Allodesmus
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''Allodesmus'' is an extinct
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
pinniped Pinnipeds (pronounced ), commonly known as seals, are a widely range (biology), distributed and diverse clade of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic, mostly marine mammal, marine mammals. They comprise the extant taxon, extant family (biology ...
from the middle to late
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
of
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
and Japan that belongs to the extinct pinniped
family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Desmatophocidae.


Description and biology

''Allodesmus'' measured about long and weighed . ''Allodesmus'' had the specific anatomical features found in modern polygynous pinnipeds:
sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most an ...
, strong canines for fights between bulls and teeth with well-defined growth zones, a result from periodic fasting (in order to defend their
harem Harem ( Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A har ...
, males would not take to the sea to feed during the breeding season).


Taxonomy

''Allodesmus sinanoensis'' and ''A. packardi'' were previously assigned separate genera, ''Megagomphos'' and ''Brachyallodesmus'', respectively, but many authors questioned this generic distinction, and the cladistic analysis by Boessenecker and Churchill (2018) found no support for this generic scheme. '' Atopotarus'', referred to ''Allodesmus'' by some authors (e.g. Mitchell 1966), is distinct from ''Allodesmus'' by the absence of a prenarial shelf and M2, double-rooted cheek teeth, a small, triangular postorbital process, and a mastoid process projecting ventral to the postglenoid process.Robert W. Boessenecker; Morgan Churchill (2018). "The last of the desmatophocid seals: a new species of Allodesmus from the upper Miocene of Washington, USA, and a revision of the taxonomy of Desmatophocidae". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. Online edition. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx098.


References

* Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, ed. William F. Perrin, Bernd Würsig, J.G.M. Thewissen


External links

Miocene pinnipeds Fossils of Japan Fossils of the United States Fossil taxa described in 1922 Miocene California Prehistoric carnivoran genera {{paleo-carnivora-stub