUfOi7Bczgvp3Ygn/w400-h300/PXL_20230520_234640940.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /></i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I actually found this one while I was taking a leak - I get bored, and always look around. The habit has paid off in the past and I've made some decent finds - but this one is quite nice. It's an upper lateral tooth of a cowshark, probably </i>Hexanchus griseus.<br /></div><div><p><br /></p></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-46041336808315982362023-05-21T15:23:00.001-06:002023-05-23T18:01:54.840-06:00Fieldwork snapshots: fur seals, belugas, and ash deposits in the Purisima Formation, May 2023<p><i>Earlier this week Sarah and I flew home to the SF Bay Area to visit family and find some fossils. We've done several days of chilly fieldwork along the beautiful but cold and foggy California coast and are now enjoying a weekend day indoors with my folks (though we'll be visiting one last locality for an hour or so this afternoon). We're lightly sunburned, sore, and surprisingly bruised after lots of up-and-down hiking over rock exposures and boulder falls. Fortunately, neither of us has come into contact with poison oak, been slammed by a wave, or sustained any moderate injuries (though I was about a second away from losing my big toenail, and Sarah did slip at one point - see below).</i></p><p>I won't reveal the exact location as it is not in Santa Cruz, but it is protected and I have received a permit to collect here, with specimens destined for UCMP collections - and a permit is required. It's admittedly a reasonably remote site, perhaps my favorite locality, and one I've been visiting now for nearly 20 years - and I'm on my third permit for the locality. I had a bit of luck here in December, and I hoped to have similar luck this week.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKjhd2TCWvRDmER1WmbgT1DCIId-OGPF5CV6xNlwEfKPLmcgDyIT3wFe9I4fXoHjdVbjZikzHoHgx6G2eHgt6qiU2T91V-I1ocD1ZQiqi2SePW7NF-__yMH44KtDQZ4NEtXrZeJlzCdVl2yqtVckqxwh9M3KbYDIr1h4B8qzqtWhP3a0c23zrGZyK/s1034/PXL_20230517_192452020.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="1034" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKjhd2TCWvRDmER1WmbgT1DCIId-OGPF5CV6xNlwEfKPLmcgDyIT3wFe9I4fXoHjdVbjZikzHoHgx6G2eHgt6qiU2T91V-I1ocD1ZQiqi2SePW7NF-__yMH44KtDQZ4NEtXrZeJlzCdVl2yqtVckqxwh9M3KbYDIr1h4B8qzqtWhP3a0c23zrGZyK/w400-h325/PXL_20230517_192452020.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> Jorge Vazquez explaining their findings and dating of the Putah Tuff-correlative ash bed forming this ledge in the Purisima Formation.</i> <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">We met USGS/Stanford geologists Jorge Vazquez and Marsha Lidzbarski out along the coast along with our buddy Wayne Thompson (retired teacher and CEO of Pacific Paleontology, LLC) for a long day of fieldwork. Jorge and Marsha have been working on dating ash beds in the Purisima. I was familiar with Andre Sarna-Wojcicki's efforts to chemically fingerprint ash deposits, linking them to the volcanic deposits, lava flows, and tuff beds near the volcanic vent where the rocks were dated better - this is a form of geochemical correlation of ashes without directly dating the ash beds themselves. Only two ash beds out at this section had previously been dated - one correlated with the ~2.5 Ma Ishi Tuff in the southernmost cascades and another correlated with the 3.35 Putah Tuff from the Sonoma Volcanics. Rather than just being chemically fingerprinted, Jorge, Marsha, and others were directly dating the ash layers within the Purisima section.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJbXT6xHdvYoBRDdzwZbgc-MqkqvaRHnKD3SGr8lGGcf_1qrZJTw2Q-w1loCsYB404Mdg7qXa3wz0Qt05cN_vIA6xDjkjmfSYo7qvQHLXHG4_8lIxEI5b7Jn3V8iPWHaLP6dcDT_phkOy6xY_1sj82dRNvCOyyM3vUJMs0skfPAtA2uUgtAVxZt74/s1190/PXL_20230518_014220219.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJbXT6xHdvYoBRDdzwZbgc-MqkqvaRHnKD3SGr8lGGcf_1qrZJTw2Q-w1loCsYB404Mdg7qXa3wz0Qt05cN_vIA6xDjkjmfSYo7qvQHLXHG4_8lIxEI5b7Jn3V8iPWHaLP6dcDT_phkOy6xY_1sj82dRNvCOyyM3vUJMs0skfPAtA2uUgtAVxZt74/w400-h300/PXL_20230518_014220219.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Incredible high-contrast fossil burrows infilled with volcanic ash from a thick ash bed correlated with the Ishi Tuff.</i><br /></p><p>About two years ago I was invited to review a paper reporting ash dates directly from this section of the Purisima Formation I had labored for years over - these geologists were unaware of the paleontological significance of the section (e.g. documenting the chronology and faunal changes over the past three million years) and I was completely unaware that anyone else cared about this locality! I had a robust list of suggested changes, which ironically led Jorge, Marsha, and others to seek out more and more ash beds to sample. We've been intermittently chatting over the past few months and decided to meet up - go out to the cliffs, and compare notes. I was absolutely floored by how many additional ash beds there were out there, and many of them have since been sampled! I'm not used to geological study on the Pacific coast being so vigorous and rapid... usually west coast geologists seem to work on 'geologic time'. Some of my vertebrate localities now have incredible dates constraining their ages to intervals as brief as 200,000 years!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdTf0jv3GHZZmmMj0dFUJldGMK3umwb3w_xPizutap-W_cDW1OUkeTYzz2bYqGKzCZpJujtxoGiz_wazXaE3KgDpogwYm4P1Ka_5v2oOfs-5CL9Z4CnzpuHg6Iuo65Pc1YY9KpCbHc0lsK-wfcOphxT9kZwml5Li_zZv2itqP7uc95sIXaC9_OK_0/s1190/PXL_20230517_175358976.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdTf0jv3GHZZmmMj0dFUJldGMK3umwb3w_xPizutap-W_cDW1OUkeTYzz2bYqGKzCZpJujtxoGiz_wazXaE3KgDpogwYm4P1Ka_5v2oOfs-5CL9Z4CnzpuHg6Iuo65Pc1YY9KpCbHc0lsK-wfcOphxT9kZwml5Li_zZv2itqP7uc95sIXaC9_OK_0/w400-h300/PXL_20230517_175358976.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A small pinniped finger bone, likely a metapodial or phalanx.</i><br /></p><p>We had two main goals: 1) check out as many different vertebrate-bearing horizons as possible and recover whatever we could and 2) walk though as much of the section as possible and exchange notes. Wayne's job as a permit co-signer was to become familiarized with the best localities so that he could sample them intermittently while I'm on the east coast. I expect to extend this permit a year into mid-late 2024, and can only afford to make it out here a couple times per year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzKk3weSoFjPtOG742hW5xRQlpmnRk8uBT3LVGrlEmD7jnej8KEa_r0FzOAsyhSb4BrKoVL7fuu8qZl7wnAVCwIiWUnxpO-My0tmDJlbSf4mCpIk4HBA8HuFNI4UV1hX9mb2DZyCFiw2PKoPfzKQ4SMqk9RlaOSOnE0GxQz8n_SVSgdeXvL6ognRj/s893/PXL_20230517_180504406.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="672" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzKk3weSoFjPtOG742hW5xRQlpmnRk8uBT3LVGrlEmD7jnej8KEa_r0FzOAsyhSb4BrKoVL7fuu8qZl7wnAVCwIiWUnxpO-My0tmDJlbSf4mCpIk4HBA8HuFNI4UV1hX9mb2DZyCFiw2PKoPfzKQ4SMqk9RlaOSOnE0GxQz8n_SVSgdeXvL6ognRj/w301-h400/PXL_20230517_180504406.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Every time I visit the </i>Balaenoptera bertae <i>type locality I have to stop by and pose with it. It's my first named species! And I found it, excavated, prepared and studied it. It doesn't get much better than that.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p>We started off in the uppermost part of the section, and showed everyone the type locality of <i>Balaenoptera bertae </i>- owing to extreme winter erosion from January through March, caused by back to back atmospheric river storms, the sand level was quite a bit lower than typical and the hole, once about a meter above the beach when I discovered and collected the skull in August 2005, was now about five meters above the beach! We walked a ways along the beach, hopeful to survey a large section of cliffs that are typically easily accessible at high tide - but got turned back as the waves were crashing down upon the only real 'choke point' here, a spur of rock that stuck out about 200' from the main line of the cliffs into the Pacific. On our side of the spur, I relocated two baleen whale mandibles I hadn't seen in years. The first was a humpback whale sized mandible I first spotted in 2005, which had the mandibular condyle protruding from the cliff. This mandible was sticking straight into the cliff and would have required a hole approximately three meters deep to excavate - far too much effort for a single mandible. Then, when I returned for more fieldwork in 2010 on my second permit, I couldn't relocate the mandible. I spotted it for the first time in 18 years because the cliffs had been cleaned off - the mandible had fractured flush with the cliff face, and the cliffs here are frequently quite covered with dust.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislL0Lt1XACB4Eco_AdJzbGVV-iiB3wlVFeRkASJiLMgYmEdEW6fuVCz62uiEqI5K5nWOSlGH98PHMte1p-WVvvYj7B9ESGBmBi3rPeIChqUNzSW4wayPYq0vKAoZSml9El-60olO6-0IsGKOZeQya6h_Wtk38DfLtlHtNdbpFVGrlkqip3RuPUu8E/s1190/PXL_20230517_183906937.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislL0Lt1XACB4Eco_AdJzbGVV-iiB3wlVFeRkASJiLMgYmEdEW6fuVCz62uiEqI5K5nWOSlGH98PHMte1p-WVvvYj7B9ESGBmBi3rPeIChqUNzSW4wayPYq0vKAoZSml9El-60olO6-0IsGKOZeQya6h_Wtk38DfLtlHtNdbpFVGrlkqip3RuPUu8E/w400-h300/PXL_20230517_183906937.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Sarah and the re-discovered baleen whale mandible. There's about three more meters of bone sticking straight into the cliff.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">The second was a much smaller mandible which I spotted in December 2016, but as I didn't have a permit, I took some photos and intended to return with a permit sometime and collect it. It was the posterior half of a mandible of a small baleen whale, very likely to be my favorite dwarf baleen whale <i>Herpetocetus</i>. When I tried finding it in December 2022, I couldn't relocate it. I had a strong feeling that I would easily find it on this trip, so I ascended the bluff - and couldn't find it. Weird! Maybe it had eroded away. I walked further, looking for other fossils - and then spotted it, about 10 meters further up the bluff than I had remembered. Quite a bit of the mandible had eroded away, but fortunately the diagnostic posterior end, including the coronoid process, angular process, and mandibular condyle were intact - and their morphology confirmed my identification of the specimen as <i>Herpetocetus</i>. If I hadn't scored the rest of this specimen it would have almost certainly eroded away.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiZE0tWMKnJPYD7HP3RnWUcbhS9JnHlPKIlnu9ZsdpvliT0QQDAyce0E7Jk9yXAdW5hWDNwL4f6ixsewE5fmEqcD7jDQAlZXYjK66Hu44Elytgl3s_DrOHJNx-83ujDQz0i9nWGXktdvQyFvk71KZEcf4m3lj-xlmrGEqfIWGAOCmknnZWUaXhUIw/s1190/PXL_20230517_184103233.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiZE0tWMKnJPYD7HP3RnWUcbhS9JnHlPKIlnu9ZsdpvliT0QQDAyce0E7Jk9yXAdW5hWDNwL4f6ixsewE5fmEqcD7jDQAlZXYjK66Hu44Elytgl3s_DrOHJNx-83ujDQz0i9nWGXktdvQyFvk71KZEcf4m3lj-xlmrGEqfIWGAOCmknnZWUaXhUIw/w400-h300/PXL_20230517_184103233.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A mandible sketch in the sand I did to explain what we were looking at.</i><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeGe0FkQB8ZRkKtHnfv90T1918V_7-vIM20ykG6GwxLaBrKKChqt8F5sQIIgFMcY63pvv2cb6S230YHPedWUsFgv2lXze_e_-b8KrMSgRsHjrIFLPIp5dUziNVy9OaNFFFZPKfjlv_hCoqCqyLJEZKRUncPZXAKIt7rIZAt3WkvQP6syum0cowBvz/s1186/PXL_20230517_184118427.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1186" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeGe0FkQB8ZRkKtHnfv90T1918V_7-vIM20ykG6GwxLaBrKKChqt8F5sQIIgFMcY63pvv2cb6S230YHPedWUsFgv2lXze_e_-b8KrMSgRsHjrIFLPIp5dUziNVy9OaNFFFZPKfjlv_hCoqCqyLJEZKRUncPZXAKIt7rIZAt3WkvQP6syum0cowBvz/w400-h301/PXL_20230517_184118427.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>I routinely make sketches from memory in the sand - why not? It's the world's biggest white board! And it usually erases itself at the next high tide.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FtO9UQn27dNsqefgsgDaFv-DkNynV_mwTTUa2jM0zj3mD9xojWcXjsb-RCb1_wYFifD7E0iylziGRtXDLDO1Ks_QukcGKHYZGtJi4o4vK4EvlOUAnvRj51Fq4GNEX3_y8BQYdwy4dVz1PIcCl3Ufs293hjgxBYDSiEBq5cP8kfrykm-24l5O8uSL/s1061/PXL_20230517_185838362.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="1061" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FtO9UQn27dNsqefgsgDaFv-DkNynV_mwTTUa2jM0zj3mD9xojWcXjsb-RCb1_wYFifD7E0iylziGRtXDLDO1Ks_QukcGKHYZGtJi4o4vK4EvlOUAnvRj51Fq4GNEX3_y8BQYdwy4dVz1PIcCl3Ufs293hjgxBYDSiEBq5cP8kfrykm-24l5O8uSL/w400-h253/PXL_20230517_185838362.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> Wayne helping Sarah off the beach while I was being super helpful and taking pictures...</i><br /></p><p>We drove down to another spot and took a trail down one of the larger gullies - one other spot afforded a trail down nearly a mile closer to the best fossil-bearing spot, but unfortunately this more conveniently located trail is typically overgrown with poison oak. We chatted about the Putah tuff-correlative ash exposed in this gully, here nearly a meter thick - Jorge explained that while the Ishi tuff-correlative ash further up-section within the Purisima Formation is several meters thick, the actual ash layer near the volcanic vent itself is only around 10-15 cm thick. This means that the ash layer has been dramatically exaggerated through sedimentation - this ash was likely deposited inland and redeposited as a thick layer on the continental shelf by a river mouth on the periphery of the Purisima depositional basin, perhaps the ancient opening of the San Joaquin embayment (the extinct "Priest Valley Strait", which used to connect the marine San Joaquin embayment to the formerly marine Salinas River Valley) to the southeast. </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XLL8m-FQGTa3ha1wFWii2A2pudZW3M7t_Pk0JBL1L6-cVqkVDU3o3JzQAT7XvelrZtSGHpmzBdYoinaN2wBmGoNuqaxuKy8hmNIrhdQNzYZ2MvGv2dqz5LekcrNVj0dzYmGCN3zlnx9zIf9wQF4EvMZtXQvb-6TRbvjwjM_bYUyto_r7z2IBsSsn/s1190/PXL_20230517_223146914.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XLL8m-FQGTa3ha1wFWii2A2pudZW3M7t_Pk0JBL1L6-cVqkVDU3o3JzQAT7XvelrZtSGHpmzBdYoinaN2wBmGoNuqaxuKy8hmNIrhdQNzYZ2MvGv2dqz5LekcrNVj0dzYmGCN3zlnx9zIf9wQF4EvMZtXQvb-6TRbvjwjM_bYUyto_r7z2IBsSsn/w400-h300/PXL_20230517_223146914.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i> </i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A great exposure of the ash bed correlative with the 3.35 Ma Putah Tuff - white ash-filled burrows extend downwards into the brownish gray Purisima sandstone, and brownish-gray sediment infills burrows extending into the top of the ash. The ash bed iself is about 1-1.5 meters thick and cross-bedded - hummocky cross-beds, I believe - indicating rapid sedimentation, too rapid for the sediment to be bioturbated by burrowers.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuelEWPmHA8ZRFm0nIkH27RRRe0hBkRTwuEgd1ekP6DGF6HNjoqggHBKMNrkJbN8A3ybo0DxiIUaTkTvFqTUCzKTCFC0PtIWvot2_REbjRu4TdRTPPgbf9b_Vqbl0BaX4nk3pPlUdDjSEhg7TtqQd3mCN8WFIF0C_MIxIAlRhjkEF2SJGw-yDhrvF/s1190/PXL_20230517_193612479.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuelEWPmHA8ZRFm0nIkH27RRRe0hBkRTwuEgd1ekP6DGF6HNjoqggHBKMNrkJbN8A3ybo0DxiIUaTkTvFqTUCzKTCFC0PtIWvot2_REbjRu4TdRTPPgbf9b_Vqbl0BaX4nk3pPlUdDjSEhg7TtqQd3mCN8WFIF0C_MIxIAlRhjkEF2SJGw-yDhrvF/w400-h300/PXL_20230517_193612479.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> An impression of a large scallop, likely </i>Patinopecten healyi<i> - a Pliocene index fossil in California.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZ7MOlZ4R5lxFu-s3AJzrb16uNyQbLF0kFLgwMtivxidMErx2grvh9mo_0x_d32L_vQjaj1MZftYUZZV5vs8UEtov87RfrA6R6IFx0r3NykaHnEl5MKNuOk88L-FnF-pJ4--cPtkf3t0ehG67XpCaN2ODtfKDhI9bBfG_G5vFISV0RRewrz5a_Gan/s1190/PXL_20230517_195602240.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZ7MOlZ4R5lxFu-s3AJzrb16uNyQbLF0kFLgwMtivxidMErx2grvh9mo_0x_d32L_vQjaj1MZftYUZZV5vs8UEtov87RfrA6R6IFx0r3NykaHnEl5MKNuOk88L-FnF-pJ4--cPtkf3t0ehG67XpCaN2ODtfKDhI9bBfG_G5vFISV0RRewrz5a_Gan/w400-h300/PXL_20230517_195602240.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> A fractured boulder with a bed of slipper snails (</i>Crepidula princeps<i>)</i> - <i>these gastropods lived in large clusters and are hermaphroditic, often forming small patch reefs. Shell beds like this can be a few meters across. In this case, the shell has been dissolved away - common in this section. However, these shells are also frequently bored into owing to their non-burrowing ecology - the little rice grain sized blobs are the infill of boring sponges (Clionidae), the trace fossil </i>Entobia<i>.</i><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">On our way to the best collecting area we encountered our first rockfall - a brand new one that must have occurred in the past five months since I had not seen it on my December visit. Some of the boulders exposed shell bed layers that had in the past (like, in 2006) produced some rare teeth (e.g. a sawshark rostral tooth) and a tympanic bulla of a true porpoise (Phocoenidae). I saw some interesting crustacean parts and then immediately found two different tympanic bullae - one appeared to be from a phocoenid or perhaps a delphinid (oceanic dolphin), and the other one was very clearly from <i>Parapontoporia</i>, the "river dolphin" from the Purisima Formation that is most closely related to the recently extinct Chinese river dolphin (<i>Lipotes vexillifer</i>). I was quite pleased - in just a few minutes, I raised the number of dolphin bullae from three to five, nearly doubling it! These were somewhat more common than the more taxonomically informative periotic bones - only two of which had ever been found: one I found in 2010 or 2011, and another that Chris Pirrone had found with me. </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl40oplxEGttA3XIuXv-qQmhXmFcr2eYJse1iAZhooEXewzRHjOLbSBbDoRwuNG-qpKPGPwnQhuZjiC4PGxdu8wJOzT0qmI1i6ABfGDJRynPbMEnypbEQRsRhlyfbcrgg9o0RI0JtifmexthSbJUT4DkAiIptooRgZ07c5NBF_IzTCJVZfrQEwfV3C/s893/PXL_20230517_195735069.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="670" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl40oplxEGttA3XIuXv-qQmhXmFcr2eYJse1iAZhooEXewzRHjOLbSBbDoRwuNG-qpKPGPwnQhuZjiC4PGxdu8wJOzT0qmI1i6ABfGDJRynPbMEnypbEQRsRhlyfbcrgg9o0RI0JtifmexthSbJUT4DkAiIptooRgZ07c5NBF_IzTCJVZfrQEwfV3C/w300-h400/PXL_20230517_195735069.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><i><br /></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Walking down along the cliffs to the best collecting area.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGn8GbH4WDxDcVScz5PGyOsBYpPQ5ZsmxZlK_b6fPXcr2CiWVBBgMT0AyrqOEDLS7uPJ-gznMqtErFM5sAh0saaW8ZR9RbpGFvkcjaNDCTzquy1PjTufDJbEcNVLOVBCuEgkZoz4E4Jqo_WRSsRbykbsUg74hkRsKrkG81TYGSPL5d4bEJTOwyf61n/s893/PXL_20230517_200223268.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="670" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGn8GbH4WDxDcVScz5PGyOsBYpPQ5ZsmxZlK_b6fPXcr2CiWVBBgMT0AyrqOEDLS7uPJ-gznMqtErFM5sAh0saaW8ZR9RbpGFvkcjaNDCTzquy1PjTufDJbEcNVLOVBCuEgkZoz4E4Jqo_WRSsRbykbsUg74hkRsKrkG81TYGSPL5d4bEJTOwyf61n/w300-h400/PXL_20230517_200223268.jpg" width="300" /></a></i></div><i><br /> Formidable cliffs.</i><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">We visited the two most promising localities, and unfortunately neither produced much: I was hoping for a couple of shark teeth or marine mammal teeth, maybe a periotic bone. Nada; just a few bone fragments. The cliffs here didn't look too different than in December, and even more erosion would likely be needed. I had hoped that by bringing Sarah along she'd find some teeny tiny little skate or stingray teeth from one micro-tooth bearing shell bed, but she had been quite cold and tired and wasn't in her prime. I managed to do somewhat better than past visits and found three or four 1-2mm wide skate (<i>Raja</i>) and/or stingray (<i>Dasyatis</i>) teeth - so that was nice.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpi-YI2YUJRwcsSm8hKmdQoEg28YKZo60lZfaAmpZpMdj0hyl4gYcWKV4wJdRAnRGkhqw9aXtPqj8jtEE7bAIw8Sjvzh3uL88WXBIQj1by6gKG1eVOzDi_sy-ZfHXcn8lYpEGLkDiA6wngR-h83TDg3JVs2KRozhurvUc-vZUDdrZf529Ql2x8AaqN/s1190/PXL_20230517_210523806.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpi-YI2YUJRwcsSm8hKmdQoEg28YKZo60lZfaAmpZpMdj0hyl4gYcWKV4wJdRAnRGkhqw9aXtPqj8jtEE7bAIw8Sjvzh3uL88WXBIQj1by6gKG1eVOzDi_sy-ZfHXcn8lYpEGLkDiA6wngR-h83TDg3JVs2KRozhurvUc-vZUDdrZf529Ql2x8AaqN/w400-h300/PXL_20230517_210523806.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i><i> Sarah smiling despite being quite chilly on the walk down.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BIWbr5Rqa6V4fJdEIYJ6MUuNl4VB3Z7wPHj0I5XaxJkHVaM9ui7XMVf2kCJEFB7NgVjElzafkX64VIYnNTZiC2RzXJZiTwmE1Lly6zpJYXLD5-dNTsQPDKd_seIeNFQotlUuNAv7zuefY7h56ko3uLtOS02cNPXI1Gw1WDfNzKZGV1U_TNS-IsEI/s893/PXL_20230517_213344110.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="672" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BIWbr5Rqa6V4fJdEIYJ6MUuNl4VB3Z7wPHj0I5XaxJkHVaM9ui7XMVf2kCJEFB7NgVjElzafkX64VIYnNTZiC2RzXJZiTwmE1Lly6zpJYXLD5-dNTsQPDKd_seIeNFQotlUuNAv7zuefY7h56ko3uLtOS02cNPXI1Gw1WDfNzKZGV1U_TNS-IsEI/w301-h400/PXL_20230517_213344110.jpg" width="301" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Yours truly with a tiny little fur seal mandible! I'll post more photos once it's prepared. Easily the find of the day. </i><br /></p><p>Luck finally changed when we made it down to the last stop, which was a sea cave that has grown considerably since I first found bones in it in 2005. In December I had collected an unusual looking bone and upon pulling it out, realized it was the rostrum of a dolphin, probably <i>Parapontoporia </i>- I did not have the time or equipment to collect the rest of the skull, so I hoped it would survive the winter storms that were brewing on the horizon. As I entered the cave and saw how low the sand was and how high the ceiling was, my heart sank a bit. No trace of the dolphin could be located after about 20 minutes of desperate searching. Few newly exposed bits of bone looked enticing. I finally spotted a tiny bone about 8 feet above the sand that looked intriguing. After a few failed attempts of scaling the wall of the cave I almost gave up, but on the last try I used some footholds I had carved in years ago and scaled the wall and traversed over to it - I stuck my chisel in and gave it a couple of taps and saw that it was coming loose. I put my hammer back on my belt, and while precariously balanced, I used one hand to cradle the specimen and the other hand to delicately push and leverage the chisel into the rock and the little bone tilted over gently into my hand. I briefly caught glinting of enamel; before I thought I might lose my balance, I pocketed my chisel and looked more closely - I saw two teeth. "Holy shit I found something great" I exclaimed as I hopped down to the sand. I held it up and realized I was staring at a tiny little fragment of mandible with two teeth in place - teeth clearly identifiable as pinniped - and probably a fur seal. My luck had finally turned around! "I could leave right now and be happy with today!" Sarah, who was happy for me but quite chilled, snidely remarked "let's leave now then." I showed the find to the rest of the group and explained how rare pinniped fossils are, and that I had been desperately looking for such a fossil from this site for nearly 20 years. This specimen now marks the fourth pinniped mandible from the Purisima I've collected in the past 16 months! We walked a bit further to take a look at some ash beds, and then headed back up towards the trail.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxgjNaFpjXpSYMSbssXZfYbwsd6SThf5yM0xjkvv3vBMuA-wsl1m14147rOUC9SFNl71Aku9WWIRvwKVzmoXJ4Y_TA6AAeiF7F9ubhd6NgTB63DF8NsyJ5KCelWvltyDvGptaIiQHOgsrsiXev7_lUqvrft_joEQI2kont0kr-gIbAbaG9n2XOI2t/s1190/PXL_20230517_223924134.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxgjNaFpjXpSYMSbssXZfYbwsd6SThf5yM0xjkvv3vBMuA-wsl1m14147rOUC9SFNl71Aku9WWIRvwKVzmoXJ4Y_TA6AAeiF7F9ubhd6NgTB63DF8NsyJ5KCelWvltyDvGptaIiQHOgsrsiXev7_lUqvrft_joEQI2kont0kr-gIbAbaG9n2XOI2t/w400-h300/PXL_20230517_223924134.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>When we got back to the gully we were going to walk back up, we saw a sea lion on the beach - I thought at first that it was a very fresh carcass. Then, I saw it breathe and its nostrils flared. It seemed to be a 2-3 year old male, and not aware of us - assuming it was a carcass, we got within 15 feet - until we realized it was unconscious. It was not starving (no ribs/scapulae/knees protruding) and had no obvious lesions or bite marks on it - I assumed that it was sick. Wayne Thompson observed that it was shallowly breathing - indeed, breathing quite slowly, and called the Marine Mammal Center. Normally, when you approach a sea lion, they open their eyes and will shift their weight while they're judging whether or not you're a threat - and even if they're not aware of you, they often snort and scratch themselves while asleep. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrMB_N5P5D3gmno55STYXZIFdf1Eeg7cY_3b120MPjry5qPkUNRR6iSs7mgqU0xFt87jgDrpJ-u0bxM61GE3CGs62RYrO2f_oanOVkc_EY6u3uGsaBDLTlkH8zXjV6xzhI_kOl8RpduEd_6d81wdBsZt1bxHbccAtTmEYtbjunhZf1HsZUNpCHk5I/s1190/PXL_20230517_224527217.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrMB_N5P5D3gmno55STYXZIFdf1Eeg7cY_3b120MPjry5qPkUNRR6iSs7mgqU0xFt87jgDrpJ-u0bxM61GE3CGs62RYrO2f_oanOVkc_EY6u3uGsaBDLTlkH8zXjV6xzhI_kOl8RpduEd_6d81wdBsZt1bxHbccAtTmEYtbjunhZf1HsZUNpCHk5I/w400-h300/PXL_20230517_224527217.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The tympanic bulla of a monodontid as first located after Sarah slipped.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWG_jJ-bqFEnSpsy_w4cGVIawHAxK4lMGcx__V45BQbMGTr6Hq1CK-D6qoC7qJlw4TnQBICvTrvNnzAJdJj_9hp6fiSSLNqJZu1xT7GKdLBW2HLt49qA6bk8rge6acDNNaAjydSUBgog4vP4wZAgDskIozrNQFa3r94wvz-EZ-bl6C9CuZTB5UFXoq/s1190/PXL_20230517_224938396.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWG_jJ-bqFEnSpsy_w4cGVIawHAxK4lMGcx__V45BQbMGTr6Hq1CK-D6qoC7qJlw4TnQBICvTrvNnzAJdJj_9hp6fiSSLNqJZu1xT7GKdLBW2HLt49qA6bk8rge6acDNNaAjydSUBgog4vP4wZAgDskIozrNQFa3r94wvz-EZ-bl6C9CuZTB5UFXoq/w400-h300/PXL_20230517_224938396.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The periotic of the monodontid, found about a meter away. The white weathered bit - the posterior process - was all that was exposed.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDYD5khNZIG5DM3SK0p6Hj4H7m4mRPqJMxRLOqZ9Iv2OBtDn7qxFayxc3vzTIgZfEjgxLW7ikxYMRx0t1eVMZSnYEumwllMzmB3X7xCb8rozvqsAZfaOlMFHXh4DkfRl3AUHL-PbGXHYvbyvl1WUFDYXthy90Ftnej96_4cxWAPAft194jYzD0zJT/s893/PXL_20230517_224954082.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="672" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDYD5khNZIG5DM3SK0p6Hj4H7m4mRPqJMxRLOqZ9Iv2OBtDn7qxFayxc3vzTIgZfEjgxLW7ikxYMRx0t1eVMZSnYEumwllMzmB3X7xCb8rozvqsAZfaOlMFHXh4DkfRl3AUHL-PbGXHYvbyvl1WUFDYXthy90Ftnej96_4cxWAPAft194jYzD0zJT/w301-h400/PXL_20230517_224954082.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A bit of chiseling...</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTa5ETaN946Nc0qTtpW4r3WVxHfUQIfJsL2AdNgr0z0LQJVqGzN1FY8P5_c6XrwpV4YqiFnidpKR1eQRuqBEaXojW3Lw3guFvT3Zk6MrS4mAztsl4qhLFrp_oAMT1_sGONMzXyWbE0Tiuop9FsN9scGTK9ujry12ThFGK15zc2hDxheHpRgw38iyFZ/s893/PXL_20230517_225041622.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="672" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTa5ETaN946Nc0qTtpW4r3WVxHfUQIfJsL2AdNgr0z0LQJVqGzN1FY8P5_c6XrwpV4YqiFnidpKR1eQRuqBEaXojW3Lw3guFvT3Zk6MrS4mAztsl4qhLFrp_oAMT1_sGONMzXyWbE0Tiuop9FsN9scGTK9ujry12ThFGK15zc2hDxheHpRgw38iyFZ/w301-h400/PXL_20230517_225041622.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><i><br /> ...and voila! Happy whaleontologist with a new record for the locality.</i><br /><p></p><p>We started heading back up the gully, and I tried to help Sarah up a small ledge out of some rancid water (water backed up behind a sandbar in the gully that was filled with decomposing <i>Velella velella</i>, by-the-wind-sailors). While I was pulling her up, one of her feet slipped and she banged up her knee pretty good - she cussed for a couple minutes but was otherwise OK. While she was rubbing her knee and resting for a moment, I noticed what I first thought was the mold of a mollusk shell - and then realized it was actually a pretty chunky tympanic bulla from an odontocete! My third one for the day. As I chiseled it out I noted that it's a bit larger than the most common tympanic bullae from the Purisima, meaning that it's not <i>Parapontoporia</i> or from a phocoenid porpoise - or a small delphinid. I thought at first it might be from a globicephaline, like a pilot whale, which I already documented from this locality a decade ago. While I was chatting with the others and wrapped the specimen up, I saw a little 1 cm wide bit of bone sticking out - it had some distinctive little spurs and longitudinal grooves that I immediately recognized as part of the posterior process of another earbone, about a meter away. At first I thought this was likely the other tympanic bulla. As I looked closer, I remarked "No %%%-ing way" and began to carefully chisel: it was a periotic! The periotic is the more informative of the two earbones. After a minute I confirmed that this was a large odontocete, possibly a pilot whale or maybe from a beluga (Monodontidae). As the periotic popped out without fracturing, I saw the dorsal side - confirming it to be from a monodontid! With this associated pair of earbones, I had doubled the sample of odontocete bullae, and increased the sample of odontocete periotics from this locality from two to three. Further, this is the first confirmed monodontid from this locality in the Purisima Formation. Needless to say, I was elated! So, I thanked my dear wife for falling and getting a bruised up knee for a couple days: I think I'll have to list her as a co-finder for her role in the find.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sd3jPCrJ802T30Am-Laxyi2MXrdNEy9nKS3-Cj8et5ThwiGfORccrobGKUvMEOMa0vMfllFrFZuSAhvHYOfP2yFAPi6xysgLDKRirU7PbHhmulXyvl4lWyy9PoGtG_NIJde7-t48N9ixvKpdEFMSB_XWw5yIJwMNhJd9NBdris4lVakkHun42RtK/s1190/PXL_20230517_234301433.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sd3jPCrJ802T30Am-Laxyi2MXrdNEy9nKS3-Cj8et5ThwiGfORccrobGKUvMEOMa0vMfllFrFZuSAhvHYOfP2yFAPi6xysgLDKRirU7PbHhmulXyvl4lWyy9PoGtG_NIJde7-t48N9ixvKpdEFMSB_XWw5yIJwMNhJd9NBdris4lVakkHun42RtK/w400-h300/PXL_20230517_234301433.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE63AXpAFHl_T9t1dFFh7_TB6nWa7ZX4aw2pdmQQLCgUrI4Qb1ZfRF39Pw9pgiuT6G-FksK15BE4MPGwtWvGtpLKPatihcustsxPU_Q_N3FjffMKm-vn-Wx3tduNRbPe5iCHa9tBYOysD-LxOZGVRpWB65n-D0VXjLrS6rodukhXDgQUPtRYTiOl3s/s1190/PXL_20230517_235110795.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE63AXpAFHl_T9t1dFFh7_TB6nWa7ZX4aw2pdmQQLCgUrI4Qb1ZfRF39Pw9pgiuT6G-FksK15BE4MPGwtWvGtpLKPatihcustsxPU_Q_N3FjffMKm-vn-Wx3tduNRbPe5iCHa9tBYOysD-LxOZGVRpWB65n-D0VXjLrS6rodukhXDgQUPtRYTiOl3s/w400-h300/PXL_20230517_235110795.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> As everywhere else along the Pacific coast, there was no shortage of by-the-wind-sailors (</i>Velella<i> </i>velella<i>) washing up along the beach here.</i><br /></p><p>A minute later, Wayne indicated that he had found some fish bones - he brought over a chunk of rock he had chiseled out with a couple of vertebrae. "And there's more in the rock!", he said. I came over there, and sure enough, there were a few additional bones including something that looked symmetrical - perhaps a braincase. The vertebrae were about 2 cm long or so. Wayne and I collected the last few bits and bagged them up. At this point, Sarah noticed that the sea lion had woken up and was standing up at attention, looking at us with mild concern. It was getting a bit late in the afternoon and Wayne parted ways - the rest of us headed a bit further north to get to the localities we had wanted to check earlier in the morning, but were barred by waves. Sarah was a bit cold and tired (she informed us we had hit five miles of walking a bit earlier) and opted to stay in the car while Jorge, Marsha, and I walked south. Jorge and Marsha pointed out different ash beds they had sampled, and I checked the last few localities.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCRg-MTMiSW2DLPn_enF4FojZApz-7_4iUorD9jz3YydEPZOygwbZchrtbtNnvS80Dc9sF_g1VNBYUnkRKyxOo1Dw78uZfE4a_zVJ73NRJLAJdXvmRbqmAC7-KsYQaGuBnEnl10TaElpMKo10miefNR9GrJp4vSVEc4rovPq9ZK6EZK-ieni84BMe/s1190/PXL_20230518_003256474.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCRg-MTMiSW2DLPn_enF4FojZApz-7_4iUorD9jz3YydEPZOygwbZchrtbtNnvS80Dc9sF_g1VNBYUnkRKyxOo1Dw78uZfE4a_zVJ73NRJLAJdXvmRbqmAC7-KsYQaGuBnEnl10TaElpMKo10miefNR9GrJp4vSVEc4rovPq9ZK6EZK-ieni84BMe/w400-h300/PXL_20230518_003256474.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i><i> The </i>Herpetocetus <i>skull, still in its faithful concretion, waiting patiently for us to excavate it on a followup visit later in the summer.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJP8qmjVKw2Oj0W5aPTaUtFqlDFRoVQ7vIjK1QSl5UlgKWQONIA1L0aaPi7jecpDlFw1KzLtvhiC3l0NnE8nk7kjWgCP7c9-wHNMvCk7calCWTxBceeOentzuPGyhUwVLk0PAYYUZDHq5aWKV71aBtTo0WJgiun1Q1EMcJruqdNmiQdcL9yfAOPfs/s893/PXL_20230518_003202906.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="893" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJP8qmjVKw2Oj0W5aPTaUtFqlDFRoVQ7vIjK1QSl5UlgKWQONIA1L0aaPi7jecpDlFw1KzLtvhiC3l0NnE8nk7kjWgCP7c9-wHNMvCk7calCWTxBceeOentzuPGyhUwVLk0PAYYUZDHq5aWKV71aBtTo0WJgiun1Q1EMcJruqdNmiQdcL9yfAOPfs/w400-h300/PXL_20230518_003202906.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> A partial palatoquadrate cartilage of a skate, </i>Raja binoculata<i>. This is the lower jaw, and is composed of calcified cartilage - often fibrous but with a layer of prismatic (tesselated) cartilage.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QoKBh19gD6YnLrl63S2-k9zJtEQHcYMZn_HdFKibCWzf6o2xejeFBcxcM9YgREnERl8Xzutp_NkEoHciDmH1gBx6MOcMC3icU0LJZ5s8qWvxJITC4LcZG8kiwZsbevg1kRDmBijzRpNJyOn9V2ACO673roCb7m7GJin_xBb9Jk6ySyb61ODu3fJ_/s1190/PXL_20230518_005439128.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QoKBh19gD6YnLrl63S2-k9zJtEQHcYMZn_HdFKibCWzf6o2xejeFBcxcM9YgREnERl8Xzutp_NkEoHciDmH1gBx6MOcMC3icU0LJZ5s8qWvxJITC4LcZG8kiwZsbevg1kRDmBijzRpNJyOn9V2ACO673roCb7m7GJin_xBb9Jk6ySyb61ODu3fJ_/w400-h300/PXL_20230518_005439128.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br />A partial rostrum of a medium-sized cetacean - most likely a small mysticete, but something about it looks odd to me. </i><br /><p></p><p>I confirmed that the <i>Herpetocetus </i>skull I found last year survived all of the winter erosion, which was a relief! And further yet, not covered in sand. A few feet away I found a nice palatoquadrate cartilage of a skate (<i>Raja</i>). A few minutes later I found an unusual bone that had not been exposed in December, which came out in a few pieces. A bit further on down the beach I pointed out a minke whale-sized mandible which I had wanted to excavate, but half of it was removed by a fossil poacher. I then located what appeared to be a relatively flat looking rostrum from a cetacean - which is either from a dwarf whale like <i>Herpetocetus </i>or perhaps from a monodontid. A follow up visit is necessary to excavate this.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiil3oemD4JKp9wqddRk4tSMWsiMw-oJlA4qWa48vVMjmPPCWO8vJOF58h-_Y-yyfLWtPS5EI7bTCePZ_XuWg0-_JpbHXdALJwJv68V-ixuvbvAIn9TwrDdcvWe1cXxxPPtpg8mX47RyJSLM2E0CU9M3innkfk5DPU-Lob6m0d59YxDRKZ8bk8ZxlHn/s893/PXL_20230518_001124311.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="893" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiil3oemD4JKp9wqddRk4tSMWsiMw-oJlA4qWa48vVMjmPPCWO8vJOF58h-_Y-yyfLWtPS5EI7bTCePZ_XuWg0-_JpbHXdALJwJv68V-ixuvbvAIn9TwrDdcvWe1cXxxPPtpg8mX47RyJSLM2E0CU9M3innkfk5DPU-Lob6m0d59YxDRKZ8bk8ZxlHn/w400-h300/PXL_20230518_001124311.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i></i><p><i>A greenish chunk of metaconglomerate, likely from the Franciscan complex - the rocks that make up the hills in San Francisco, much of the east bay, Angel Island, Alcatraz, and the Marin Headlands.</i></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QiT-pB15Cmw92RiwjAj_DIyEVYZTazwnM2XYR8wUv9XSOhSpHx3ZnU2Mr_cJy3B6ZTgmgEMlaGXuWsol09CF2j8ksB2tVBBPOX-zJRSqsMitFo0Z4mndwXk7PYh9hwAzOyWai8AMXp2TtCNvcbYlS00xhx1fdEwPjVS6aVXtGswoaO1BjEOgGZFN/s1190/PXL_20230518_001322885.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QiT-pB15Cmw92RiwjAj_DIyEVYZTazwnM2XYR8wUv9XSOhSpHx3ZnU2Mr_cJy3B6ZTgmgEMlaGXuWsol09CF2j8ksB2tVBBPOX-zJRSqsMitFo0Z4mndwXk7PYh9hwAzOyWai8AMXp2TtCNvcbYlS00xhx1fdEwPjVS6aVXtGswoaO1BjEOgGZFN/w400-h300/PXL_20230518_001322885.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i>A cluster of sand dollars, probably <i>Merriamaster.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5uyZVZY-XAiEtTgQtk19Hrin3uF2hfx4KqkdkGRo_BPxJx07wST12A3gwmdpP68gPJL7nQ-pE3AeeI4g7tV7qYyqLkYpKDSjcJRJFLc1SgorgTfgM2JUM2eTFh7lyOAakl4Ft1WU2_s_jcxnafkau4zIqSPMeLBUeI4NDzdwPHEZf6JZ77vA98k3/s1190/PXL_20230517_235409707.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5uyZVZY-XAiEtTgQtk19Hrin3uF2hfx4KqkdkGRo_BPxJx07wST12A3gwmdpP68gPJL7nQ-pE3AeeI4g7tV7qYyqLkYpKDSjcJRJFLc1SgorgTfgM2JUM2eTFh7lyOAakl4Ft1WU2_s_jcxnafkau4zIqSPMeLBUeI4NDzdwPHEZf6JZ77vA98k3/w400-h300/PXL_20230517_235409707.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> A much younger ecentric sand dollar (</i>Dendraster excentricus<i>) with a huge red striped acorn barnacle (</i>Paraconcavus pacificus<i>) stuck to it, with several additional barnacles. A common occurrence along this section of the coast!<br /></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxaBaz-NBElmDa2stpkMAG3EyY3PYjId9J6vpBBfQYHsxSQinrLwNhGYiNkPiKjIMcQ1fdhs4TCxxxBnZTjYwGMhvsf76NeQp4eDCPKcGVxPXriWSVGcuMVC_ocZfAmVOipvJ6OeFUUTxYLYPQ5UY-nk8sf_I4boNBYFOYLge32qPUIkYB0jMbw52/s1190/PXL_20230518_015154060.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxaBaz-NBElmDa2stpkMAG3EyY3PYjId9J6vpBBfQYHsxSQinrLwNhGYiNkPiKjIMcQ1fdhs4TCxxxBnZTjYwGMhvsf76NeQp4eDCPKcGVxPXriWSVGcuMVC_ocZfAmVOipvJ6OeFUUTxYLYPQ5UY-nk8sf_I4boNBYFOYLge32qPUIkYB0jMbw52/w400-h300/PXL_20230518_015154060.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i> <br /></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A closeup of some slipper snail colonies (</i>Crepidula princeps<i>), along with a large scallop.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgBX_pFOR9hNRA5Zp413Mk_-AI_XV8mBf6trOHuHGXhmTMB99-eEOuIhIbnYuGd9QxmM8d4CLgQ39XqUFQ4H45HOYFvJDq7wasL9Iyy9FvMyx7Y_prYMYfIpo_Yft3g5dHmLVhu2TBIL8kyZUDW5QIU4nrK6YWyPHiKD6IGlSArXMeLueDLe3u_ft/s1190/PXL_20230518_015127670.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1190" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgBX_pFOR9hNRA5Zp413Mk_-AI_XV8mBf6trOHuHGXhmTMB99-eEOuIhIbnYuGd9QxmM8d4CLgQ39XqUFQ4H45HOYFvJDq7wasL9Iyy9FvMyx7Y_prYMYfIpo_Yft3g5dHmLVhu2TBIL8kyZUDW5QIU4nrK6YWyPHiKD6IGlSArXMeLueDLe3u_ft/w400-h300/PXL_20230518_015127670.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /></i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The entire shell bed - a concretion about 1.5x2 meters in size, 99% of the fossils belonging to a single species. This would be a 'community bed' according to Richard Norris' (1986) research on the taphonomy of the Purisima Formation.</i><br /></div><div><p></p></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-61346919764927322542023-05-01T09:36:00.002-06:002023-05-01T09:36:42.762-06:00New Fossils of Coronodon 3: Implications for the early evolution and phylogeny of baleen whales<p>Welcome to part 3 of my blog post series on the toothed mysticete <i>Coronodon </i>- in part 1, I gave a bit of background on the history of research on <i>Coronodon </i>and other toothed mysticetes, as well as some of the new fossils of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>. In part 2, I summarized the two new species, <i>Coronodon planifrons</i> and <i>Coronodon newtonorum</i>. In part 3, I dive into the broader evolutionary significance of <i>Coronodon</i>, whether or not it had baleen, its phylogenetic relationships, possible other relatives or members of the clade Coronodonidae from other ocean basins, and the early evolution of Neoceti. There's going to be a lot of different clade names in this - the most important one being Neoceti, which is the clade formed by baleen whales (Mysticeti) and toothed/echolocating whales (Odontoceti).</p><p><a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2023/04/new-fossils-of-coronodon-1-new.html">See Coronodon Part 1 here.</a></p><p><a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2023/04/new-fossils-of-coronodon-2-two-new.html">See Coronodon Part 2 here. </a></p><p><a href="https://peerj.com/articles/14795/">And again, the paper can be viewed here.</a> <br /></p><p><b>Brief glossary:</b></p><p><u>Clade</u>: a biologically 'real' group of organisms including a common ancestor and all of its descendants (monophyly means that a group of organisms is a clade, with one common ancestor)</p><p><u>Grade</u>: a group of organisms excluding some ancestors or descendants; paraphyly means some members of a clade are excluded, polyphyly means that members of the group are distributed within several different clades and are unrelated (e.g. numerous ancestors are excluded)</p><p><u>Synapomorphy</u>: some feature, typically an anatomical feature, that defines a particular clade</p><p><u>Sister taxon:</u> a lineage that is the closest relative or branch to another</p><p><u>Character</u>: some feature, usually an anatomical one, with various conditions that can be coded for in a cladistic analysis - some characters may end up being identified as synapomorphies <br /></p><p><u>Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU):</u> The individual entry for a specimen or species (or occasionally group of species) in a cladistic data matrix</p><p><u>Matrix:</u> All of the codings in a big spreadsheet, for all the characters and OTUs in a particular data set; the matrix is the data that is used to sort and identify the shortest, most parsimonious trees<br /></p><p><u>Homoplasy</u>: a character that evolves in parallel several times and may not be as informative as a derived character state that evolves once</p><p><u>Derived</u>: a politically correct way of saying an 'advanced' character.</p><p><u>Plesiomorphic</u>: the opposite of derived or synapomorphic - the 'primitive' character state</p><p><u>Odontoceti:</u> 'toothed whales' or 'echolocating whales' - dolphins, sperm whales, beaked whales, and stem odontocetes like xenorophids, waipatiids, squalodontids, etc.</p><p><u>Mysticeti: </u>all toothed and toothless 'baleen whales', regardless of possessing baleen.</p><p><u>Neoceti:</u> the clade formed by the Odontoceti + Mysticeti. You can't be a neocete unless you're also either an odontocete or mysticete. </p><p><u>Archaeocetes: </u>all cetaceans outside of Neoceti, including pakicetids, ambulocetids, remingtonocetids, protocetids, basilosaurids, and probably Kekenodon. <br /></p><p> </p><p><b>Did Coronodon Possess Baleen?</b></p><p>In the original 2017 paper we mentioned a couple of palatal foramina in the supplementary description. If you recall from the first blog post I wrote on <i>Coronodon</i>, interpreting palatal foramina in baleen whale fossils used to mean that a mysticete likely had baleen: these are the nutrient foramina that supply blood vessels and nerves to the bed of epithelial tissue that the baleen grows from. All extant baleen whales have these foramina in the palate, along with long sulci (grooves). Some odontocetes have some tiny foramina, and a couple of archaeocetes have them on the premaxilla, but that's not exactly relevant since these structures in modern mysticetes are always on the maxilla - the primary bone of the rostrum.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlS5yX7lGMCK3HkDboX1R5diehcnOElTRNXnjDyiKDNkyr6WSKU7pikgG9zagA8i-Cng75SypJUKpEZfq8n6PLtUAw5LJLcJ9CgsX-FqHWmBrhk9N7AEJrA3rIbK4ldSCK6ECMOcZX7jNCs_JbfZJAHRSuWpUjBbBJ2m_GEBVgIrC0H_oksYwyEj_/s2230/baleen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2026" data-original-width="2230" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlS5yX7lGMCK3HkDboX1R5diehcnOElTRNXnjDyiKDNkyr6WSKU7pikgG9zagA8i-Cng75SypJUKpEZfq8n6PLtUAw5LJLcJ9CgsX-FqHWmBrhk9N7AEJrA3rIbK4ldSCK6ECMOcZX7jNCs_JbfZJAHRSuWpUjBbBJ2m_GEBVgIrC0H_oksYwyEj_/w400-h364/baleen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Palatal foramina in the holotype specimen of </i>Coronodon havensteini<i>.</i><br /></div><div><p></p><p>Upon closer examination, I noticed some additional foramina on the palate of <i>Coronodon</i>. I've only seen these in the <i>Coronodon havensteini </i>holotype, and they are curiously absent in the palates of juvenile specimens ChM PV 4745 and CCNHM 8722 - the latter of which is quite fractured, but actually has decent surficial preservation. Anyway, in the holotype, there are about nine foramina, six on the right and three on the left. All of these are greater than 1 millimeter in diameter; some are vertical, and none seem to be associated with the spongy bone frequently seen around the roots of modern odontocete and pinniped teeth probably driven by periodontal disease. Some of these, like foramina 1, 2, 6, and 9, all have sulci emanating from them. Others, like 3, 4, and 7, are vertical or nearly so.</p><p>In CT imaging, most of these foramina trend dorsally towards the tooth roots where the superior alveolar canal likely was - instead of the greater palatine canal. However, the scan is from a medical scanner so resolution is not fantastic, and the superior alveolar canal is damaged. Yet, we're more confident of a superior alveolar canal connection than the greater palatine canal. Why is this important? The superior alveolar canal is the canal in the maxilla that transmits all of the lateral palatal foramina and the blood vessels and nerves in extant mysticetes. This indicates that these structures are in fact homologous with extant baleen whales. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVaAiWdQslYrmR_afw1BKH6N5RXU-70r6nY76WXhhmp3X3lQVhSmwbJjOkLKIYMGb1yDZk1JSUE9qMweRbG9lO3qzbHq5o5ZE5jtx9YxRqbF_6V-CSOYHn8EBLMOqlt2M35WDDe-DW8mN32aQP0xq-eNye5FS2CzijLLkwrEIu9IpxcPpM_BQcAil9/s3030/Coronodon%20v%20copy%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2090" data-original-width="3030" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVaAiWdQslYrmR_afw1BKH6N5RXU-70r6nY76WXhhmp3X3lQVhSmwbJjOkLKIYMGb1yDZk1JSUE9qMweRbG9lO3qzbHq5o5ZE5jtx9YxRqbF_6V-CSOYHn8EBLMOqlt2M35WDDe-DW8mN32aQP0xq-eNye5FS2CzijLLkwrEIu9IpxcPpM_BQcAil9/w400-h276/Coronodon%20v%20copy%203.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The extensive, possibly rather disgusting gingiva of </i>Coronodon<i>. Is this the tissue that the foramina innervated? Illustration by yours truly.</i><br /></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">So, does this mean <i>Coronodon</i> had baleen in addition to its teeth? Maybe, but we suspect not: these are quite tiny compared to skull size, being around the same absolute size as in the controversial <i>Aetiocetus weltoni </i>but in a skull twice as large - so proportionally, perhaps half the size - and there are fewer than in the toothed mysticete <i>Aetiocetus weltoni</i>. They are certainly much smaller (proportionally, and absolutely) and much fewer than in modern baleen whales. Could these instead feed thickened gingival tissue? We did suggest thickened gingiva may have been present in our 2017 paper. Marx et al. (2016) and Fordyce and Marx (2018) proposed thickened gingiva as an alternative to baleen - however, we note that it may not *actually be possible* to distinguish between the two hypotheses.<br /></p><p><b>The Phylogenetic Position of <i>Coronodon</i></b><i> </i><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Prior to our study, <i>Coronodon </i>had been included in a number of phylogenetic analyses as unpublished OTUs (operational taxonomic units: the individual branch coded as a discrete entity in a cladistic analysis). The first was Geisler and Sanders (2003), who coded a number of unnamed but phylogenetically informative Oligocene cetaceans into a relatively broad cladistic analysis aimed at Neoceti. This study coded both "Hoss", ChM PV 5720, and juvenile <i>Coronodon havensteini </i>specimen ChM PV 4745, into the matrix and recovered them as sister taxa and placed as the basal-most lineage within Mysticeti. Subsequent analysis using a similarly constructed matrix by Fitzgerald (2006) and (2010) for his studies of Australian mammalodontids <i>Janjucetus </i>and <i>Mammalodon </i>resulted in similar placement at the base of Neoceti. I produced a similar result in my analyses of mysticete relationships in my Ph.D. research on Eomysticetidae, with this "Charleston toothed mysticete clade" positioned at the base of Mysticeti (Boessenecker and Fordyce, 2015A, 2015B). </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPTksu-tI0CwOj43IAlmdCUGejNLzRzjHZPPe-6b_DrXhjIzEhTq7jeh66ohocg23leri_lpoSjsP0yGCQbMzwAg-L3tsIGfMvPPPIBqFkwtlGFf7aNKbj9igG9gmis2NrtQLvFU5Ut4O2-oy6zy862OMCNVTqzZtAr-mOKOh05qMDz3nEEOX5HRL/s707/Marx%20and%20Fordyce%202015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="509" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPTksu-tI0CwOj43IAlmdCUGejNLzRzjHZPPe-6b_DrXhjIzEhTq7jeh66ohocg23leri_lpoSjsP0yGCQbMzwAg-L3tsIGfMvPPPIBqFkwtlGFf7aNKbj9igG9gmis2NrtQLvFU5Ut4O2-oy6zy862OMCNVTqzZtAr-mOKOh05qMDz3nEEOX5HRL/w288-h400/Marx%20and%20Fordyce%202015.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><br /><i> The phylogenetic analysis of mysticetes from Marx and Fordyce (2015).</i><br /><p></p><p>A slightly different result was recovered in the analysis by Marx and Fordyce (2015), who found the North Pacific toothed mysticetes Aetiocetidae, and the Australian toothed mysticetes, Mammalodontidae, to form a sister taxon relationship and this Aetiocetidae + Mammalodontidae clade was positioned as the earliest branch within Mysticeti - followed by the Charleston toothed mysticete clade, <i>Llanocetus</i>, and then Eomysticetidae. Using the same matrix, <i>Coronodon havensteini </i>- recently named at this point - ended up in the basal-most lineage again in the phylogenetic analysis in the paper on <i>Llanocetus </i>by Fordyce and Marx (2018; note that the unpublished ChM PV 4745 and PV 5720 specimens were not included, there's a whole story there). In our 2017 paper reporting <i>Coronodon</i>, we achieved a similar result: <i>Coronodon</i> <i>havensteini </i>as the most basal lineage of mysticetes, but with <i>Llanocetus </i>as the last diverging toothed mysticete.<br /></p><p>A more unusual solution was found by Lambert et al. (2017), who placed the newly named basilosaurid-like whale <i>Mystacodon selenensis</i> as the earliest diverging mysticete, followed by the Aetiocetidae + Mammalodontidae clade, then ChM PV 4745, then Eomysticetidae, and then ChM PV 5720 between Eomysticetidae and crown Mysticeti. In their 2019 followup monograph on <i>Mystacodon</i>, Muizon et al. (2019) found a far more typical result congruent with, for example, my Ph.D. matrix results: a basal Mammalodontidae, followed by the Charleston toothed mysticetes, then <i>Llanocetus</i>, Aetiocetidae, and Eomysticetidae.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsEI8k8-x8Wdnnoxyb5cCK0c9Igx-aEAsq7HY6-xWFHZ3NM3YtZB0cCHUZXXvBnpIWdjPB2VT31Bt9WBmb16XH007QaC-WHqxXdYlJFUsrDrztJ04ZleSaAspMLtEIy1MVmsSs8_xve-Jpe1qTUaKU6ZoW4xAzTpOTJf_lxw-kD5GJ5-FJhLz04zp/s1997/Corrie%20and%20Fordyce%20phylogeny.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1394" data-original-width="1997" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsEI8k8-x8Wdnnoxyb5cCK0c9Igx-aEAsq7HY6-xWFHZ3NM3YtZB0cCHUZXXvBnpIWdjPB2VT31Bt9WBmb16XH007QaC-WHqxXdYlJFUsrDrztJ04ZleSaAspMLtEIy1MVmsSs8_xve-Jpe1qTUaKU6ZoW4xAzTpOTJf_lxw-kD5GJ5-FJhLz04zp/w400-h279/Corrie%20and%20Fordyce%20phylogeny.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Phylogeny of toothed mysticetes and early Neoceti from the paper on </i>Kekenodon onamata <i>by Corrie and Fordyce (2022).</i><br /></div><div><p></p><p>Much more recently, my Otago labmate Josh Corrie has published his redescription of the problematic archaeocete-like cetacean <i>Kekenodon onamata </i>last year - and quite frankly, I ought to write an entire blog post about that weird beast. <i>Kekenodon</i> has basilosaurid-like teeth along with a Neocete-like periotic that really resembles <i>Coronodon </i>of all things; the holotype specimen was collected from rocks correlative with the Kokoamu Greensand along the Waitaki River upstream from Kurow along the north Otago/south Canterbury border in NZ (Kurow was Fordyce's favorite ice cream pit stop after fieldwork, though depending upon the time, it also frequently turned into a fish 'n chips stop if it was a late field day). The holotype consists of a series of isolated teeth, partial periotic, bulla, frontal, and an atlas vertebra. Fordyce always considered <i>Kekenodon</i>, and more completely preserved specimen OU 22294 - to be transitional between archaeocetes and Neoceti, being somewhat more derived than Basilosauridae in many respects but basal to the odontocete-mysticete split. In the phylogenetic analysis published by Corrie and Fordyce (2022), there is a fairly shocking new result: <i>Kekenodon </i>falls outside Neoceti as predicted by RE Fordyce, but <i>Coronodon</i>, Mammalodontidae, <i>Llanocetus</i>, and <i>Mystacodon </i>ALL fall outside Neoceti as well - suggesting they're all archaeocetes! Only the Aetiocetidae plot out as toothed mysticetes. This result is quite provocative and suggests that there's quite a lot we may not yet understand - and historically have taken for granted - about the basal split between the odontocetes and mysticetes.<br /></p><p>In order to approach the question of <i>Coronodon'</i>s relationships, we greatly expanded my phylogenetic analysis from my Ph.D. research. I last published a version of this in Boessenecker and Fordyce (2017), my paper on <i>Matapanui waihao</i>, which was quickly adopted and added to by other authors (e.g. Peredo and Uhen, 2016; Peredo et al., 2018). I never stopped tinkering with the matrix - I added a bunch of new taxa into it and every summer would spend a week or so adding in newly named mysticetes, both stem, and crown. I also added more archaic odontocetes including <i>Olympicetus</i>, <i>Ashleycetus</i>, <i>Agorophius</i>, <i>Ankylorhiza</i>, <i>Echovenator</i>, and <i>Xenorophus </i>- odontocetes I am much more familiar with nowadays than during my Ph.D. We also added about 30 new characters, and with the addition of these odontocetes, <i>Kekenodon</i>, and newly described/studied mysticetes, we had an additional ~40 taxa in the analysis - for a total of 130 taxa coded for 392 characters. [I am tired y'all]. This is, to my knowledge, once again the largest analysis of mysticete relationships (both in terms of the number of taxa and number of morphological characters), just like my initial eomysticetid analysis a few years ago was, prior to other taxa being added to it.</p><p>Now, a few words for the uninitiated about cladistic analysis: this is the primary way in which we reconstruct evolutionary trees. For modern species this is done with DNA: each spot on the molecule has one of the four nucleotides (cytosine, guanine, adenine, thymine). The more positions sharing identical nucleotides in two different samples indicates they're more closely related. This usually results in many tens of thousands of 'characters' as we call them in morphological analyses. In morphological analyses, we use morphological (or anatomical) features, called characters - state 0 might be the primitive state, state 1 might be a derived state; multistate characters are also useful, with state 2, 3, and so on. An example might be "tooth count" and each state would be a range of tooth count numbers. Each time you go from one character state to another, that's called a 'step'. The computer program generates a large number of different tree shapes, and then sorts the trees based upon the number of steps - under the assumption that the fewest number of steps (character state changes) is most likely the one closest to the truth. I've just described the idea of parsimony. There are more complicated Bayesian analyses which are beyond my abilities to explain or execute, but this is fine for now. Essentially, we used nearly 400 different characters - some with two states, others multistate - to reconstruct evolutionary trees for about 130 different taxa. Lastly, there are at least two different cladistic camps in paleocetology. The first camp considers that only some characters are informative and that uninformative character data - whether they just show a bit of noise or fuzziness, or have some ecological signal that might override phylogenetic signal - should be excluded. The second camp believes that all cladistic analyses will be biased to a degree, and therefore we should attempt to minimize bias by including as many characters and taxa as possible. This is because if you are careful about what characters you pick and choose and which ones you exclude, you can steer the dataset towards delivering a preferred phylogenetic hypothesis, which is not great. "Cooking the books" has also absolutely happened in marine mammal paleontology, and I've witnessed it up close, so to speak. It's one reason why my Ph.D. matrix got so damned big in the first place: I wanted as objective a result as I could manage, and I included every known morphological character that had ever been used in the literature prior to my Ph.D. research. I've done a faithful job expanding the matrix, and the next task will be adding a host of new characters from Felix Marx's 2015 phylogeny, which we just didn't have time for with this study.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja27wOb6wSevQ8wvpte0FhLe7hKq_n-dxVIlEpSTLTX93QB2fi__g2X41FmM5gn4PEPaxr92oxtZG32Cjy8Zv9dITo5O46VGTzT0uzWu0kjJzc-xna1Ls4WVUEhQT4PkyRIlD7C6j1dhPUk62ZPCik4Rq2zzQjeNmFu0H17-_5YvPVjXgQA2Bm2Fn2/s1200/equal%20weighting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1002" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja27wOb6wSevQ8wvpte0FhLe7hKq_n-dxVIlEpSTLTX93QB2fi__g2X41FmM5gn4PEPaxr92oxtZG32Cjy8Zv9dITo5O46VGTzT0uzWu0kjJzc-xna1Ls4WVUEhQT4PkyRIlD7C6j1dhPUk62ZPCik4Rq2zzQjeNmFu0H17-_5YvPVjXgQA2Bm2Fn2/w334-h400/equal%20weighting.jpg" width="334" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> Our enormous tree under equal weighting.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">We ran our analysis in the program TNT, under equal weighting (every character is equal) and implied weighting (characters that are 'homoplastic' - evolving many times in parallel - are automatically downweighted by the computer). Each analysis gave us drastically different results. Under equal weighting (frequently the preferred method by many paleontologists, owing to guarded mistrust of the computer's ability to downweight characters and the 'black box' approach to it), the Llanocetidae (consisting of <i>Llanocetus</i>, <i>Mystacodon</i>, and a mandible from the Oligocene of NZ, ZMT 62) plot out at the base of Mysticeti; the Coronodonidae plots out as the next clade within Mysticeti, but in an unresolved position with Mammalodontidae. Various aetiocetids form the base of the next clade, though Aetiocetidae is rifted apart into a bunch of unresolved lineages. Aetiocetidae is a difficult family to code since few specimens have a rostrum, vertex, teeth, and earbones - most fossils have 2/4 preserved, so they tend not to stick together in analyses. The next clade are the Eomysticetidae and the rest of the toothless mysticetes. This tree is not terribly different from my Ph.D. results, the primary differences being the unresolved position of Coronodonidae and Mammalodontidae, addition of llanocetids, and the collapse of Aetiocetidae.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdKFkhcn9ulUHSS6mSAjrmnTOdluqFZ2o2OcTScOL9s8jqfAnxKJL0hjzPEPVkcxP_SGDU6-dlY9XlH2aym49tXhRjySShaAXGYGwWP9CVnwkzOtej_JjyzvdG62-VwiD7awsvXIOuUmzMBF9pWfGWlgGC-dT79VX5rF16uJ2W_s8iUw27gsY074L/s1200/implied%20weighting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1022" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdKFkhcn9ulUHSS6mSAjrmnTOdluqFZ2o2OcTScOL9s8jqfAnxKJL0hjzPEPVkcxP_SGDU6-dlY9XlH2aym49tXhRjySShaAXGYGwWP9CVnwkzOtej_JjyzvdG62-VwiD7awsvXIOuUmzMBF9pWfGWlgGC-dT79VX5rF16uJ2W_s8iUw27gsY074L/s320/implied%20weighting.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i> Our enormous tree under implied weighting.</i><br /></div></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Under implied weighting, I'd normally hope for a bit more resolution on a relatively similar looking tree: maybe fixing the problems above. However, something very different happens under implied weighting (remember, this is the type of analysis that downweights characters that have evolved in parallel multiple times). <i>Mystacodon </i>and Coronodonidae are pulled outside Neoceti, with Coronodonidae being the sister taxon to the Odontoceti + Mysticeti clade (e.g. Neoceti) and <i>Mystacodon </i>and <i>Kekenodon </i>being successive sister 'stem' lineages to the Coronodonidae + Neoceti clade. Llanocetus forms a southern toothed mysticete clade with the Mammalodontidae, as the earliest <i>diverging </i>mysticete lineage, followed by the nearly monophyletic Aetiocetidae, and then the eomysticetids and rest of the true toothless mysticetes.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-DwgDNc_EqBiIVPJ4v2Do0XO3QjDn5lpZkwUSoKEJCCRrz0v9NR2-bFMSqjLcNGWb_0kWZTeHzmF-aKWQz7txa4tf3DPRnSc_qwynaKTRMffrfweTPvlQx8bJU9g6oU4MtMUD4rfezlwyyYbX_ZWmynA-pBzEQlRTC17p5e8vb1BxhvJK4FjMILz/s1411/Neoceti.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1411" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-DwgDNc_EqBiIVPJ4v2Do0XO3QjDn5lpZkwUSoKEJCCRrz0v9NR2-bFMSqjLcNGWb_0kWZTeHzmF-aKWQz7txa4tf3DPRnSc_qwynaKTRMffrfweTPvlQx8bJU9g6oU4MtMUD4rfezlwyyYbX_ZWmynA-pBzEQlRTC17p5e8vb1BxhvJK4FjMILz/w400-h306/Neoceti.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Coronodon <i>is much more similar to basilosaurid ancestors than the earliest diverging odontocetes, the Xenorophidae - which already have most of the hallmark features of Odontoceti.</i><br /></div></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Is <i>Coronodon </i>a Mysticete, or an Archaeocete?<br /></b></p><p>One of the most serious problems affecting the early fossil record of Neoceti is that the earliest known fossil odontocetes have virtually all of the hallmark features of odontocetes: a large ascending process of the maxilla that overlies the frontal; premaxillary sac fossae; premaxillary foramina; deep antorbital notches, and a few others. This is certainly convenient for identifying fossil odontocetes, but it poses a larger headache: why are all of our early Oligocene odontocetes so derived? We don't really have that situation amongst mysticetes: we have, if anything, an embarassing number of transitional forms that are very, very archaeocete like (such as <i>Coronodon </i>and <i>Mystacodon</i>), some unusual forms that are slightly more derived (<i>Llanocetus</i>, <i>Janjucetus</i>, <i>Mammalodon</i>), and some flat-snouted taxa trending towards looking like a modern mysticete with teeth (Aetiocetidae). Why did mysticetes evolve so much more slowly? That is, after all, what is implied by these fossils: odontocetes evolved rapidly, achieved many of the key craniofacial adaptations for echolocation during a time we do not have fossils for (presumably in the late Eocene), and then radiated after.</p><p>Owing to this issue, Jonathan Geisler told me that every now and then, when he would run his matrix, the Charleston toothed mysticetes would pop out of Neoceti as a bit of a fluke - and he wondered if enough character data was amassed, and new specimens coded in - both of <i>Coronodon </i>and other toothed mysticetes - if the same issue might reoccur. Eventually it did, under implied weighting, anyway. So, what does this mean? Nothing, if you're in the camp that doesn't believe in implied weighting, or rather believes more strongly in results recovered under equal weights (for the record, I'm not in either camp).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpLo5nqrEadCl6G8bnbv1CfnSCDhv3kkQWLYuG3i_j9OmB5770pJZOLHwRAqp1FXT8xTETFhDI4YxXeSPbrRaVkLuSdpd7KiFhwK0HzGSV6bg3cdbXAgzPuth0m4Jz3ZjAYwuIvOopcFNTHQif2LEj9RQgw1NWsHWY8j32VX3Kf8h8HMxzYVSV7Xn/s2379/Coronodon%20and%20Neoceti.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2379" data-original-width="1981" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpLo5nqrEadCl6G8bnbv1CfnSCDhv3kkQWLYuG3i_j9OmB5770pJZOLHwRAqp1FXT8xTETFhDI4YxXeSPbrRaVkLuSdpd7KiFhwK0HzGSV6bg3cdbXAgzPuth0m4Jz3ZjAYwuIvOopcFNTHQif2LEj9RQgw1NWsHWY8j32VX3Kf8h8HMxzYVSV7Xn/w333-h400/Coronodon%20and%20Neoceti.jpg" width="333" /></a></div><br /><i>Optimization of major characters that change at or near the base of Neoceti in our two analyses under equal weights (top cladogram) and implied weights (bottom cladogram). Black boxes show characters and states that support a particular clade under equal weighting, white boxes for implied weighting, and gray boxes for characters that support clades in both analyses. Many traditional characters supporting the monophyly of Neoceti may support a more inclusive clade if </i>Coronodon <i>happens to actually be an archaeocete!</i><br /><p></p><p>Before we continue, let's review the synapomorphies of both Neoceti and Mysticeti. Some of the key features shared by virtually all Neoceti (with a couple exceptions) include 1) premaxilla contacts the frontal (in archaeocetes, the nasal and maxilla contact posteriorly, and the premaxilla terminates anterior to the frontal); 2) immobile or 'fixed' elbow joint, with flat facts on the distal humerus (all archaeocetes have a movable elbow joint); 3) nearly completely open and continuous mesorostral groove on the rostrum anterior to the bony nares (all archaeocetes have a firm medial suture between the premaxillae); 4) presence of an antorbital notch (no notch in archaeocetes); 5) a posterodorsally facing occipital shield with an apex (vertex) that is thrusted anteriorly to the level of the temporal fossa (in archaeocetes, the shield is vertical and posteriorly positioned); 6) three or more dorsal infraorbital foramina (basilosaurids typically have up to two foramina); 7) posterior process of periotic not exposed on lateral wall of skull - the 'amastoid' condition (basilosaurids have a long posterior process that is slightly exposed laterally); 8) monophyodont dentition (one set of teeth only; some basilosaurids replaced their teeth and were still diphyodont); 9) a ventral keel on the lumbar vertebrae, proposed recently by Davydenko et al. (2021; Basilosauridae have a rounded or flat ventral margin). There are other more poorly formulated synapomorphies that are not considered here because they either ignored many known odontocetes or mysticetes that lacked the feature (in other words, the proposed synapomorphies were present in only a subset of Neoceti).<br /></p><p>We evaluated all of these, and a couple others, and found that owing to the placement of <i>Coronodon</i> outside of Neoceti in our implied weighting analysis, that many of these might actually define a group broader than Neoceti - which is a problem. <i>Coronodon </i>has all of these with the exception of two: 2), immobile elbow joint, is unknown in <i>Coronodon</i>, and 8) monophyodont dentition - we might need younger individuals to really tell. So, it's not because <i>Coronodon </i>LACKS these features - it's unknown, and we coded it as a '?' in our matrix. And honestly, that's not unusual: very, very few Oligocene cetaceans are coded for either character. <br /></p><p>What about synapomorphies of Mysticeti (baleen whales)? Many proposed synapomorphies in older articles ignore already-established toothed mysticetes (e.g. Aetiocetidae) or have had to be chucked out thanks to the discovery of other toothed mysticetes more recently. Some of the solid synapomorphies proposed for Mysticeti include 1) antorbital process of the maxilla (a small ridge or flange of bone opposite the antorbital notch); 2) flattened rostrum that is <45 degree angle in cross section along at least 3/4 of the length of the maxilla; 3) wide basioccipital crests; 4) deep groove along premaxilla-maxilla suture; 5) triangular supraoccipital; 6) orbitotemporal crest extends anteriorly from parietals onto frontals; 7) swollen paroccipital process with a deep pit for the stylohyoid; 8) and an average of about 4.5-5 mesial cusps on the premolars. All of these features are present in <i>Coronodon</i>. As it happens, most of these synapomorphies have a shorter step length on the equal weighting tree with traditional relationships than on the unusual implied weighting tree. </p><p>Owing to the more straightforward changes in these characters in the traditional tree, we cautiously suggested that <i>Coronodon </i>is probably within Mysticeti and Neoceti. We noted that 1) owing to low bootstrap support at the base of Neoceti and 2) owing to missing data in many early cetaceans at the archaeocete-neocete transition, the addition of just a couple of new fossils or specimens of existing taxa with additional character states might tip the balance one way or the other. To wrap this up - previous studies, including those published by me, have 1) either glossed over important details that are the exception to the rule and 2) certainly taken for granted whether or not some features are really synapomorphies of Mysticeti or not. We hope that these unusual results - like those by Corrie and Fordyce (2022) - result in more careful description of fossils and more careful character coding in future analyses. Our trees may look messier, but only because the truth is likely messier and more complicated than we've previously been able to appreciate.<br /></p><p><b>Speciation and Recognition of Ancestry in <i>Coronodon</i>?</b></p><p>There are two fundamental 'styles' of evolutionary change at the most basic level: anagenesis and cladogenesis. Cladogenesis is the splitting of lineages - one species evolving into two; this is also called speciation. Anagenesis on the other hand is evolutionary change without speciation or the splitting of a lineage. Anagenetic evolution happens <i>all the time</i>, and should probably be viewed as the default mode of evolution outside of branching events. This is a bit different than gradualism v. punctuated equilibrium, which have to do more with how variable evolutionary rate is. Anagenesis remains a bit controversial, because many paleontologists do not 'believe' that ancestor-descendant relations can be identified in the fossil record. This attitude, in my opinion, is informed more by dogma than data. I won't bother going into the specifics, but the gist of it is that cladograms can only show relatedness - and not ancestor-descendant relationships.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzJjkfOZrcflVQhxaCfV6xW_wzfZXVxzLE0LnGK9xXB6RXBL7GPBOvT-QYtEMU9_swNyTHraIkpayIsv3y2utq51R11hz3rZ1ESUZiuMTbJ5_tl3LwdDSlOUhBqK8LZysjxuhmmFUijQDYBjGcXywzZSkOAPDm7lLV1IfXuKZOaYlFfTh4AOuO2sQ/s1230/Coronodon%20ancestry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1230" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzJjkfOZrcflVQhxaCfV6xW_wzfZXVxzLE0LnGK9xXB6RXBL7GPBOvT-QYtEMU9_swNyTHraIkpayIsv3y2utq51R11hz3rZ1ESUZiuMTbJ5_tl3LwdDSlOUhBqK8LZysjxuhmmFUijQDYBjGcXywzZSkOAPDm7lLV1IfXuKZOaYlFfTh4AOuO2sQ/w400-h321/Coronodon%20ancestry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Phylogeny of the Coronodonidae, under equal weighting (top) and implied weighting (bottom).</i><br /></p><p>However, some cladograms actually *can* show ancestor-descendant relationships: the missing component is time, and there are certain cladistic tree shapes (topologies) that, if the individual lineages on the cladogram fit in the right time and place, could support ancestor-descendant relationships. In our new paper, we coded each specimen of <i>Coronodon </i>as a different OTU, for a total of six (four specimens of <i>Coronodon havensteini </i>and the <i>Coronodon </i><i> planifrons </i>and <i>Coronodon </i> <i>newtonorum </i>type specimens) along with "Hoss", the unnamed coronodonid genus represented by ChM PV 5720. In both of our analyses, the two geochronologically younger species from the Chandler Bridge Formation - <i>Coronodon planifrons </i>and <i>Coronodon newtonorum </i>- were recovered as sister taxa. If the specimens looked identical, a sister taxon relationship might indicate (in the absence of other information) that they represented the same species. We know however that there are a number of features that distinguish these two species. The clade formed by these two species is not sister to the sample of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i> specimens, but is instead nested within it! In other words, some specimens of <i>Coronodon havensteini </i>are more similar to the younger species than to other specimens of <i>Coronodon havensteini. </i>Are these specimens not actually <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>? We're really talking about ChM PV 8722 - this specimen does not have any of the distinctive features of <i>Coronodon planifrons</i> or <i>Coronodon newtonorum</i>, and the frontals of this specimen most closely resemble the <i>Coronodon havensteini</i> holotype. Further, all four specimens are quite a bit older, and from the Ashley Formation, dating to 28-30 Ma, as opposed to the 23-24 Ma species from the Chandler Bridge Formation. The evidence is a bit tenuous, but since we recovered this result under both methods, and the specimen ages line up, we interpreted this as evidence that the two late Oligocene species BOTH evolved from the single early Oligocene species <i>Coronodon havensteini </i>- so we seem to have evidence of ancestry, and a speciation event during the Oligocene. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39RnxesbMyw4K7lrkcaYLfcTxXk8Tkks94i34KPPi-N5o_XVM6-gxa_0WshiPnwvr3vlDxM-j6FJfz9J934VbSJt8YX3ftRf_N11JuVq_w_SgIb8kVN6xHypviB-jjsgKxNgte-b90f-8aZOBpSlxllakfmhHgInVaYdhooUHiFCSvgtdIHCos5rG/s421/Squalodon%20gambierensis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="421" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39RnxesbMyw4K7lrkcaYLfcTxXk8Tkks94i34KPPi-N5o_XVM6-gxa_0WshiPnwvr3vlDxM-j6FJfz9J934VbSJt8YX3ftRf_N11JuVq_w_SgIb8kVN6xHypviB-jjsgKxNgte-b90f-8aZOBpSlxllakfmhHgInVaYdhooUHiFCSvgtdIHCos5rG/s320/Squalodon%20gambierensis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>One of the isolated teeth of "</i>Squalodon<i>" </i>gambierensis <i>- admittedly a mystery. It doesn't have the same number of cusps, the root isthmus is shorter, and it is much smaller - but the enamel is similarly smooth and the remaining similarities are undeniable. What does the rest of this cetacean look like? Image from Pledge and Rothausen (1977).</i><br /></div></div><div><p></p><p>On another level, it's interesting that we see a bit of diversity within the group locally - because we have ZERO evidence of <i>Coronodon </i>existing anywhere outside the Charleston Embayment. There are no teeth anywhere else on earth that are a good match. There are a few that somewhat resemble <i>Coronodon </i>but are much smaller - for example, "<i>Squalodon</i>" <i>gambierensis</i> from Australia and New Zealand. But these teeth are much smaller. Where might I predict actual teeth of <i>Coronodon </i>to show up for the first time outside Charleston? Two places: perhaps Onslow Beach in North Carolina, which has produced a number of xenorophids including the <i>Albertocetus meffordorum </i>holotype. Also a long shot, but perhaps Rupelian strata of Belgium - but very few cetacean specimens in general are known from these rocks, and if there's anything we know about <i>Coronodon</i>, is that it's quite rare here in Charleston.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Who else might belong to Coronodonidae?</b><br /></p><p>Aside from aforementioned isolated teeth that resemble <i>Coronodon </i>but with unknown skull morphology, a couple of problematic Oligocene cetacean specimens are out there that have actually formed a clade with Coronodonidae - and *may* belong to the group, but we conservatively restricted the family to only include <i>Coronodon </i>spp. and its larger cousin "Hoss", known so far by ChM PV 5720. These two cetaceans are the recently named <i>Borealodon osedax </i>from the Pysht Formation of Washington, and <i>Metasqualodon</i> <i>symmetricus</i>, named in 1982 by Okazaki from the same locality as <i>Yamatocetus</i>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvjEWpQsbQbN8XTAWbNPcy5dWSjoNEE9GnhUzVDua0LLjTVGSkvKbQIWnEXiD5VA9pqJbz9MFgv9rywP7Rkvdx6sm0WJ6lKbV3SshTlbgXFhghOKZ0Sfi9Uwz7-HSUqlN4lv1NG4NIGfBnsPpR8xpZavqwVwhqnxliTTtQjcbdtzndD2BuA9cxKtA/s1581/Metasqualodon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1581" data-original-width="1565" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvjEWpQsbQbN8XTAWbNPcy5dWSjoNEE9GnhUzVDua0LLjTVGSkvKbQIWnEXiD5VA9pqJbz9MFgv9rywP7Rkvdx6sm0WJ6lKbV3SshTlbgXFhghOKZ0Sfi9Uwz7-HSUqlN4lv1NG4NIGfBnsPpR8xpZavqwVwhqnxliTTtQjcbdtzndD2BuA9cxKtA/w396-h400/Metasqualodon.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> <i>The holotype rostral fragment of </i>Metasqualodon symmetricus<i>, from Okazaki (1982). Top: ventral; middle: dorsal; bottom: lateral.<br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuHx-PnsM7ONrHdkunr1CTwPRDiOzwgrF7sNnMVIFTJtju_DzpNLqG5QV_C6HlMcMPqAjc0t6wO3RsLcXOgDvtG4m2S88VMMoQSBNXseEUcQ_JRfPses3PRSdWGmpEZYf2hX81ylGELDsdd5AvgW7gWmjE67vAmSUELAzx1ri4WZg5UNxDDLeFHVi/s1126/Metasqualodon%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1126" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuHx-PnsM7ONrHdkunr1CTwPRDiOzwgrF7sNnMVIFTJtju_DzpNLqG5QV_C6HlMcMPqAjc0t6wO3RsLcXOgDvtG4m2S88VMMoQSBNXseEUcQ_JRfPses3PRSdWGmpEZYf2hX81ylGELDsdd5AvgW7gWmjE67vAmSUELAzx1ri4WZg5UNxDDLeFHVi/w400-h355/Metasqualodon%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The utterly gorgeous teeth of the otherwise frustrating </i>Metasqualodon symmetricus<i>, from Okazaki (1982). Top: lingual. Bottom: labial.<br /> </i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Metasqualodon symmetricus</i> is known from the right half of a rostrum from the Oligocene Ashiya Group of Japan. It has teeth that do not overlap like <i>Coronodon</i>, but have a similar number of cusps - and are remarkably symmetrical from the anterior (mesial) to posterior (distal) edges. The teeth are also similarly emergent from the jaw, and have a long isthmus but were probably double rooted given the sulcus in medial/lingual view. The rostrum looks similar as well - likely triangular, with a deep groove between the premaxilla and maxilla; the maxilla is not flattened, but it is getting there - and the maxilla looks nearly identical to <i>Coronodon</i> in lateral view! In our analyses, <i>Metasqualodon </i>was one of the sister taxa to Coronodonidae, linked by two synapomorphies: having a thick edge of the maxilla and basal acessory cusps on the mesial side of the tooth that point mesially rather than apically. We will need better fossils of this poorly known species to evaluate whether or not it's a coronodonid or something else. Stay tuned =)</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwfX7YOX_karYwQbqgEmpXiArDlQx6_-usmq382Mxfg2jXtxfAFpMunsfq0AWMJ7lu5KNEnCfRbXMbzUkarGtbHI0xHjII9f6aht-NV_399misrK5NeMCdOjAonoeQ-m3gYgEo6BhcHjdyO7wFJGZ8uyhw-3EBOvuSGLDMdqh_IlOIDHSf4QnOARp/s972/IMG_9518%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="972" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwfX7YOX_karYwQbqgEmpXiArDlQx6_-usmq382Mxfg2jXtxfAFpMunsfq0AWMJ7lu5KNEnCfRbXMbzUkarGtbHI0xHjII9f6aht-NV_399misrK5NeMCdOjAonoeQ-m3gYgEo6BhcHjdyO7wFJGZ8uyhw-3EBOvuSGLDMdqh_IlOIDHSf4QnOARp/w400-h266/IMG_9518%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /> A photo I took of the </i>Borealodon osedax <i>holotype in January 2016, a few years before it was published. Specimen collected, acid prepared, and generously donated to the Smithsonian by our friend and colleague Jim Goedert.</i><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Another taxon that is problematic, not because of its preservation but because of its penchant for phylogenetic 'flippancy' - it bounced around quite a bit during construction of this matrix. It is missing a lot of data, but has quite a few dorsal braincase features that can be coded, along with periotic, bulla, and a bunch of teeth. Sadly, when it was published, the lacrimal was mentioned nowhere in the description and Jim Goedert now fears the lacrimal to be lost. Regardless, this specimen looks about what you would predict the ancestor of all Aetiocetidae to look like, and also resembles <i>Mammalodon</i> and <i>Janjucetus</i>. As a matter of fact, at a conference presentation this was first reported as a northern hemisphere mammalodontid, and they stuck with the name <i>Borealodon </i>- even though the position was recovered as outside each clade. We consistently recovered <i>Borealodon </i>as the other sister taxon to Coronodonidae, but it shares really only one synapomorphy: possessing more than five accessory cusps on the cheek teeth.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Concluding Remarks</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">As expansive as this study is, it really only took about six months of furious writing to get done - but supported by five years of data collection on our part. We now have one of the best illustrated and described examples of a toothed mysticete, following earlier inspirations like the monographic descriptions of <i>Mystacodon selenensis </i>by Muizon et al. (2019) and <i>Mammalodon colliveri </i>by Fitzgerald (2010). We've reported new specimens of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>, the first growth series for a toothed mysticete - illustrating that some features change ontogenetically. Great care must be taken when diagnosing new taxa that differences are not actually ontogenetic differences rather than taxonomic - no small problem, given that virtually all other toothed mysticetes are known from a single published specimen and little effort has been diverted towards assessing ontogenetic status. We reported two new species, <i>Coronodon planifrons</i> and <i>Coronodon newtonorum</i>, and identified ancestor-descendant relationships within the group. We also named the Coronodonidae to include some unnamed taxa from Charleston, like ChM PV 5720. <i>Coronodon</i> has some palatal foramina - but they're perhaps not large or numerous enough to indicate the presence of baleen. We confirmed that Coronodon has 12 rather than 11 mandibular teeth, demonstrating that it is one of the most plesiomorphic cetaceans to have evolved polydonty - and perhaps indicating a single origin for polydonty at the base of Neoceti. On that note, we found that perhaps our knowledge of the origin of Neoceti, and morphological character support for Neoceti - is not as well known or understood as previously assumed. <i>Coronodon </i>is probably a mysticete - but perhaps not. We've also identified a couple of unusual North Pacific toothed mysticetes that may be closely related to <i>Coronodon</i>, and possible members of the Coronodonidae.</p><p style="text-align: left;">What's next? Two big things for our team: first up, we barely touched on the feeding morphology of <i>Coronodon</i>. There's another paper in the works about this, with a looming deadline. In the distance, we will need to publish on and name "Hoss", the larger unnamed coronodonid represented by ChM PV 5720.<br /></p></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-59569064801435667532023-04-19T22:25:00.002-06:002023-05-01T09:44:13.248-06:00New fossils of Coronodon 2: two new species of toothed mysticetes from South Carolina<p> This is a continuation of my blog 'coverage' of our new monograph - <a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2023/04/new-fossils-of-coronodon-1-new.html">for an introduction to the big new paper, see the first post in this series here.</a> For the <a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2023/05/new-fossils-of-coronodon-3-implications.html">third post in this series, click here.</a><br /></p><p>But first - it's been a pretty dark day for me and Sarah, so I need to share some memes that were made out of/inspired by my artwork: <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9Ur2mzUbh38SgVLh2cnRo1whWmi0f195rQ7UojqDbNlvfhj4nhhPAXRibch3xLCEoyO-h3J1azznRjxxr7_k1DQ7wm-7ZRV4QnEJ6xA3wsBH-_eGEBO0THyGqSymSYUbUWDxZpaDJ9tDD605lAhwtsJri9fg0o2ptfLKQkOHZ3rYEpOv9ks_GUs_/s3260/Coronodon%20family%20portrait%20flattened.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2260" data-original-width="3260" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9Ur2mzUbh38SgVLh2cnRo1whWmi0f195rQ7UojqDbNlvfhj4nhhPAXRibch3xLCEoyO-h3J1azznRjxxr7_k1DQ7wm-7ZRV4QnEJ6xA3wsBH-_eGEBO0THyGqSymSYUbUWDxZpaDJ9tDD605lAhwtsJri9fg0o2ptfLKQkOHZ3rYEpOv9ks_GUs_/w400-h278/Coronodon%20family%20portrait%20flattened.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>Family portrait of </i>Coronodon <i>that I illustrated last year and finished in February: upper left, juvenile </i>Coronodon havensteini<i>; lower left, adult </i>Coronodon havensteini<i>; upper right, </i>Coronodon planifrons<i>; lower right, </i>Coronodon newtonorum<i>. Graphite and digital, 2023. Original about 10x14".</i><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLK5uHeg42KjdDtrI6MHPQcZ1qviwx1KtgjIH11nXwwFDQFYkegjujFACTkuSA4Ynvc9UplQsg9Bcuvz2gbo_h_xBqP4cb1YoxU_rIegdNEDMtXFsTxQjchX7G6XXlYKF5LayHx73kpfxUy6gURlahy51DI3PdH2C47rPBoipkzC2eXUTprx7zOdL7/s1200/meme%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLK5uHeg42KjdDtrI6MHPQcZ1qviwx1KtgjIH11nXwwFDQFYkegjujFACTkuSA4Ynvc9UplQsg9Bcuvz2gbo_h_xBqP4cb1YoxU_rIegdNEDMtXFsTxQjchX7G6XXlYKF5LayHx73kpfxUy6gURlahy51DI3PdH2C47rPBoipkzC2eXUTprx7zOdL7/w400-h400/meme%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>My illustration has inspired some pretty fantastic memes - my artwork does look like the other </i>Coronodon <i>whales are laughing at the one. Cartoon by M. Nur Yahya on twitter.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHOYycYLBs_bBdrY5sKCn2G6Ml6HnT9cmEXJpNOayGeGGXWfevLedEWZYP9FwKvQhqUzzVjOXb32W_6TaAi7EICVWGMklwUQhuMvTALdZpL-IPKbMDZHKRcJfQKSS4O53NUnexdk1UDk2epDywSU0basfBKD6RQQt43RPZa4ebsoHlu83d4lE-qi4Q/s1156/FtuA60zaAAADH1d.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1156" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHOYycYLBs_bBdrY5sKCn2G6Ml6HnT9cmEXJpNOayGeGGXWfevLedEWZYP9FwKvQhqUzzVjOXb32W_6TaAi7EICVWGMklwUQhuMvTALdZpL-IPKbMDZHKRcJfQKSS4O53NUnexdk1UDk2epDywSU0basfBKD6RQQt43RPZa4ebsoHlu83d4lE-qi4Q/w400-h200/FtuA60zaAAADH1d.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>A variation of an older meme - by @natespithe on Twitter.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUusNPraVlm0pCnUOIlkCPpIe76HBvcAw0cIKy0nsocWmJZdJIA3ywNjdIYFGvOrvc5Akou2rmUtu4ag-7-6uj2RLZXy1h7cs2RxHFaCeKEnWcNDWHDU590bRJNlRJgan6NfYgyX7XQ4eVcQt_m-wHGd4KjncacMSANMUPgGTf4jqUF_nFZcqRcnp/s525/henrytsai.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="525" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUusNPraVlm0pCnUOIlkCPpIe76HBvcAw0cIKy0nsocWmJZdJIA3ywNjdIYFGvOrvc5Akou2rmUtu4ag-7-6uj2RLZXy1h7cs2RxHFaCeKEnWcNDWHDU590bRJNlRJgan6NfYgyX7XQ4eVcQt_m-wHGd4KjncacMSANMUPgGTf4jqUF_nFZcqRcnp/w400-h368/henrytsai.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>One of my favorites - by Henry Tsai on Facebook.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkOCcp98VfmUB3SPXt0vG5OAVs0ykerB88YG4gIrZcuhV_2J7T9V3ZsPt8vbn4MTTwCBvwqU3wkqpkZmF48YaUBoyKF6CIpSKPWBbjmAwMgmCqv7B2NKBKwqqrrFByJ88EHaR9gdEb2ErWOx6TBBkkTVDx4nzFxtJOfcqr9k5VGt6X3l3l8s0dFzi/s522/Yoofilos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="522" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkOCcp98VfmUB3SPXt0vG5OAVs0ykerB88YG4gIrZcuhV_2J7T9V3ZsPt8vbn4MTTwCBvwqU3wkqpkZmF48YaUBoyKF6CIpSKPWBbjmAwMgmCqv7B2NKBKwqqrrFByJ88EHaR9gdEb2ErWOx6TBBkkTVDx4nzFxtJOfcqr9k5VGt6X3l3l8s0dFzi/w400-h368/Yoofilos.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And lastly, the </i>Coronodon <i>whales cartoonized by @Yoofilos on Twitter into the "Me and the Boys" meme from above.</i><br /></div><div><p><b>Stratigraphic Distribution of <i>Coronodon</i></b></p><p style="text-align: left;">I'll<b> </b>dive into the rationale for naming new species shortly, but first I'd like to discuss the stratigraphic distribution of specimens. The holotype skull of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i> was collected from a submerged exposure of the Ashley Formation - a late early Oligocene sandy limestone. It's firm, with some concretions here and there, generally kind of a brownish tan to pale yellow color and occasionally can be olive green or khaki - frequently fossiliferous, with sparse mollusks, barnacles, and bryozoans. The Ashley Formation has been dated with Strontium isotopes to about 28-30 Ma - uppermost Rupelian, which is the stage occupying the first half of the Oligocene epoch. All new specimens we referred to <i>Coronodon havensteini</i> are also from the Ashley Formation. The two specimens that ended up being holotypes of new species - CCNHM 166 and ChM PV 2778 - were both collected from the Chandler Bridge Formation. When Al Sanders and others named the Chandler Bridge Formation in 1986, they remarked that the whale faunas were so similar that they were likely only separated in time by about a million years or so. Somewhat surprisingly, strontium isotope dates indicate that there's about 4-5 million years - and that the Chandler Bridge Formation is 24.7-23.5 Ma or so (Weems et al., 2016). Point is - these <i>Coronodon</i> specimens are separated by a bit of time. There are some other subtle differences: eomysticetids seem to be stratigraphically separated, with all specimens of <i>Micromysticetus </i>being derived from the Ashley and all specimens of <i>Eomysticetus </i>originating from the Chandler Bridge. Xenorophid odontocetes appear somewhat stratigraphically separated: more plesiomorphic taxa, like <i>Xenorophus </i>and <i>Albertocetus</i>, make up most of the xenorophid assemblage from the Ashley whereas there are additional, more derived taxa in the Chandler Bridge including <i>Cotylocara </i>and <i>Echovenator</i>, as well as at least one additional <i>Cotylocara</i>-like genus that has not yet been named. There are perhaps a half dozen waipatiids in the Chandler Bridge, but only two or three forms from the Ashley, and they seem to be restricted: a dwarf form, and <i>Ediscetus osbornei</i> named a few years ago. Another species of <i>Ediscetus </i>may be present in the Ashley - and that glut of waipatiid specimens will be my major project this summer. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXfP2J1ofo0w3HJFcwCxpdf7qf4lDcMs9sXqS82vs3004jJRI3DQsFtUvCflq8fgeWPjrPplQtCMaKyI3sfZ3Y18r6I92pPjbaMbAJ35ZPFbq1Fx9nwr6Vrk5WTJjArzHhY20LFA9BeUzeOLy4pHvfRnnmAta1y99b12FUpIn8-Wn-gL9CODDLCd-/s1200/stratigraphy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="1200" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXfP2J1ofo0w3HJFcwCxpdf7qf4lDcMs9sXqS82vs3004jJRI3DQsFtUvCflq8fgeWPjrPplQtCMaKyI3sfZ3Y18r6I92pPjbaMbAJ35ZPFbq1Fx9nwr6Vrk5WTJjArzHhY20LFA9BeUzeOLy4pHvfRnnmAta1y99b12FUpIn8-Wn-gL9CODDLCd-/w400-h289/stratigraphy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Stratigraphic distribution of Coronodonidae in the Oligocene rocks of Charleston, South Carolina.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJALK5V56zMKytbgF4aLmz4mqhGgkKV5_BnY9Y8ch_y9O-qS9R14wqh8_qmEisuGDZEn2J6QjbwfpquelSJE6NOVThNKIzRs__28Er6aJUejtPuTxf_kMRaTnNNjygV5sYgDYpxXBaT6HKLJAY7uGxEZ3bLvPjsf4vaw9p7LidsjSe3FbgrHIXt4pG/s1030/Volcko%20skull%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="1030" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJALK5V56zMKytbgF4aLmz4mqhGgkKV5_BnY9Y8ch_y9O-qS9R14wqh8_qmEisuGDZEn2J6QjbwfpquelSJE6NOVThNKIzRs__28Er6aJUejtPuTxf_kMRaTnNNjygV5sYgDYpxXBaT6HKLJAY7uGxEZ3bLvPjsf4vaw9p7LidsjSe3FbgrHIXt4pG/w400-h336/Volcko%20skull%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> The holotype skull of </i>Coronodon planifrons, <i>CCNHM 166, the Volcko-Chapman whale.</i><br /><p></p><p><b>Recognizing the Existence of New Species of <i>Coronodon<br /></i></b></p><p>Discovering a new species - whether you're digging it up and doing all the sweaty work, or the actual anatomist doing the descriptive work - is not always obvious. For a long time I thought there was a single species - after all, I've already reported (or interpreted) both of the odontocetes <i>Albertocetus meffordorum</i> and <i>Ankylorhiza tiedemani </i>as being present in the Ashley and Chandler Bridge formations. My working hypothesis was "one species in both units" - which I feel, from the perspective of a lumper, the most conservative approach. When I arrived at CCNHM in 2015, the specimen that is now the holotype of <i>Coronodon planifrons</i>, the "Volcko whale" CCNHM 166, and the "Coosaw whale" CCNHM 164, were both in our collections but not included in the original study. The "Volcko whale" was found in 2010 and the Coosaw whale a few years earlier (each within a couple miles of our house!). I sat down and looked for differences earlier on back in 2018 and actually failed to make a number of observations I made later - but I did make one important observation back then: the holotype specimen of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>, and what is now the holotype of <i>Coronodon planifrons </i>(CCNHM 166), had differently shaped supraorbital processes of the frontal. There are these little processes on either side of the eye socket, helpfully named the preorbital and postorbital process (measuring between them, by the way, gives you eye socket size). In <i>Coronodon havensteini</i> these processes are the same thickness if you measure from the inside out. However, in CCNHM 166, the postorbital process is quite a bit thicker than the preorbital process (and vice versa). Now, these bones are also very porous so I thought, maybe this is just caused by wear to the skull, and discounted species-level differences.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSRmhX-nxTKyfpupPw6pfSZiGmhG4kkCXfRGh7eS6F4eUYeJQG1MChxDULcUPVlnM1VNSDnpA8yTjovb2bjntews-Ni8n3-R0OLBXKVfZ4JBWVqcukM74g7eP2tT6E0ZFtkJOA41Kn6Ia-4qx3ATwWiWRrWxXSemuX7lLx5V-QFlwUAThDSJrJUbF/s1349/SOPF%20comparison.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1349" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSRmhX-nxTKyfpupPw6pfSZiGmhG4kkCXfRGh7eS6F4eUYeJQG1MChxDULcUPVlnM1VNSDnpA8yTjovb2bjntews-Ni8n3-R0OLBXKVfZ4JBWVqcukM74g7eP2tT6E0ZFtkJOA41Kn6Ia-4qx3ATwWiWRrWxXSemuX7lLx5V-QFlwUAThDSJrJUbF/w296-h400/SOPF%20comparison.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A comparison of the preorbital and postorbital processes of the three species of </i>Coronodon <i>- some of the earliest observations I made. </i>Coronodon havensteini <i>has pre- and postorbital processes of equal depth, </i>Coronodon planifrons <i>has a deeper postorbital process, and </i>Coronodon newtonorum <i>has a deeper preorbital process.<br /></i></p><p>About a year ago I noticed that the supraorbital process of the frontal, in anterior view, was nearly horizontal - and I only noticed this because I but the CCNHM 166 skull, along with referred <i>C. havensteini</i> specimen CCNHM 164, backwards, with the posterior end of the skull facing the wall. In both CCNHM 164 and the holotype CCNHM 108, the supraorbital processes descend at an angle and are decidedly not horizontal. I think I made that observation during a meeting. So, I pulled the specimens out and started more detailed comparisons. I noticed that the sagittal crest was much longer in CCNHM 166, and that the frontal-parietal suture is much more V-shaped. I also noticed that the sternomastoid fossa - a D-shaped rugose pit for the sternomastoid muscle, which is positioned on the squamosal bone and just above the jaw joint - has this deep trough that rises up along the side of the nuchal crest; this is missing in <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>. At this point I was more or less convinced that the number of anatomical differences had exceeded individual variation for <i>Coronodon havensteini</i> and instead suggested to me that CCNHM 166 represented a different species.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeu43nEEGbzHQluZslHsW5GRZwEGrTAIRBq0ogwcOSpD1tQXR4TReah5obgrCjZ9G7cGqC8wdOTOvAZ2WwV-hMvtspDqBoQCzxg3twMgOj2Pdp9S0p4xt6Tsy-91up5LruHRNqxsBs77zSKLypQcUpOUNXDTy8hYgOcVM507u-9xkk_UlrlrmipZq/s1460/Coronodon%20planifrons%20skull%20and%20mandible.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1460" data-original-width="1204" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeu43nEEGbzHQluZslHsW5GRZwEGrTAIRBq0ogwcOSpD1tQXR4TReah5obgrCjZ9G7cGqC8wdOTOvAZ2WwV-hMvtspDqBoQCzxg3twMgOj2Pdp9S0p4xt6Tsy-91up5LruHRNqxsBs77zSKLypQcUpOUNXDTy8hYgOcVM507u-9xkk_UlrlrmipZq/w330-h400/Coronodon%20planifrons%20skull%20and%20mandible.jpg" width="330" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The holotype skull and mandible of Coronodon planifrons, CCNHM 166 - the Volcko-Chapman whale.</i><br /></div></div><div><p></p><p>A parallel development happened in Fall 2017 after the first paper was published - collector Taffie Chapman, who found parts of CCNHM 166 in the field, donated specimens she had first found and kept. A bunch of missing parts clicked back together - for example, the condyle of the mandible was in her material! Taffie kept one tooth for herself, a nice premolar, and I did ask for it - but she politely insisted, and I knew better than to push it. Included amongst her material were several more vertebrae and a bunch of partial teeth. As a result, we now call it the "Volcko-Chapman whale". Years later, last summer actually, Jonathan Geisler and I finally got a chance to compare these side by side and we realized several teeth from the original sample were improperly glued together - and, within 20 minutes of when Geisler was supposed to drive back to New York after a vacation here in Charleston. I airscribed away some putty in the prep lab and texted him photos of the preliminarily reassembled teeth - he texted back something along the lines of "this changes quite a bit."</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnqx6OAbZizdOCF-3sPQaOvubd9i_BO5JcAneAX-awQaxneYdDbu9n0-c3PQSQpCo896PuJYbV4LeWtwVF_vOQQMrrZdXevDYSHbKCio53-XTx0hTM8RQoQbeku1LbYzkr7XWKuHQGzEQLNuo4f73XmiTzFQxPbyeXXRDw0TOhwfoWVryGLn5lBTD/s1968/Volcko%20teeth%20and%20periotic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1968" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnqx6OAbZizdOCF-3sPQaOvubd9i_BO5JcAneAX-awQaxneYdDbu9n0-c3PQSQpCo896PuJYbV4LeWtwVF_vOQQMrrZdXevDYSHbKCio53-XTx0hTM8RQoQbeku1LbYzkr7XWKuHQGzEQLNuo4f73XmiTzFQxPbyeXXRDw0TOhwfoWVryGLn5lBTD/w400-h244/Volcko%20teeth%20and%20periotic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> The periotics (ear bones) and dentition of </i>Coronodon planifrons<i>, the Volcko-Chapman whale.</i><br /></p><p>One of the first changes were the smallest (and furthest posterior) molars - the smallest one had broken in half, one half found and kept by each collector. I glued them back together, revealing a tiny upper third molar (M3) that was approximately 2/3 the diameter of the second to last tooth (upper second molar, M2). The M3 is unknown in the holotype, but the upper M2 is preserved, and the "Coosaw whale" specimen of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i> (CCNHM 164) has both the M2 and M3. These teeth are of similar size in <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>, and also larger than both teeth in CCNHM 166 (<i>Coronodon planifrons</i>). In other words, CCNHM 166 "Volcko-Chapman whale<i>" </i>(<i>Coronodon planifrons</i>)<i> </i>has 1) smaller molars and 2) molars that decrease in size posteriorly. We initially thought there were some differences in cusp counts, but that changed when we settled upon the final identification of teeth to position after discovering the tiny size of the M3 - after this, the cusp counts were quite similar. I took another look at the earbones, and found that there were also a few features of the periotic bone that were unique - for example, the lateral tuberosity extends far laterally, whereas it is a small bump in the holotype of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>. All of these features ended up in our diagnosis* of <i>Coronodon planifrons</i>. The tiny size of the upper M3 also permitted us to refer an isolated molar to <i>Coronodon planifrons</i>, also showcasing what the tooth shape would be without any tooth wear. I suggested naming the species after its most distinctive feature: horizontal frontal bones over the orbit, hence <i>Coronodon planifrons</i>.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">*<i>The first time I read a scientific paper and saw diagnosis for a species I thought "what the hell? A diagnosis is for a disease" but as it turns out, a diagnosis in zoology and botany (or taxonomy in general) is a list of the different anatomical/morphological features that are used to identify specimens of that species. In a sense, it is one of the most important parts of the reporting of a new species, genus, or family. Ewan Fordyce impressed upon me how important it is to craft a useful, lasting diagnosis that future researchers can use. One pet peeve of mine is the lazy use of synapomorphies from a cladistic analysis and restricting your diagnosis to just features from the cladistic character list: these diagnoses are usually not very useful. Medical diagnoses are constructed similarly: a suite of diagnostic features used to identify a medical condition.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGPh1cSPBEVVBjv656ItGekqUaceLcfl4w938poe5UDg3LV5NzQ9n-1VxWUUhG_s9FRzOlOUutce9LICJDi1j5HmEpHSivR63MXASreaJ0JDVCXisKkHvPG1bfOWwSz1mF8vubW8q7eBZNGV3ofgIj4b42mtGpefrZHHn2PR16VaFGrbDSEEfiXF1/s3888/IMG_5411.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGPh1cSPBEVVBjv656ItGekqUaceLcfl4w938poe5UDg3LV5NzQ9n-1VxWUUhG_s9FRzOlOUutce9LICJDi1j5HmEpHSivR63MXASreaJ0JDVCXisKkHvPG1bfOWwSz1mF8vubW8q7eBZNGV3ofgIj4b42mtGpefrZHHn2PR16VaFGrbDSEEfiXF1/w400-h266/IMG_5411.JPG" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> The main skull part of ChM PV 2778, the holotype of </i>Coronodon newtonorum <i>- as I first saw it in 2012.<br /></i><p></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9jrLVoFRk6h6ZYdkDSqdzQuVPby1mAEHkxWOPLfSrJmV4wHNQU1GQpMoGMdHCAQaaZkQN0F1ORnuBmuu3X01-_yYwBhrZcSGZ2kESxJpCRot80LXb8NtjRk5vpYLo_S0iF4lsXGQ8hfnFhncNBfouVeZbACyhzwNlYqkk6udHEP3lWKQ9qx_6wg5/s1232/newton%20mandible.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1232" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9jrLVoFRk6h6ZYdkDSqdzQuVPby1mAEHkxWOPLfSrJmV4wHNQU1GQpMoGMdHCAQaaZkQN0F1ORnuBmuu3X01-_yYwBhrZcSGZ2kESxJpCRot80LXb8NtjRk5vpYLo_S0iF4lsXGQ8hfnFhncNBfouVeZbACyhzwNlYqkk6udHEP3lWKQ9qx_6wg5/w400-h211/newton%20mandible.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> Placing the mandible of ChM PV 2778 (</i>Coronodon newtonorum<i>) back into place for the first time.</i><br /><p></p><p>In parallel, I had not looked at ChM PV 2778 - the "Newton" whale - for quite some time. I knew it had a partial mandible and much of a skull, and some earbones. I looked at it again in early spring 2022 and had the following revelations: 1) the mandible could actually be pieced back together, and it was in three pieces until I asked curator Matt Gibson to reconstruct it; 2) there was a nice isolated cheek tooth bearing the same number that at some point had been separated and was stored in a different cabinet. After the first revelation (which, mind you, was about the same time we realized that Al Sanders' conference abstracts indicated this specimen, and "Hoss" - ChM PV 5720 - had 12 instead of 11 mandibular teeth), I took a couple snapshots of the mandible fragments reassembled (not yet glued) and realized it looked quite a bit different from <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>. Instead of a straight ventral margin, the ventral margin in the "Newton whale" (ChM PV 2778) was convex. Likewise, the alveolar (dorsal) margin of the mandible was more strongly concave than in <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>. I looked again at the rostrum, and it too had a convex margin - indicating that ChM PV 2778 had a "smiling" profile of the lower jaw. Out of caution, we waited for Matt Gibson to glue it back together in case I was wrong - but it looked the same when I returned to take photos for the paper. This was the first time I thought that there might be a third species present - which surprised me: I assumed that we might have two chronospecies: <i>C. havensteini</i> in the late early Oligocene Ashley Formation and a younger chronospecies in the Chandler Bridge. I assumed this out of being cautious, conservative, and being a lumper. I swear to god, some folks - and dinosaur researchers in particular are guilty of this sin - seem to think every specimen is its own species and genus.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLgPW8jRuZk5Jz7oAITHs5ocda4WZJauuo9ClHwko2f2_QAzHsVNFN4QWUotKS_LoT1Yv_0rsvo2UaFSejbtGbJVEQafpbpPjf48mj54D9a0Of_p3zL9yL1lXEbjV7rf48dMUG8wRWb_v2oKugi3oB7DPBEDWeHAN8KA6f2WsZ-iD3YnmKAZtRuGO/s2392/Coronodon%20newtonorum.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="2392" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLgPW8jRuZk5Jz7oAITHs5ocda4WZJauuo9ClHwko2f2_QAzHsVNFN4QWUotKS_LoT1Yv_0rsvo2UaFSejbtGbJVEQafpbpPjf48mj54D9a0Of_p3zL9yL1lXEbjV7rf48dMUG8wRWb_v2oKugi3oB7DPBEDWeHAN8KA6f2WsZ-iD3YnmKAZtRuGO/w400-h379/Coronodon%20newtonorum.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i></i><i>The holotype skull, teeth, and mandible of </i>Coronodon newtonorum<i>, ChM PV 2778, the Newton whale.</i> <br /></p><p>Upon further examination, I noted that the isolated cheek tooth of ChM PV 2778 is an upper tooth, and that it fit best into the sockets (alveolus) for the upper M1. The tooth is somewhat smaller than the M1 of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>, an observation I duplicated for the lower 2nd premolar. The periotic is quite a bit more slender than in the holotypes of <i>Coronodon havensteini </i>or <i>Coronodon planifrons </i>- and in many respects, it resembles the juvenile specimens of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>, despite itself being an adult specimen. One feature it shares with <i>Coronodon planifrons</i> is that long lateral tuberosity of the periotic - something lacking in <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>. As it happens, this specimen had a manuscript name and its own genus name - at this point, known only to those who visit Charleston Museum collections and look at the specimen labels where they're written - but the species name actually was proposed to be "<i>newtoni</i>" by Al Sanders and Larry Barnes. We went with this for two reasons: 1) it honored the earlier work by Al Sanders; 2) Claude and Albert Newton found and collected the specimen; and 3) the Newton family participated in 'volunteer night' at Charleston Museum for many years. There was just one catch, which we discovered during the proofing stage: "<i>newtoni</i>" honors only a single male member of the Newton family... and we didn't know which one, because Claude and Albert Newton both participated in the excavation. So, at the last minute, we changed the name to "<i>newtonorum</i>" to honor the whole family, and Claude and Albert in particular. I have not yet met anyone from the Newton family, but I'm hoping to now that the word is out! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjrYvF0dYW9c6H8CimPxqPp4VaK_Gx7S77bRVpOsJn2RN_0kSju08mOcy7V3CkJpleunYttrtKYncVJHQVzUMprJutW55zCvPoV7RCKuUFKTVy1_rYTgJf6DaFhY7RFdQEX5QdIcghDIl9fyrKLGEXObs9GlnDHAv1pCDTe-1mRNhTx3PmtAiHskN/s1622/skull%20comparison.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1622" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjrYvF0dYW9c6H8CimPxqPp4VaK_Gx7S77bRVpOsJn2RN_0kSju08mOcy7V3CkJpleunYttrtKYncVJHQVzUMprJutW55zCvPoV7RCKuUFKTVy1_rYTgJf6DaFhY7RFdQEX5QdIcghDIl9fyrKLGEXObs9GlnDHAv1pCDTe-1mRNhTx3PmtAiHskN/w400-h296/skull%20comparison.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Line drawings of the skulls of </i>Coronodon havensteini<i>, </i>Coronodon planifrons<i>, and </i>Coronodon newtonorum <i>from the Oligocene rocks of Charleston, SC.</i><br /></p><p><b>Other Specimens and the Importance of Publishing on the the "Dregs"</b></p><p>In addition to describing the new specimens of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i> and the two new species, I also wanted to take the opportunity to include a bunch of more fragmentary specimens. These are specimens that 1) could have conceivably been published as a separate paper but 2) the submission/revision process would have probably eaten up more time than the specimens are worth. Since my time is at a premium compared to earlier in my career, I decided instead to include these as 'accessory' data, so to speak. These come in two categories: 1) a bunch of isolated teeth and 2) a partial cranium from the Cooper River.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSqBJhNNipcYcUJLsP1sskTbmw36GL_50-lwsuN59VIZYULOZPvihxxtKkOfEIRf0Rg7SEDtiwujE75dxa9AqyKgKeagwobDFwirFVbCM-tdQ2mHIx1c--DgLZOEzuN8xUsSIVLfjfnW-RBZtrRYxaJpMrZTTJdMx_CbdDbWiLomWp-vQUUO54dRO/s1200/revised%20tooth%20count.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1141" data-original-width="1200" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSqBJhNNipcYcUJLsP1sskTbmw36GL_50-lwsuN59VIZYULOZPvihxxtKkOfEIRf0Rg7SEDtiwujE75dxa9AqyKgKeagwobDFwirFVbCM-tdQ2mHIx1c--DgLZOEzuN8xUsSIVLfjfnW-RBZtrRYxaJpMrZTTJdMx_CbdDbWiLomWp-vQUUO54dRO/w400-h380/revised%20tooth%20count.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i>Isolated teeth of </i>Coronodon <i>from the Charleston embayment. Most of these are isolated, except for C-F, which are two associated teeth. Specimen K-L is one of the oldest discoveries made of </i>Coronodon<i>, found in 1974.</i><br /><p></p><p>The isolated teeth constitute every single specimen we are aware of in museum collections at CCNHM and Charleston Museum. There may be more teeth in the South Carolina State Museum, which we did not sample. The lion's share of these lack good data and are identified as <i>Coronodon</i> sp., since it is unclear what species they belong to. One tooth, mentioned above, was identified as the distinctive M3 of <i>Coronodon planifrons</i>. Confusingly, this specimen was found at the same time and locality as the <i>Coronodon planifrons</i> holotype - but is from the same side as the M3, rather than the opposite side - so must represent a different specimen. The preservation is also not terribly similar. Altogether, there are 13 isolated teeth, found as early as 1973 (and possibly earlier). In contrast, I see at least a couple dozen teeth of the giant dolphin <i>Ankylorhiza </i>collected from the Charleston area and posted onto fossil groups on Facebook every year. I've estimated in the past that there are probably in excess of 100 <i>Ankylorhiza </i>teeth for every isolated <i>Coronodon </i>tooth. I'm only aware of three such teeth found since I started in 2015, and about 2-3 additional teeth remaining in private collections, in addition to the 13 isolated teeth we described. <i>Coronodon </i>is a very rare fossil, and I'm confident we probably have published virtually all of those discovered in the Charleston area.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QJTnsyxTIZKZl8paQ09efOPFi5BB_HiVk0mfwa29FtdtGQosVO1CvM6Umw5Jca9215qXPc1KObGbrN6Z8v3GFnBUrlXs7w0WR2yEcOZZEJ5dxCmTZtTW2wBDMXbnOG6iamzYebyxNvf8pNW8CkWqEf18doh1iVfLJtTEPAGYR0_PM1hCVlDEFvxv/s1200/Cooper%20river%20skull.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1200" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QJTnsyxTIZKZl8paQ09efOPFi5BB_HiVk0mfwa29FtdtGQosVO1CvM6Umw5Jca9215qXPc1KObGbrN6Z8v3GFnBUrlXs7w0WR2yEcOZZEJ5dxCmTZtTW2wBDMXbnOG6iamzYebyxNvf8pNW8CkWqEf18doh1iVfLJtTEPAGYR0_PM1hCVlDEFvxv/w400-h369/Cooper%20river%20skull.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> Partial skull CCNHM 8745 - a partial braincase indicating the presence of a third member of the </i>Coronodon <i>clade, now known as the family Coronodonidae.</i><br /></p><p>A partial skull consisting of a phosphatized braincase with a bit of attached matrix has been floating around in our collection for years - sadly, the collector data is lacking, and the most likely collector - Stephen Miller - passed away a few years ago. According to Mark Havenstein, the preservation resembled fossils from the bottom of the Cooper and Edisto rivers, but not from the Wando River where the holotype of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i> and <i>Inermorostrum xenops </i>were discovered - river fossils there were typically grey to black, rather than brown. A clue to the origin of this specimen came from a sea turtle beak published in 2017 by Rob Weems and Mace Brown, who at the time, noted that the specimen had been collected from the Cooper River near Goose Creek, South Carolina. They identified it as the sea turtle <i>Euclastes</i>, and noted that fossils of the archaeocete <i>Dorudon serratus </i>were found with it on the river bottom and attributed to uppermost Eocene strata. The supposed archaeocete specimens, I was told on a different occasion, were this skull and an atlas vertebra thought to be associated with it - however, the atlas was actually from the giant dolphin <i>Ankylorhiza</i>. The Ankylorhiza atlas suggested Oligocene age - and indeed, there are not really any Eocene rocks in the subsurface there - not as shallow as the river bottom - and the river erodes instead into the Ashley Formation. While it's possible the specimens could have been transported from upstream, the vertebra is clearly from a large odontocete and the skull was a good match for Coronodon or something similar. Further, adhering matrix most closely resembles the Ashley Formation and there are these distinctive little convex clams preserved that are common in Ashley Formation nodules from Lowcountry rivers. I used to think that perhaps it was intermediate in morphology between <i>Coronodon </i>and Basilosauridae, but the more I looked at it the more it resembled <i>Coronodon</i>. The differences are mostly around the interorbital region of the skull: it has tiny, short nasal bones that are flat. Some aspects resemble <i>Coronodon </i>more than Basilosauridae and indicate this specimen belongs to Neoceti - the premaxilla contacts the frontal bone (in Basilosauridae the premaxilla terminates further anteriorly and is 'pinched' out by the nasal and maxilla), and the nasals are quite short with the 'blowhole' positioned far posteriorly, just somewhat in front of the eye sockets (resembling <i>Coronodon</i>) rather than halfway out on the rostrum (like Basilosauridae).</p><p>So, why publish on the "dregs" of collections? Two major reasons. First, out of scientific thoroughness: I've seen the dangers of "headhunting" - focusing on only the very best specimens, relegating the "dregs" of museum collections to oblivion. This is an underappreciated problem - from my perspective, I've seen so many specimens forgotten by disinterested or unthorough researchers sit untouched in museum collections. Why should we bother keeping such specimens if they're not going to be useful? I have the radical idea that *most* specimens should be published, as many, if not most, are more informative than is generally appreciated. Second, such specimens can provide unexpected benefits. For example: our suite of teeth sugests that Coronodon is quite rare as far as Oligocene marine mammal fosils are concerned. And, more critically, the 'ugly duckling' skull CCNHM 8745 may not be the most informative specimen of our study, but it does indicate that there are three coronodonid genera present in Oligocene rocks here: <i>Coronodon</i>, the larger <i>Basilosaurus</i>-sized cousin "Hoss" (e.g. ChM PV 5720), and the taxon represented by CCNHM 8745.<br /></p><p><b>Introducing the New Family Coronodonidae </b></p><p>The recognition of at least one other unnamed genus of <i>Coronodon</i>-like whale in this paper - along with a third containing the unstudied specimen ChM PV 5720, aka "Hoss" - led us to name the family level clade containing <i>Coronodon</i>. Unfortunately, Coronodontidae is preoccupied by some Devonian sharks, the type genus of which is <i>Coronodus</i>. Family names in taxonomy are pretty rigid: they have to have "-idae" onto the end of the type genus name. So, the other family I'm familiar with, Eomysticetidae? "-idae" is swapped for the last syllable in <i>Eomysticetus</i>. The correct familial emendation of <i>Coronodon </i>would be Coronodontidae - which is preoccupied. So, in lieu of that, according to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), you just add "-idae" onto the end of the genus name, however it is spelled. Hence, Coronodonidae - which admittedly does not slip off the tongue quite as nicely as Coronodontidae, but there's nothing I can really do about it. Whenever "Hoss" gets described, it will be named within the Coronodonidae - and is already recognized as one in our paper. This family, by the way, is diagnosed by a long list of features including a blade-like part of the premaxilla that extends in front of the incisors, dorsally curving nasal bones, a lightly articulated (and possibly flexible) rostrum, deep zygomatic processes with enormous sternomastoid fossae just behind them, large cheek teeth bearing at least five mesial cusps, and cheek teeth that are highly emergent from their sockets - among a bunch of other features.</p><p>Next up: part 3 - new observations of the growth and functional anatomy of <i>Coronodon </i>and the surprising results of our phylogenetic analysis: is <i>Coronodon </i>actually a mysticete or could it be a late-surviving archaeocete?<br /></p></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-20171960205066046612023-04-15T11:21:00.006-06:002023-05-01T09:45:00.866-06:00New fossils of Coronodon 1: new specimens of Coronodon havensteini<div><p>This Friday sees the publication of an expansive <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/14795/">new monograph on the toothed baleen whale <i>Coronodon havensteini</i> in the journal PeerJ</a>. I wish I could say I spent years on this, but as it happens, I wrote most of this in a marathon last summer to get it ready for an edited volume which was due in late September - in a stroke of irony, I assumed a monograph length paper was ok [narrator: it wasn not]. So, we formatted and submitted instead a couple weeks later to PeerJ. I had done some of the descriptive work on this in spring 2022, and much of the photography as early as 2017, but by and large, I cranked this monograph out in about five months. The monograph reports new specimens of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>, names two new species - <i>Coronodon newtonorum</i> and <i>Coronodon planifrons - </i>and investigates the skeletal anatomy, body size, vertebral count, locomotion, biochronology/evolution, and phylogenetic relationships of <i>Coronodon. </i>The primary goal of this paper was to publish ALL known specimens of <i>Coronodon. </i>Future work coming down the pipe will include 1) a broader analysis of the dentition and feeding ecology of <i>Coronodon </i>and other toothed mysticetes and 2) a description of "Hoss", <i>Coronodon</i>'s larger cousin.<i></i></p><p><a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2023/04/new-fossils-of-coronodon-2-two-new.html">For the second post in this series, click here.</a></p><p><a href="https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2023/05/new-fossils-of-coronodon-3-implications.html">For the third post in this series, click here.</a><br /></p><p>Spoiler alert: this new study does NOT report much in the way of new evidence weighing in on the dental filtration hypothesis. There is another manuscript focused completely on that subject still in the works.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00h9KNLKNVpjRNaDR1qae-0I4eTh6iolt79PCWS-Ts_8aODGF8wHDqHJ3dgvl_my8TJTuXqdJfaKQep-fK6275ETGEjCt7Fo1Vf34w4-XcbF2PPcrkgpoAk4YUVApNTVMc6cmzUVx-bIF3Ws0e8TwUgU_mAm93-XxwTYjFq2wqaniCUzv9k182GM4/s820/title%20page.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="820" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00h9KNLKNVpjRNaDR1qae-0I4eTh6iolt79PCWS-Ts_8aODGF8wHDqHJ3dgvl_my8TJTuXqdJfaKQep-fK6275ETGEjCt7Fo1Vf34w4-XcbF2PPcrkgpoAk4YUVApNTVMc6cmzUVx-bIF3Ws0e8TwUgU_mAm93-XxwTYjFq2wqaniCUzv9k182GM4/w400-h248/title%20page.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> Title page of our shiny new, enormous paper!</i><br /></p><p><b>Introduction</b></p><p>Taking a step back - modern baleen whales are quite distinctive in lacking teeth as adults, and instead have the unique soft tissue structure that gives them their name - baleen - which is a gingival tissue growing from the palate and constructed out of keratin, the same material that makes up your fingernails, hair, and various other structures in mammals. Fossils of the earliest baleen whales, however, still had teeth - while this sounds surprising to most at first thought, it shouldn't be - having teeth is the norm in mammals, and of course dolphins (Odontoceti) have teeth - so of course at some point they had to have been lost. The first toothed mysticete fossils were not found until the 1960s, but generally recognized as archaeocetes until the 1990s. This is partly due to 1) overemphasis of study on Neogene (Miocene and Pliocene) fossil baleen whales which are very similar to extant species resulting in a poor understanding of what features evolved early at the mysticete-odontocete split and 2) the fact that most toothed mysticetes are quite similar to ancestral archaeocetes.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNDuUkXlzMm2hdYrM_hcObM5v8_lM147d-8xXa5VEO1ibTcb_GUeny8dLjDrdZzUTNF1N6NwVcKaIRxfQ0SyOndOOCsNtYmGRULlQ0HOW192Jp_CJrws6F1RedudPluUVpbB7va8kxhPKJ_QUIy0uutP_u1WsgZMMKvDahDDJeLaeFBlPhtXkkYYt/s704/isolated%20tooth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="704" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNDuUkXlzMm2hdYrM_hcObM5v8_lM147d-8xXa5VEO1ibTcb_GUeny8dLjDrdZzUTNF1N6NwVcKaIRxfQ0SyOndOOCsNtYmGRULlQ0HOW192Jp_CJrws6F1RedudPluUVpbB7va8kxhPKJ_QUIy0uutP_u1WsgZMMKvDahDDJeLaeFBlPhtXkkYYt/w400-h340/isolated%20tooth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i>ChM PV 9163, </i>Coronodon<i> sp., likely the historically earliest </i>Coronodon <i>specimen ever collected, found in 1974.</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvAX54CZey65sHd_xIxmTUCsMe3FYeRYKRLD-TfMXElTDvifLIdrb7TRsOerAUfRDRoSpQgSf1Sb_vhQPt3T44lFjlMmd-cvHJlc91MwhHgSWLoBdPpKAKUC3bE9xNqe2qjp9IG6uLHNaHEySmtl4gixQC_FpUoz_EWMV9UxN4_wyAqQj7PDhMoFV/s2392/Coronodon%20newtonorum.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="2392" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvAX54CZey65sHd_xIxmTUCsMe3FYeRYKRLD-TfMXElTDvifLIdrb7TRsOerAUfRDRoSpQgSf1Sb_vhQPt3T44lFjlMmd-cvHJlc91MwhHgSWLoBdPpKAKUC3bE9xNqe2qjp9IG6uLHNaHEySmtl4gixQC_FpUoz_EWMV9UxN4_wyAqQj7PDhMoFV/w400-h379/Coronodon%20newtonorum.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> ChM PV 2778, the specimen that is now published as the holotype of </i>Coronodon newtonorum <i>- the earliest discovered skull of </i>Coronodon.<i><br /></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p>In the 1970s and 1980s a few low key discoveries were made here in Charleston. I say low key because for a long time they were never published upon - just presented at a few paleontology conferences in the 1990s, and colloquially known about within paleocetological circles for decades. Some archaeocete-like teeth were found as early as 1974. In 1978, a partial skull with teeth resembling basilosaurid whales was found in North Charleston near the Air Force base and what is now the Boeing plant, in what used to be a trailer park - a low income neighborhood that was re-zoned for an access road to a new Boeing plant, closed down, and razed (there's still nothing built there, by the way, it's just a buffer zone apparently). This specimen was collected for Charleston Museum and numbered ChM PV 2778. It came from a rock unit that would be named the Chandler Bridge Formation in 1986. ChM PV 2778 preserved a partial rostrum and a nearly complete mandible, generally revealing a basilosaurid-like whale with a skull about a meter in length. In 1989, a small skull, ChM PV 4745, was found revealing much more of the skull - a delicately constructed rostrum that is triangular and dorsoventrally flattened into the familiar shape we see in modern baleen whales - though the snout is a bit more robust than what we see in modern species, likely to accommodate some bite force during feeding. This specimen is somewhat older and was collected from the Ashley Formation. A third specimen, ChM PV 5720, indicated the presence of a <i>Basilosaurus</i>-sized whale - at least in terms of skull size - with even larger teeth, a slightly deeper and longer rostrum, with enormous temporal fossae housing massive jaw closing muscles. Charleston Museum curator Al Sanders teamed up with prominent marine mammal paleontologist (and Los Angeles NHM vertebrate paleontology curator) Larry Barnes* to study these fossils. They presented their findings at a couple of conferences in the mid 1990s, and never published anything on them; Al led the projects describing the toothless mysticetes from the Oligocene 'rocks' of Charleston which would eventually be published in 2002 as <i>Eomysticetus whitmorei</i> and <i>Micromysticetus rothauseni</i>. The fossils were by the early 2000s known colloquially as "archaeomysticetes". In 2003, Jonathan Geisler published the main study from his dissertation titled "Morphological Evidence for the Phylogeny of Cetacea", coauthored with Al Sanders, and reporting the first truly modern morphological phylogenetic analysis of Neoceti. This study included a bunch of as-yet unnamed odontocetes as individual taxa represented just by their specimen numbers - and also including two 'archaeomysticetes', ChM PV 4745 and 5720. Dozens of papers reporting fossil mysticetes used these codings, and Al was happy enough to host visitors at Charleston Museum to come see the specimens - with the understanding that the specimens could be coded, photographed, and examined, but not described or have published photos since the project was unpublished.<br /></p><p>*Barnes is an imposing figure in our field - arguably marine mammal paleontologist Remington Kellogg's heir in North America - he dominated marine mammal paleontology until he retired from LACM about a decade ago and named in excess of 50 species.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZGuIEyVqAhCMqHAEASll7zRT7iaHm0tmm07e5ngFUj2HHfsqJSRaweG6DCBsfhRMQBxiAw95WGiwE3_pSph9IwmdxqQAfzJJsDF49aJc3U8t4rTjd9NGLcwgs0OI1NBeM-gr2OW-2h-76tDyJug6s1MOBE0SagfZWqvE8V4z8kDvhw9gf16vSUFu/s3888/IMG_5306.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZGuIEyVqAhCMqHAEASll7zRT7iaHm0tmm07e5ngFUj2HHfsqJSRaweG6DCBsfhRMQBxiAw95WGiwE3_pSph9IwmdxqQAfzJJsDF49aJc3U8t4rTjd9NGLcwgs0OI1NBeM-gr2OW-2h-76tDyJug6s1MOBE0SagfZWqvE8V4z8kDvhw9gf16vSUFu/w400-h266/IMG_5306.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>My Ph.D. adviser, R. Ewan Fordyce, examining the rostrum of ChM PV 4745 in October 2012 during my east coast museum trip during the first year of my doctoral program.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2bn-SS14ajXXg6YTPwZqdVz5T_0EwHYemlAy6E-63cQL3vYngA0rC5hbIyC2HGaPGnRGlWrWgVTCAQdGItkQ9aKCdignih0Brwx2wvFEPAiS0loiS5P56_jvGuPFrJjC_CHyFzcRRvGxSbofos9mG3azBKhTK3H_QtxYbOqOZ0suOHfQg3vrSvno/s3888/IMG_5288.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2bn-SS14ajXXg6YTPwZqdVz5T_0EwHYemlAy6E-63cQL3vYngA0rC5hbIyC2HGaPGnRGlWrWgVTCAQdGItkQ9aKCdignih0Brwx2wvFEPAiS0loiS5P56_jvGuPFrJjC_CHyFzcRRvGxSbofos9mG3azBKhTK3H_QtxYbOqOZ0suOHfQg3vrSvno/w400-h266/IMG_5288.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i> The rostrum and braincase of ChM PV 4745 jigged up into near correct articulation at Charleston Museum in Oct. 2012.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i> <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpReKTfMsImL3roqhH3tWz7yTMTEexxS9TPsRS9uId5QhwD31L5JtsgZKvXLIH9S_oTM2BKp1adc0L9QpTtA1umkyyr6vqKXQwyIa9aWl-mjU5IRJW_kJ8LOtiMgXJU-01PzyiD99PhFzVEwweZZGeh37WVEYFPoInqv2yPdvi2c4ZPDSPjnMs-q4F/s3888/IMG_5558.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpReKTfMsImL3roqhH3tWz7yTMTEexxS9TPsRS9uId5QhwD31L5JtsgZKvXLIH9S_oTM2BKp1adc0L9QpTtA1umkyyr6vqKXQwyIa9aWl-mjU5IRJW_kJ8LOtiMgXJU-01PzyiD99PhFzVEwweZZGeh37WVEYFPoInqv2yPdvi2c4ZPDSPjnMs-q4F/w400-h266/IMG_5558.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Mace Brown taking a break from preparing specimens in what is now the CCNHM collections room, but what used to be a bit of a workshop and prep lab, with the "Wando whale", CCNHM 108, sitting on the table. October 2012.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nQbsu60oIxVRLQBiYGOqx1WVLLF0qeRMBJ5KFGjOMYMrnyk3vYhvnT4OOkQeOMf_Wapozs4Kw8XJPX5yPeu5DGzBTSt_k6RpQR9WBmdwKi2iqGN_uY6TJ5A7hrpndiiqwyzxxSs3krVVccWqqQAb1kI2HUjWVKN1OXa93Ce3aSQyZ6KJNFENzyav/s3008/DSC_2389.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3008" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nQbsu60oIxVRLQBiYGOqx1WVLLF0qeRMBJ5KFGjOMYMrnyk3vYhvnT4OOkQeOMf_Wapozs4Kw8XJPX5yPeu5DGzBTSt_k6RpQR9WBmdwKi2iqGN_uY6TJ5A7hrpndiiqwyzxxSs3krVVccWqqQAb1kI2HUjWVKN1OXa93Ce3aSQyZ6KJNFENzyav/w400-h266/DSC_2389.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Ewan Fordyce and Al Sanders talking about Oligocene cetaceans - two giants in marine mammal paleontology, College of Charleston, October 2012. Photo by Tatsuro Ando.</i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzBZHlJh9HpnQGoTUjzB0oICX9jIWRMPPVvBUFXAQZiadQRuFEbhANb8iQfeHNDBJYrN-3UTV2Qyzis7f9nEm2Q7k1ET1sXVSY6Eo02j2JluW2hXMfJirVHj-q4bkr02gfJ3lT70DB5CUH2wSLC0SI-5OwJpfOj64XgAxGSBSTtbwwnIzim9XMCG9/s3888/IMG_5565.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzBZHlJh9HpnQGoTUjzB0oICX9jIWRMPPVvBUFXAQZiadQRuFEbhANb8iQfeHNDBJYrN-3UTV2Qyzis7f9nEm2Q7k1ET1sXVSY6Eo02j2JluW2hXMfJirVHj-q4bkr02gfJ3lT70DB5CUH2wSLC0SI-5OwJpfOj64XgAxGSBSTtbwwnIzim9XMCG9/w400-h266/IMG_5565.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><i></i><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Eric Ekdale (left), Ewan Fordyce (center), and Tatsuro Ando (right) examining CCNHM 108, the Wando Whale, in October 2012 at CCNHM.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oxfIzyZ0JtUqqTXdxxMwNe-a3cQJv4QMs4cQA-hql2uxPu4X9SLqXlt_c0UeE0sJ-1andWz1OSJDcWOpWO8U0Ejz9PBASvReVpiIDkBGldRglQhAYD9V9encV1DEAnSjDAkuyzz5QxBPBeVxUSwcy7kpAo1qkjveLM7qOPp9-kyUKazRixzwbxzT/s3888/IMG_5603.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oxfIzyZ0JtUqqTXdxxMwNe-a3cQJv4QMs4cQA-hql2uxPu4X9SLqXlt_c0UeE0sJ-1andWz1OSJDcWOpWO8U0Ejz9PBASvReVpiIDkBGldRglQhAYD9V9encV1DEAnSjDAkuyzz5QxBPBeVxUSwcy7kpAo1qkjveLM7qOPp9-kyUKazRixzwbxzT/w400-h266/IMG_5603.JPG" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Another great shot of Ewan and Al discussing 'archaeomysticetes' at CCNHM, October 2012.</i></div><div><i> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ70LZ__zpgy3lajGaCpfmDRKra6LGfBZ0OL3H11OIcadXaiRN42Bls_ErIr5BAZbErw2SAk1vUhxhheIxEDCbFWU9ScP7KRLXKkdBIC9PHWsXOZ2x2Tsw6yWp7dF3lRS_Wn6Gc2Z-sPe4UGrtNBj5yuamHJnI05dkumGiZ-6KuFzPO-0jhk4Xu3oP/s3888/IMG_5936.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ70LZ__zpgy3lajGaCpfmDRKra6LGfBZ0OL3H11OIcadXaiRN42Bls_ErIr5BAZbErw2SAk1vUhxhheIxEDCbFWU9ScP7KRLXKkdBIC9PHWsXOZ2x2Tsw6yWp7dF3lRS_Wn6Gc2Z-sPe4UGrtNBj5yuamHJnI05dkumGiZ-6KuFzPO-0jhk4Xu3oP/w400-h266/IMG_5936.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></i></div><div><i></i></div><div><i></i></div><div><i></i></div><div><i></i></div><div><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The loose teeth of the "Wando whale", CCNHM 108, prior to having been glued into their sockets. CCNHM, October 2012.<br /></i></div><div><i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizu_p5hqrQtYNL5EHbjmB7c25Zb7ZAfH3uozM3rMKX3KqWJqm-DHJDUTrouJS0fQjNC2vwKWu9Y83g2z-4xZZebqZRXLRLFcs37AKd2d4R_WLAdhlXW8kJRVFyV5jqMmLd-QhbxClHHQXiVeVtVexFAwN1b42s3hVN8bYyQjneNk7AmR0P9MdDOTHm/s3888/IMG_5914.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizu_p5hqrQtYNL5EHbjmB7c25Zb7ZAfH3uozM3rMKX3KqWJqm-DHJDUTrouJS0fQjNC2vwKWu9Y83g2z-4xZZebqZRXLRLFcs37AKd2d4R_WLAdhlXW8kJRVFyV5jqMmLd-QhbxClHHQXiVeVtVexFAwN1b42s3hVN8bYyQjneNk7AmR0P9MdDOTHm/s320/IMG_5914.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></i></div><div><i></i></div><div><i></i></div><div><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The "Wando whale", CCNHM 108, as I first examined it in October 2012 at CCNHM. Just an utterly gorgeous specimen.</i></div><div><i> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLw1poOTC-0MjSGieb_nQ1fjlVO99nQGhdAReCI6zg-tfaZrFsiMJH5H86vQ4Wrd4R7BoRGLbVpNAMBQJY4CU_mo0tmsbFDkc7lNUN2wGWdDxkm1YniccW4KKZNJ1B5VBWJXx4uPy6BY2aGECUMmBCo4S5YlT6jQxKB4U7TGNlmw4CkibytR7jq-X/s3888/IMG_5602.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="2592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLw1poOTC-0MjSGieb_nQ1fjlVO99nQGhdAReCI6zg-tfaZrFsiMJH5H86vQ4Wrd4R7BoRGLbVpNAMBQJY4CU_mo0tmsbFDkc7lNUN2wGWdDxkm1YniccW4KKZNJ1B5VBWJXx4uPy6BY2aGECUMmBCo4S5YlT6jQxKB4U7TGNlmw4CkibytR7jq-X/s320/IMG_5602.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /></i></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The lower left P3 of CCNHM 108, originally identified in our 2017 paper as the lower left P2, in my hand. CCNHM, October 2012.<br /></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: left;">I first met Al Sanders, and these specimens in October 2012, being one of those scientists who was given permission to examine unpublished specimens - which was quite generous of Al. Unbeknownst to us, Al had just retired from Charleston Museum. I had also just come from the 2012 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Jonathan Geisler - who I had been working on some research with on the Pliocene whale <i>Herpetocetus </i>- told me about a neat collection under the care of someone named Mace Brown at the College of Charleston. He strongly suggested, in his often understated fashion, that I go visit the new College of Charleston Natural History Museum. I almost didn't, but Brian Beatty communicated a bit more directly with me and said "dude, it's incredible, don't even think of skipping it!". So, after my first full day at Charleston Museum, I took a very quick (and sweaty) walk down to the east side of Charleston, looked out at Fort Sumter, and then hustled back north towards College of Charleston - and found myself walking through this neat little campus with late 18th and early 19th century houses converted into academic departments, incredible oak trees, Spanish moss everywhere - and an incredible registry building that looked a *little* familiar (turns out it served as the magistrate building from the 2000 film The Patriot starring Mel Gibson). When I got to the museum, I immediately saw two incredible specimens: 1) a nearly complete eomysticetid! and 2) a nearly complete 'archaeomysticete' skull that rather looked like ChM PV 4745, the much smaller of the two. This new specimen was later catalogued as CCNHM 108. It had identical looking teeth and a similar triangular rostrum, and I immediately suspected the two were likely the same species, and at least the same genus. More critically, it told me that ChM PV 4745 was almost certainly a juvenile. I had two more days in Charleston, collected a bunch of data and photographs for my thesis, and then went back to New Zealand and focused on eomysticetids and early mysticete phylogeny - with these specimens really leaving a serious impression: all prior studies really left out some big gaps in our knowledge of early mysticete evolution. The 'archaeomysticetes' really needed to be published! On my second day of visiting CCNHM, I sat in the Five Guys on King Street wolfing down a burger and thought "huh, this would be a nice place to work."</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXetf2AaFpoX83md5NH9u601iTHDTEehorlsir8YJCqZbl6IiWd2dBYyyebwJh4ooFLGGKi-VvE7qFajGwQS_CnfysqrRY5jejwrar7_MvQiBYKNXTs5AJ3c9018H63r_m1t4-Tza1boovZzdc8wI0RpyvmCbaKno4Mbi1A9hCCiHfz2W1DVsNPqxi/s4688/IMG_6738.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2584" data-original-width="4688" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXetf2AaFpoX83md5NH9u601iTHDTEehorlsir8YJCqZbl6IiWd2dBYyyebwJh4ooFLGGKi-VvE7qFajGwQS_CnfysqrRY5jejwrar7_MvQiBYKNXTs5AJ3c9018H63r_m1t4-Tza1boovZzdc8wI0RpyvmCbaKno4Mbi1A9hCCiHfz2W1DVsNPqxi/w400-h220/IMG_6738.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The holotype mandible of </i>Llanocetus denticrenatus <i>on display in the Sant Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian (USNM) and the published figure from Mitchell (1989).</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQIWovnvJhYThe0frZSqBSUPpWVkDECcbGyrdZCN9r0VFizW8hB0jDB-La3fUvS0X3wIlwt7DZEyY9kcGJxkKzI80R9sWnZ1mtZmxobRp6poN_qY5jXDUAJYzK5rgfTqgKmyNZEaz5mLFyPsLRU9_wvSezd5Pmp8zB8WcJJAZMEwtjCRo-eyKmCw3/s3888/IMG_6730.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQIWovnvJhYThe0frZSqBSUPpWVkDECcbGyrdZCN9r0VFizW8hB0jDB-La3fUvS0X3wIlwt7DZEyY9kcGJxkKzI80R9sWnZ1mtZmxobRp6poN_qY5jXDUAJYzK5rgfTqgKmyNZEaz5mLFyPsLRU9_wvSezd5Pmp8zB8WcJJAZMEwtjCRo-eyKmCw3/w400-h266/IMG_6730.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A cast of what eventually turned out to be the holotype skull of Llanocetus denticrenatus, on display in the Sant Ocean Hall at USNM. As of April 2023, the actual skull remains at the University of Otago, but will be shipped back to USNM in the future. Originally given an Otago catalog number until it was discovered to represent the same specimen as the holotype, after which an agreement was reached between the two institutions.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><p>A discovery made in parallel - <i>Llanocetus denticrenatus </i>- was originally named in 1989 by Ed Mitchell - a strange toothed mysticete known only from a few fragments and an endocast from the uppermost Eocene La Meseta Formation of Seymour Island, Antarctica. Mitchell's paper had surprisingly far-reaching conclusions in the paper about early mysticete evolution. As it happens, the original fragments had been collected in the 1970s and deposited into USNM (Smithsonian NHM) collections. My Ph.D. advisor, R. Ewan Fordyce, had discovered a nearly complete skull in 1986 at the same locality, and had most of it prepared when Mitchell visited in the late 1980s. Eventually, it turned out that the skull collected and prepared at University of Otago was actually the very same specimen that Mitchell (1989) published on and fragments collected in 1986 matched up with those collected in the 1970s. Fordyce was surprised to see the fragments published in the 1989 article, and the 'scooping' is partly why the rest of the skull was not formally published until 2018.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTcVZyYVa0KssxSwezVpZCzyqdd0Bo83SyHVsTi_ywTjPePAHtoDd6WztwZZJorjN-aO5_VIIVElwtnMvOIdQEaESeJDqfeL-Zvk5FGT9TVjTCPyBxd13RZiIVxCfYV67kYfzDp0aPH32viKU2AdH1MmFxNq4ZecwLuPSpQ5RNAZQ3V6ao_nbHO2f/s1892/Fucaia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="1892" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTcVZyYVa0KssxSwezVpZCzyqdd0Bo83SyHVsTi_ywTjPePAHtoDd6WztwZZJorjN-aO5_VIIVElwtnMvOIdQEaESeJDqfeL-Zvk5FGT9TVjTCPyBxd13RZiIVxCfYV67kYfzDp0aPH32viKU2AdH1MmFxNq4ZecwLuPSpQ5RNAZQ3V6ao_nbHO2f/w400-h274/Fucaia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i> The holotype skull of the small aetiocetid whale</i> "Chonecetus" goedertorum, <i>now </i>Fucaia goedertorum, <i>from Barnes et al. (1995). Species discovered by and named after Jim and Gail Goedert; collected from Twin River Quarry in the Pysht Formation of Washington, USA.</i><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><p>Since the 'archaeomysticetes' were first informally announced, and the original scraps of <i>Llanocetus </i>published, many
discoveries have been made in parallel and the field has had to grow and
move without these fossils, leaving them behind on the wayside, so to
speak. In 1995, a landmark paper by Larry Barnes, Masaichi Kimura, Hitoshi Furusawa, and Hiroshi Sawamura reported a number of new fossils to the Aetiocetidae. Previously, the family was only known from <i>Aetiocetus cotylalveus </i>and <i>Chonecetus sookensis </i>- the former was collected by west coast hero Doug Emlong, and published by him in his only paper in 1966 - and the latter was named by Loris Russell two years later based on an "indifferently preserved" braincase, to quote Ewan Fordyce. Both <i>Chonecetus</i> and <i>Aetiocetus </i>were considered archaeocetes, though Russell noted some odontocete-like features in <i>Chonecetus</i>.This new study by Barnes et al. named the new species <i>Chonecetus goedertorum</i> based on a small, narrow-snouted skull from the Pysht Formation of Washington, USA; the new genus and species <i>Ashorocetus eguchii </i>based on fragmentary <i>Chonecetus</i>-like skull from Japan; <i>Morawanacetus eguchii</i>, based on a somewhat more complete braincase and a large multicuspate molar; and three new species of <i>Aetiocetus: Aetiocetus weltoni </i>from the Yaquina Formation of Oregon, <i>Aetiocetus tomitai </i>from Japan, and the more complete <i>Aetiocetus polydentatus</i>, also from Japan. This study established that 1) aetiocetids were actually toothed mysticetes and 2) toothed mysticetes, at least in the North Pacific, were very diverse. In 2006, Erich Fitzgerald published a spectacular fossil from his Ph.D. research - the new short-snouted, big-eyed toothed mysticete <i>Janjucetus hunderi</i> from the Oligocene of Australia - which indicated that some toothed mysticetes were adapted towards macrophagy, similar to archaeocete whales. This was followed in 2010 by a redescription of <i>Mammalodon colliveri</i>, originally named in the 1930s from a nearby locality, which turned out to be closely related to <i>Janjucetus</i> as well as a benthic suction feeder. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHIWnmrCL8TFCP37bXsuXoyHv50MAn45axwiZp3I_-SWK1ELAadNiL_PBg3WmN30F920merbZtwmMQy19_YFuano8c6lEOwGdEn9bv_QLKgEAw-QwXcdSjGI4Fn_6TDDCAXXaZwvrCjn9tIIkReoaACei6baG7_w9fdy5jFeUHGJF1qko_UcRGCIV/s2010/Demere%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="2010" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHIWnmrCL8TFCP37bXsuXoyHv50MAn45axwiZp3I_-SWK1ELAadNiL_PBg3WmN30F920merbZtwmMQy19_YFuano8c6lEOwGdEn9bv_QLKgEAw-QwXcdSjGI4Fn_6TDDCAXXaZwvrCjn9tIIkReoaACei6baG7_w9fdy5jFeUHGJF1qko_UcRGCIV/w400-h169/Demere%20et%20al.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> Lateral palatal foramina and sulci in a modern mysticete (minke whale, A-B) and in the toothed mysticete </i>Aetiocetus weltoni<i> (D-E), from </i><span class="citation-authors-year"><span class="name" itemprop="author" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span class="surname" itemprop="familyName"><i>Deméré </i></span></span></span><i>et al. (2008). This is now perhaps the single most controversial figure in the history of the study of baleen whales.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">The most controversial study, however, was published by San Diego Natural History Museum curator Tom <span class="citation-authors-year"><span class="name" itemprop="author" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span class="surname" itemprop="familyName">Deméré </span></span></span>and colleagues in 2008, reporting lateral palatal foramina - the osteological correlates of baleen - in <i>Aetiocetus weltoni</i>. They proposed that aetiocetids had teeth and baleen at the same time, and highlighted a stepwise hypothesis for the teeth to baleen transition: toothed ancestry, followed by some species with teeth and baleen, followed by the loss of teeth. Tom showed me the palate of <i>Aetiocetus weltoni </i>in 2007, after I had seen his presentation at the 2006 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology conference and been skeptical - but when I saw the skull in person, I thought "holy shit, he's right!". After the paper came out in 2008, I thought "great! What's next for mysticete paleontology?" and had no clue that we'd still be fighting about it fifteen &%*-ing years later. It's literally been fifteen years. Some studies have tried to argue that baleen wouldn't work with interdigitating teeth; that the baleen itself is not preserved; that the tooth wear indicates suction rather than filter feeding; that maybe the homology is wrong; that hippos have similar structures in their palate yet lack baleen (they're not homologous in hippos); and that mysticetes actually lost their teeth before they gained baleen. All of these are tough sells (in my opinion) and several have been appropriately discounted in the literature (and others are on their way into the rubbish skip at the moment - stay tuned). All of these advances were made without anyone really being able to talk about the 'archaeomysticetes' or <i>Llanocetus</i> in detail.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjr6pOYOaZIXM5KSJJz_CfQy2vlo0wXFmnK7LQHwKGSiqzeiuh6Dz2RlZ1UjvLP_rTtqzRrMYA2YdLo80Pko0pz78l1GciNiyTY5GE1wKJsi7gGMaC9nGN-rnjn9P7gy2u_SzyLFq5gxOEc2h4JY2bvQD8yYqoWU8om_Hgl2KpxodpBbcDHzG0gGRM/s1739/Geisler%20figure%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1311" data-original-width="1739" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjr6pOYOaZIXM5KSJJz_CfQy2vlo0wXFmnK7LQHwKGSiqzeiuh6Dz2RlZ1UjvLP_rTtqzRrMYA2YdLo80Pko0pz78l1GciNiyTY5GE1wKJsi7gGMaC9nGN-rnjn9P7gy2u_SzyLFq5gxOEc2h4JY2bvQD8yYqoWU8om_Hgl2KpxodpBbcDHzG0gGRM/w400-h301/Geisler%20figure%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i><i> Figure 1 from the original paper reporting </i>Coronodon havensteini <i>(CCNHM 108), Geisler et al. (2017).</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Coronodon havensteini </i>- what we originally reported</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">Shortly before my Ph.D. program concluded I was invited by Jonathan Geisler and Brian Beatty to help them wrap up study of CCNHM 108 - the beautiful skull I had seen at CofC in 2012 that I thought was the same taxon as ChM PV 4745. The manuscript focused only on this specimen - and since I had by this point locked down a job at CofC, I'd be able to directly record more observations, measurements, and photographs of the specimen in person. We worked on this for my first two years at CofC, and published "The Origin of Filter Feeding in Whales" in June 2017. In our paper, we named CCNHM 108 as the holotype specimen of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>, finally getting a name attached to the 'archaeomysticetes'. We noted that in addition to an overall morphology that looks like a basilosaurid at first glance, including basilosaurid-like teeth - there are a number of unusual points of feeding morphology that suggest something other than basilosaurid-like feeding.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PxdiPeyrwxhmhO-dTTW2e4yrd2n1Oj_KmCuf2_DUaXctnYK9LEAQqTVnE6gU_EWtZm_8oA8Q1qNdTowG4LZ6mHLxSCFnAbwi18v01lXv7K0_lgPClRqnzUC7z8_XnFh2I7Fczds2NLxdgBGQqOBoZVdBDdwlLeVTiymbgAms3sTtQ93V1j8FdqLq/s1743/Geisler%20figure%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1384" data-original-width="1743" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PxdiPeyrwxhmhO-dTTW2e4yrd2n1Oj_KmCuf2_DUaXctnYK9LEAQqTVnE6gU_EWtZm_8oA8Q1qNdTowG4LZ6mHLxSCFnAbwi18v01lXv7K0_lgPClRqnzUC7z8_XnFh2I7Fczds2NLxdgBGQqOBoZVdBDdwlLeVTiymbgAms3sTtQ93V1j8FdqLq/w400-h318/Geisler%20figure%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i> The mandibular dentition and interdental slots of </i>Coronodon havensteini <i>and a diagram showing water flow through the closed mouth of </i>Coronodon <i>- mandible of the basilosaurid </i>Zygorhiza <i>for comparison. Also tooth erosion and comparison with a Mesoplodon tusk. From Geisler et al. (2017).</i><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><p>First and foremost, <i>Coronodon </i>at first glance appears to have heterodont teeth - incisors, canine, premolars, and molars - which is to be expected for an early toothed mysticete. However, it has actually evolved towards having cheek teeth that are more uniform than in basilosaurids - the premolars and all the molars are similar in size and cusp number, and cannot be easily identified to position without 1) process of elimination and 2) having teeth with complete roots and nice sockets in the mandible. In a way, the postcanine teeth have evolved a degree of homodonty - but not the way you normally think of it in the context of homodont teeth in dolphins, where they're all conical. These cheek teeth, at least in the mandible, also overlap like roof shingles: the posterior half of each tooth is slanted posterolaterally, and each tooth overlaps the next one by nearly a centimeter. We proposed that this could act as a dental filter, as the interdental slots formed by these overlapping teeth are quite narrow. Tooth wear further supported this idea, as the only appreciable apical tooth wear was on the tips of the anterior teeth - incisors through the second premolar. Aside from one or two broken cusps, the cheek teeth are devoid of tooth wear. The wear facet made by the upper and lower teeth locking together are also completely on the side of the tooth and on the root, rather than forming a slicing facet at the tip of the crown like their basilosaurid ancestors - which is the same way we see how dog and cat carnassials slice against each other. This suggests that <i>Coronodon </i>was preferring to bite with its conical anterior teeth and avoiding slicing and dicing (and chewing in general) with the posterior teeth. We also noted that the teeth are pretty emergent from their sockets - e.g., they stick out a LOT - perhaps to help enhance the dental filter. Additionally, the rostrum (snout) of <i>Coronodon </i>is quite wide, like in toothless mysticetes, and quite unlike most other toothless mysticetes, it has reduced bony connections between the bones of the rostrum (more on that).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbAPCTG4buNOmIcKAn-6RABwwyLebJPQTm9rGqYzV9ExcyvlAVjJcsOhoovDLWkqkN4rz8QPE21bX0k2BB5NEA8Ke5s3APsVctau1PWVd8UJs2rdWvF7G10x7_x-FgIK4PA_NBtbstdiPxfSBeKkfqFchi4dUUs_URdOt_L4WEn6vcyZqOwkwFoMz/s1739/Geisler%20figure%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="1739" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbAPCTG4buNOmIcKAn-6RABwwyLebJPQTm9rGqYzV9ExcyvlAVjJcsOhoovDLWkqkN4rz8QPE21bX0k2BB5NEA8Ke5s3APsVctau1PWVd8UJs2rdWvF7G10x7_x-FgIK4PA_NBtbstdiPxfSBeKkfqFchi4dUUs_URdOt_L4WEn6vcyZqOwkwFoMz/w400-h258/Geisler%20figure%204.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> Our partial cladogram and ancestral character state reconstruction of tooth spacing from our 2017 paper on Coronodon (Geisler et al., 2017).</i><br /></p><p>We interpreted this as evidence that <i>Coronodon </i>was adapted to filter feeding with its teeth - and drew comparisons based on similar patterns of tooth wear with the leopard seal <i>Hydrurga leptonyx</i>, which filter feeds for krill much of the year and bites larger prey (e.g. penguins) the rest of the year. <i>Hydrurga </i>has tooth wear concentrated on the canines and incisors and the cheek teeth are relatively unworn. To further test this, we included <i>Coronodon </i>into a new matrix that was sort of a combination of Jonathan Geisler's original matrix from his dissertation and my thesis matrix - we primarily used the former but included a lot of new characters from my thesis. Because the skull of <i>Llanocetus </i>was still unpublished, we used codings from Erich Fitzgerald's paper on <i>Mammalodon</i>. We were interested in tracking the evolution of tooth spacing, so we recorded the relative distance between teeth divided by tooth diameter - <i>Coronodon</i>, with its overlapping teeth, had a negative number, whereas aetiocetids had gaps between their teeth at least 0.5 to 3 times the diameter of teeth (0.5-3). <i>Llanocetus </i>had a similar measurement. We generally found a trend towards wider and wider tooth spacing in later diverging toothed mysticetes - and suggested that perhaps <i>Llanocetus</i>, along with aetiocetids, may have had baleen. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit84MLFfXRdhRoBDQvllnqs22iJb7rQ4DAO_29QYDZ-thDm7T7243DdGl9-wZ1NjLHzFCMIVSDYvGJQ1nKAnYOFErgKRnhsYmSokLvMk2EpAGfRpw72QS9nZIZurpTi3tHSEZe4vpUG2f5uqQVoPRl3uIIXhGgYcDy37OE-uALRlue5N61ujZcXXCj/s741/Hocking%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="741" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit84MLFfXRdhRoBDQvllnqs22iJb7rQ4DAO_29QYDZ-thDm7T7243DdGl9-wZ1NjLHzFCMIVSDYvGJQ1nKAnYOFErgKRnhsYmSokLvMk2EpAGfRpw72QS9nZIZurpTi3tHSEZe4vpUG2f5uqQVoPRl3uIIXhGgYcDy37OE-uALRlue5N61ujZcXXCj/w400-h310/Hocking%20et%20al.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Analysis of tooth sharpness in early mysticetes by Hocking et al. (2017) - CCNHM 166 is now </i>Coronodon<i> </i>planifrons<i>. A fine study, but only if you take the assumption that teeth can only be used for filter feeding if they function the same way as in the extant seals </i>Hydrurga <i>and </i>Lobodon <i>- which was not the argument we made, we argued for the use of interdental slots between the teeth.</i><br /></p><p>This admittedly provocative hypothesis was quickly criticized, and a few months later, our Australian colleagues, led by David Hocking, published an analysis of tooth sharpness and found that, indeed, teeth of <i>Coronodon </i>sp., CCNHM 166 (now <i>Coronodon planifrons</i>) - are sharp. To be precise, the notches between the cusps resemble what you see in the carnassial notch of extant big cats. Armed with this data, they published a paper with the bold title "Ancient whales did not filter with their teeth". Admirable, but it's based on a single aspect of the feeding morphology of <i>Coronodon</i>. We didn't even focus on the cusps- we focused on the interdental notches between the overlapping teeth (which, by the way, still exist). </p><p><b>What's new with <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>?</b></p><p>I'll be covering the two new species in a followup blog post, but before that, let's cover the new specimens and their insights into the anatomy and growth of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>. We report in this paper three new partial skulls of <i>Coronodon havensteini</i>: ChM PV 4745, the juvenile specimen originally under study by Al Sanders, CCNHM 8722, a second juvenile skull collected just in the past couple of years (nicknamed the Volcko juvenile, after the collector, Jeremmiah Volcko, who co-discovered the <i>Coronodon</i> <i>planifrons</i>, which for a long time was called the Volcko whale or Volcko <i>Coronodon</i>), and CCNHM 164, an old adult nicknamed the Coosaw whale or Coosaw <i>Coronodon</i>.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATLCLBo2a_F_8VfXSuku5Ca___xXbAmAx7tyrUWyc-Lp6jCxEEi6BqveLz5rHIhx-HgW7o4NRKg1FCkHcaP0bkAsejAf9k9HAcO8moe2HfvwTmlU1QTIIDdSjp6XdzfIZYwrj6sqVcPKBJKhUBSHi09HrD6sqxPAcpv8Dcpj1f1Oox3376q0dKK5A/s867/Coronodon%20sample.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="867" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATLCLBo2a_F_8VfXSuku5Ca___xXbAmAx7tyrUWyc-Lp6jCxEEi6BqveLz5rHIhx-HgW7o4NRKg1FCkHcaP0bkAsejAf9k9HAcO8moe2HfvwTmlU1QTIIDdSjp6XdzfIZYwrj6sqVcPKBJKhUBSHi09HrD6sqxPAcpv8Dcpj1f1Oox3376q0dKK5A/w400-h238/Coronodon%20sample.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i> The ontogenetic sequence now established for </i>Coronodon havensteini <i>- two young juveniles or calves, CCNHM 8722, ChM PV 4745 - the adult holotype CCNHM 108 - and the old adult, CCNHM 164.</i><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">The juvenile specimens are small - about 2/3 maximum size - so we're talking about large calves here. Not really babies, but individuals that are small enough to tell us about early growth. Both juveniles happen to have skulls with snouts (rostra) that are surprisingly the same proportions as the adult holotype - same length relative to the braincase, and same length to width ratio. I was not expecting this: in cetaceans, the rostrum is usually shorter in juveniles and lengthens later on during growth. Likewise, another surprising proportional change during growth is that the sagittal crest - a tall ridge of bone on the dorsal side of the braincase forming muscle attachment for the jaw closing muscle (temporalis) gets considerably longer from juvenile to adult. Juveniles tend to have bigger braincases than adults and they grow into them, so to speak, but still, juveniles also tend to exhibit archaic or primitive features that change into the more derived adult morphology during growth. A long sagittal crest is the plesiomorphic condition, yet this increases in length during growth! It's very possible that this ontogenetic sequence is inherited from basilosaurid whales - we know very little about their growth. The upper teeth in ChM PV 4745 are preserved in situ, and they are not very emergent from the upper jaw (maxilla) - in fact, the base of the enamel crown is still obscured by the bone in side view. This tells us that eruption of the teeth is delayed late into growth. Additionally, the teeth in the upper jaw overlap one another, just like the mandibular teeth of the holotype specimen. This is almost certainly a consequence of having to erupt enormous adult teeth into a small head - and I've seen baby and juvenile sea lion jaws where the teeth are overlapping early and and rotate during later growth and separate. These juveniles also have different looking earbones than the adult: the periotic/petrosal bones are narrower and more gracile, and the tympanic bulla is smaller.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1a8fuXx2ejyeQ-E4wV5flfvTI3qJfd__f-lPDAQ89S48008JInHXHC2ddkDbqzDuY4zFNp-CrHq-Wn0uvuIfhIZHnwuQUUEXX5dTS_QFfDZix8sgKQs_lVyO0ogfPOEmmkpAhHuiza8MvVaqcdofykl9mkY5K6EKhe2lyKAVgxUBx5WmEMiGjh-E/s1988/havensteini%20mandibles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1988" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1a8fuXx2ejyeQ-E4wV5flfvTI3qJfd__f-lPDAQ89S48008JInHXHC2ddkDbqzDuY4zFNp-CrHq-Wn0uvuIfhIZHnwuQUUEXX5dTS_QFfDZix8sgKQs_lVyO0ogfPOEmmkpAhHuiza8MvVaqcdofykl9mkY5K6EKhe2lyKAVgxUBx5WmEMiGjh-E/w400-h230/havensteini%20mandibles.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Adult mandibles of </i>Coronodon havensteini: <i>holotype, CCNHM 108 (top) and old adult, CCNHM 164 (bottom).</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLi0IVNsA_GUTGFaGJJSTXbdmSpX4W0NbYKSFgEKUrZWMIjZaorpO5sjD9xV_qzxUAyIuq7CF5SpK9Wb-7L8m6QM0081wVvvQyID9xdJstJ6XNxgwk2cDLu5mMTwXm8m3XFPLgu7qrDB2pmAlUfVLqszeJYY4No4z8Z72M1WzyA6ivwxFVw4HUPlr/s2230/CCNHM%20164%20teeth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1549" data-original-width="2230" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLi0IVNsA_GUTGFaGJJSTXbdmSpX4W0NbYKSFgEKUrZWMIjZaorpO5sjD9xV_qzxUAyIuq7CF5SpK9Wb-7L8m6QM0081wVvvQyID9xdJstJ6XNxgwk2cDLu5mMTwXm8m3XFPLgu7qrDB2pmAlUfVLqszeJYY4No4z8Z72M1WzyA6ivwxFVw4HUPlr/w400-h278/CCNHM%20164%20teeth.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /> Upper teeth of </i>Coronodon havensteini <i>- the three teeth up top were all we had in the holotype, but these somewhat more worn teeth of the old adult, CCNHM 164, help fill in some of the morphology.</i><br /><p></p><p>The old adult specimen, CCNHM 164, is missing a rostrum but has a partial braincase that is quite fractured. It also has many more of the upper teeth preserved than in the holotype - and the teeth in general are a bit more worn down, as to be expected in an old adult. There are also many more incisors: these are surprisingly tiny, far smaller than the reconstructed teeth present in the holotype specimen - 1/2 to 2/3 the diameter, and with smaller crowns. This suggests that <i>Coronodon </i>had comically small grasping teeth in the front of the jaw in comparison to the rather large premolars and molars that overlap one another. CCNHM 164 also has a disarticulated rostrum, and we can see the articular surface on the premaxilla (the bone that makes up the middle of the snout, and houses the incisors; all other teeth are embedded in the maxilla). First, this means that the rostrum was loosely articulated enough that it was able to fall apart after death: the premaxilla fell off the skull, and the maxilla from the premaxilla - <i>in an old adult. </i>This means that the rostrum of <i>Coronodon </i>is lightly built and did not fuse at all during growth - in other words, this is not just another suture that will firm up during growth. The rostrum of <i>Coronodon</i> was also probably kinetic to some degree - an adaptation we see in modern baleen whales, thought to be correlated with dispersing the mechanical stresses involved with filter feeding, but admittedly poorly understood and understudied.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2o9lm-j8mzQ9gx0DDKokdhl4mQTf4n3fhzFHZeV4lj6Ebhl6PAQlJScbJmcDcqXv2mL9RxWOx3hSrgbIxGk045mDEbhYRAPXfgnRCkOWysFgZhv4uKHO_Smw09qMfEoIbkETEF76GIHWV6Lm7CR31-Z_N9jMhab5qupBgJIeK4o6WFafj5c9Zcnd8/s2230/havensteini%20earbones.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2173" data-original-width="2230" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2o9lm-j8mzQ9gx0DDKokdhl4mQTf4n3fhzFHZeV4lj6Ebhl6PAQlJScbJmcDcqXv2mL9RxWOx3hSrgbIxGk045mDEbhYRAPXfgnRCkOWysFgZhv4uKHO_Smw09qMfEoIbkETEF76GIHWV6Lm7CR31-Z_N9jMhab5qupBgJIeK4o6WFafj5c9Zcnd8/w400-h390/havensteini%20earbones.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Ontogenetic sequence of </i>Coronodon havensteini <i>periotic bones. From top to bottom: juvenile, CCNHM 8722; juvenile, ChM PV 4745; adult holotype, CCNHM 108; old adult, CCNHM 164.</i><br /></p><p>CCNHM 164 also has periotic bones that are really, really inflated: along with the gracile juvenile periotics, this indicates that the periotic becomes thicker and more robust during growth, without getting any longer. The tympanic bulla also grows from juvenile to adult - CCNHM 8722 has the smallest bulla, ChM PV 4745 is a bit larger, and CCNHM 108 has an even larger bulla (none preserved in CCNHM 164). This same pattern is known in basilosaurid whales as well as the eomysticetid whale <i>Waharoa ruwhenua</i>, but in modern baleen whales, so far as we can tell, the bulla is adult size at birth. The same is true for odontocetes which have been studied.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxtIkALYZN9dnK6bZVjEvaZqqC8Q79PjuXU5rOVo0ad_luRoPgTmBu7mCEGbQkFlQruYWzV4LHbL_5XzhOjDvqfTxE-x566ATMjWhnaqjJolj9LjlybJn6JQNXAWVdxAvSVbkmpjgHcgbaj8Xqq8pxJGOCSNTO9KlERCYPfSCM2KT3ricSugksCuk/s3960/postcrania.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2336" data-original-width="3960" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxtIkALYZN9dnK6bZVjEvaZqqC8Q79PjuXU5rOVo0ad_luRoPgTmBu7mCEGbQkFlQruYWzV4LHbL_5XzhOjDvqfTxE-x566ATMjWhnaqjJolj9LjlybJn6JQNXAWVdxAvSVbkmpjgHcgbaj8Xqq8pxJGOCSNTO9KlERCYPfSCM2KT3ricSugksCuk/w400-h236/postcrania.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Postcranial bones of </i>Coronodon havensteini <i>- holotype specimen, CCNHM 108, on left, and referred old adult specimen, CCNHM 164, on right.</i><br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKTCbC8lafZED4yftl6eYoS8NGNOIu4E0aU6GlQdbF2eOOANHuqJGE3ojVAj_y3AWzfhzu2Uu3xi8DQlpPT1m093-6VpGd5MEWthpUBmMFSiLD3qcpXQt6by5l1Ox2bvrxcQegqJLSzccG3_ZvK6GPQ0jtRW2q9sREKGp5P_BWaXgHSkYcQXuROSi/s1708/skeleton.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="1708" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKTCbC8lafZED4yftl6eYoS8NGNOIu4E0aU6GlQdbF2eOOANHuqJGE3ojVAj_y3AWzfhzu2Uu3xi8DQlpPT1m093-6VpGd5MEWthpUBmMFSiLD3qcpXQt6by5l1Ox2bvrxcQegqJLSzccG3_ZvK6GPQ0jtRW2q9sREKGp5P_BWaXgHSkYcQXuROSi/w400-h141/skeleton.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i>Composite skeletal reconstruction of </i>Coronodon havensteini, <i>using lumbocaudal series count and morphology from </i>Coronodon planifrons. <i>Terminal caudals, shape of most of the neural spines, forelimb (partial scapula only), hyoids, and hindlimb unknown</i>. <br /><p></p><p>CCNHM 164 also has quite a bit of the vertebral column preserved, including three lumbar vertebrae and nine thoracics; in concert with the nearly complete lumbar and caudal series of <i>Coronodon planifrons</i>, we now know that <i>Coronodon </i>likely had seven cervical vertebrae, nine thoracic vertebrae, ten lumbar vertebrae, and at least 20 caudal vertebrae. The vertebrae are short and differ from the 'coke can' shaped vertebrae in <i>Basilosaurus </i>- but closely resemble the vertebrae of <i>Dorudon atrox </i>in many respects. The posteriormost caudal vertebrae of <i>Coronodon planifrons</i> are rectangular, which means that <i>Coronodon </i>had caudal flukes - however, already known for Basilosauridae. In contrast, the caudals are all relatively wide - and so <i>Coronodon </i>did not have a narrowed caudal peduncle as in modern cetaceans. I proposed that a narrow peduncle (tail stock) was absent in Xenorophidae back in 2017 - and confirmed this when we reported on <i>Ankylorhiza</i> - and now doubly confirmed in an early mysticete. The largest vertebrae - the ones that are the longest and widest - are in the posterior lumbars and anterior caudals - indicate that <i>Coronodon </i>did have a slightly stiffened peduncle, but there are not clear regions of the vertebral column with different proportions like we see in odontocetes, which places <i>Coronodon </i>into the "Pattern 1" swimmers - "Pattern 1" swimmers, according to Emily Buchholtz, swim by undulating their entire vertebral column. "Pattern 2" swimmers have some stabilized parts of the vertebral column and others that are more flexible, and "Pattern 3" swimmers have short regions where most of the dorsoventral undulation (bending) happens - almost like designating a short section of vertebrae like an 'elbow'. Lastly, when you add up all of the vertebral lengths, skull length, and reconstruct the additional length occupied by the cartilaginous intervertebral disks - we get a body length of about 4.8-5 meters. This is pretty short - and indicates that <i>Coronodon </i>had a comically large head. Which, if you think about it - is actually a baleen whale feature. Basilosaurids have relatively small noggins, and some modern baleen whales have skulls that are about 1/4 to 1/3 of the entire animal's length - with the most titanic heads belonging to the right whales. (Absolutely larger skulls are in the blue whale, though they are proportionally much smaller). What's great about fossils like these are that we can, even with a somewhat incomplete vertebral column, evaluate methods used to estimate body length. We tested the skull width body length estimates published by Pyenson and Sponberg (2011) and found that their equations underestimated the body length of <i>Coronodon </i>by about 12-15% - not great. I actually pointed this out in my papers on <i>Ankylorhiza </i>and <i>Tokarahia</i>, with even more extreme underestimates - it seems these equations are not well-adjusted for the skeletons of the earliest Neoceti and routinely underestimate their body length.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdoS8zwe3wADSpu8MpKAeZMafq8S5nF1456liOc_d48anGxv2IM1g6kTo5R4Iasxu8Glpvfx3SgUN0M-hIV-BeuZT2zJUZQ00VL2-JtlHv_XZJzS2vNJ5q-mUWfL3HsuPUZUMyy7hvmHVU6miytblCyqBBvf4xZAaFugnGmJOH3a4N6pnuPYTJkK7H/s2230/havensteini%20skull%20and%20mandible.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2022" data-original-width="2230" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdoS8zwe3wADSpu8MpKAeZMafq8S5nF1456liOc_d48anGxv2IM1g6kTo5R4Iasxu8Glpvfx3SgUN0M-hIV-BeuZT2zJUZQ00VL2-JtlHv_XZJzS2vNJ5q-mUWfL3HsuPUZUMyy7hvmHVU6miytblCyqBBvf4xZAaFugnGmJOH3a4N6pnuPYTJkK7H/w400-h363/havensteini%20skull%20and%20mandible.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><i> The holotype skull of</i> Coronodon havensteini <i>(CCNHM 108): A, with only the original teeth; B, after cast teeth were installed and reconstructed parts of the skull painted to match; C, skull and mandible in approximate occlusion. This really shows that the anterior tip of the mandible, including the entire alveolus for the first incisor, is missing.</i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p><b>Tooth Count in <i>Coronodon</i> and Neoceti </b><br /></p><p>When we published on our paper in 2017, we focused exclusively on CCNHM 108 and deliberately had blinders on - we did not want to include any observations on specimens still under study by Al Sanders. We interpreted <i>Coronodon havensteini </i>as possessing 11 upper and 11 lower teeth - and thought that the mandible was complete. In the early stages of this monographic work, I remember being troubled by the posteriormost teeth - in order to make the teeth in the front of the mouth interlock, there would be a 3-4 cm gap between the mandible and the jaw joint on the skull! Also, the coronoid process of the mandible abutted the back of the eye socket and prevented complete closure. What was the deal?</p><p><i></i></p><p><i></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VGwP-qwdu4WjWsaxQUlVB4U_KvperfOheJrMMVkePRXwZlJbJzxIlOJxho8zWZa9kafSwKeIRyzt4E4uUeMjs1wQTR4SoxZm0kukOurH7SY7yJdCxfzkn336cLZ5o1qJy35BwGJRW3BfzCE1IfkBaIsmL0pV_d49iphg_DQTBoeXzY0LYAyc_yAj/s2228/revised%20tooth%20count.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1532" data-original-width="2228" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VGwP-qwdu4WjWsaxQUlVB4U_KvperfOheJrMMVkePRXwZlJbJzxIlOJxho8zWZa9kafSwKeIRyzt4E4uUeMjs1wQTR4SoxZm0kukOurH7SY7yJdCxfzkn336cLZ5o1qJy35BwGJRW3BfzCE1IfkBaIsmL0pV_d49iphg_DQTBoeXzY0LYAyc_yAj/w400-h275/revised%20tooth%20count.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Revised tooth count in </i>Coronodon havensteini<i>: top, showing
interpretation of only 11 mandibular teeth, counting from the back of
the toothrow, from Geisler et al. (2017), and bottom, updated counting,
based on articulation of skull and mandible and new information from
other specimens showing a count of 12 mandibular teeth, and indicating
that the mandible of CCNHM 108 is missing the lower first incisor
alveolus.</i> <br /></p><p>Unfortunately, we did make a bit of a bonehead mistake: In a couple of conference abstracts from the 1990s, Sanders and Barnes had actually written that two of their specimens - ChM PV 5720 and ChM PV 2778 - had twelve mandibular teeth. I went over to Charleston Museum, inspected both specimens, and confirmed this observation. Damage to the tips of the mandibles in CCNHM 108 had removed the socket for the lower first incisor! This meant that our lower third molar (m3) was actually the fourth molar (m4). When the mandibular teeth are placed into correct occlusion, the jaw articulates with the skull properly, and the last mandibular tooth sits just posterior to the posteriormost upper tooth - like basilosaurids, which have one fewer upper than lower teeth, the last mandibular molar (m3) sits posterior to the last upper molar (M2). These findings indicate that <i>Coronodon </i>is actually polydont: polydonty is the evolution of a higher tooth count than the typically constrained count of 11 teeth per quadrant. Only a few cetaceans have evolved polydonty: a few toothed mysticetes (e.g. <i>Aetiocetus</i>, <i>Mammalodon</i>), odontocetes, modern mysticetes (the fetal dentition is polydont), the giant armadillo <i>Priodontes</i>, and manatees (sort of; they clone the last molar and just keep making them, so their dentition is sort of immortal). There are a number of other toothed mysticetes that very clearly are not polydont - <i>Janjucetus</i>, <i>Fucaia</i>, probably (but uncertainly) <i>Llanocetus </i>- so it is unclear if polydonty evolved once or twice. Likewise, there are some early odontocetes that are very clearly non-polydont as well, including Simocetus - and others that are quite polydont, including the Xenorophidae, <i>Waipatia</i>, and <i>Ankylorhiza</i>, that have in excess of 13 teeth per quadrant. If it evolved once at the base of Neoceti, then a bunch of lineages immediately lost it. We don't necessarily understand the genetic underpinnings of polydonty, so it's possible that whatever genetic underpinning permitted polydony evolved only once, followed by increases and decreases in tooth count (with the toothless suction feeder <i>Inermorostrum </i>representing extreme tooth count reduction!). Indeed, <i>Coronodon </i>demonstrates that polydonty is probably ancestral to all Neoceti (odontocetes + mysticetes).</p><p>Next up: part 2, introducing the two new species; and later on: part 3, broader implications for our knowledge of early mysticete evolution and their phylogeny.</p><p><b>References <span class="citation-authors-year"><span class="name" itemprop="author" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"></span><span class="name" itemprop="author" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span class="given-names" itemprop="givenName"></span></span></span></b></p><p><span class="citation-authors-year"><b><span class="name" itemprop="author" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span class="surname" itemprop="familyName">Barnes</span> <span class="given-names" itemprop="givenName">LG</span></span>, <span class="name" itemprop="author" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span class="surname" 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</p><p></p></div>Robert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.com0