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Brygmophyseter
''Brygmophyseter'', known as the biting sperm whale, is an extinct genus of toothed whale in the sperm whale family with one species, ''B. shigensis''. When it was first described in 1994, the species was placed in the genus '' Scaldicetus'' based on tooth morphology, but this was later revised in 1995. In 2006, it was classified into the genus ''Naganocetus'', which is considered to be a junior synonym. The only known specimen, a nearly complete skeleton, was dated to be around 14–15 million years old. ''Brygmophyseter'' is thought to have been long, and it probably had 11 or 12 teeth in the upper and lower jaws. ''Brygmophyseter'' is part of a group of macroraptorial sperm whales (often shortened to "raptorial") which tended to be apex predators using their large teeth to catch struggling prey such as whales. It had a spermaceti organ which was probably used for biosonar like in the modern sperm whale. The whale has made an appearance on The History Channel's TV series '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Macroraptorial Sperm Whale
Macroraptorial sperm whales were highly predatory whales of the sperm whale superfamily (Physeteroidea) of the Miocene epoch (geology), epoch that hunted large marine mammals, including other whales, using their large teeth. They consist of five genera: ''Acrophyseter'', ''Albicetus'', ''Brygmophyseter'', ''Livyatan'', and ''Zygophyseter''. All species are known by at least a skull, and are informally grouped without a family (biology), family designation. They were all likely the apex predator of their habitats, comparable to the modern day killer whale (''Orcinus orca''), and achieved great lengths, with one species–''Livyatan''–measuring about . Discovery ''Zygophyseter'' was discovered in the Pietra Leccese Formation in Italy from a skull, teeth, and vertebrae; ''Brygmophyseter'' was discovered in the Bessho Formation in Japan from a nearly-complete skeleton; and ''Acrophyseter'' and ''Livyatan'' both originate from the Pisco Formation in Peru and are known by only a skull. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jurassic Fight Club
''Jurassic Fight Club'' (titled ''Dinosaur Secrets'' in Australia/the UK) is a paleontology-based television series on History channel which premiered in the US in July 2008. ''Jurassic Fight Club'' was hosted by George Blasing, a self-taught paleontologist, and also features well-known paleontologists such as Thomas R. Holtz Jr., Lawrence Witmer, Phillip J. Currie, and others. The show ran for one season of 12 episodes and was not renewed. Summary Scientists study the battles of prehistoric creatures, such as dinosaurs, before they became extinct. Each episode features a forensic-styled breakdown of a prehistoric battle. Based on fossil evidence and paleontologic analysis, a computer-generated imagery rendering of the battle, based on the evidence and the imagination of George Blasing ''Jurassic Fight Club'' (titled ''Dinosaur Secrets'' in Australia/the UK) is a paleontology-based television series on History channel which premiered in the US in July 2008. ''Jurassic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Physeteroidea
Physeteroidea is a superfamily that includes three extant species of whales: the sperm whale, in the genus ''Physeter'', and the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale, in the genus ''Kogia''. In the past, these genera have sometimes been united in a single family, the Physeteridae, with the two ''Kogia'' species in the subfamily Kogiinae; however, recent practice is to allocate the genus ''Kogia'' to its own family, the Kogiidae, leaving the Physeteridae as a monotypic (single extant species) family, although additional fossil representatives of both families are known. Characteristics The sperm whale (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest species of toothed whale, with adult bulls (males) growing to be about long, and weighing about . The two kogiid species are much smaller, around in length, and weighing . The bodies of physeteroids are robustly proportioned, with paddle-shaped flippers. The lower jaw is always relatively small and thin relative to the upper jaw. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scaldicetus
''Scaldicetus'' is an extinct genus of highly predatory macroraptorial sperm whale. Although widely used for a number of extinct physeterids with primitive dental morphology consisting of enameled teeth, ''Scaldicetus'' as generally recognized appears to be a wastebasket taxon filled with more-or-less unrelated primitive sperm whales. Taxonomy ''Scaldicetus'' is known from the Miocene to Pleistocene deposits of Western Europe, the U.S. (California, Florida, Maryland, Virginia), Baja Peninsula, Peru, New South Wales, and Japan. However, ''Scaldicetus'' is probably a grade taxon, and fossil teeth assigned to it (largely due to the lack of distinguishing characteristics in fossil teeth alone) probably represent more-or-less unrelated sperm whales united by their primitive characteristics rather than actual ancestry. Consequently, this would inflate the genus's distribution. The name ''Scaldicetus caretti'' was coined in 1867 from numerous sperm whale teeth collected in Neogene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Radius (bone)
The radius or radial bone is one of the two large bones of the forearm, the other being the ulna. It extends from the lateral side of the elbow to the thumb side of the wrist and runs parallel to the ulna. The ulna is usually slightly longer than the radius, but the radius is thicker. Therefore the radius is considered to be the larger of the two. It is a long bone, prism-shaped and slightly curved longitudinally. The radius is part of two joints: the elbow and the wrist. At the elbow, it joins with the capitulum of the humerus, and in a separate region, with the ulna at the radial notch. At the wrist, the radius forms a joint with the ulna bone. The corresponding bone in the lower leg is the fibula. Structure The long narrow medullary cavity is enclosed in a strong wall of compact bone. It is thickest along the interosseous border and thinnest at the extremities, same over the cup-shaped articular surface (fovea) of the head. The trabeculae of the spongy t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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