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Hoplocetus
''Hoplocetus'' is an extinct genus of raptorial cetacean of the sperm whale superfamily, Physeteroidea. Its remains have been found in the Miocene of Belgium, France, Germany and Malta, the Pliocene of Belgium and France, and the Pleistocene of the United Kingdom and South Carolina. Dentition The teeth of ''Hoplocetus'' are massive (95–150 mm in length; 27-47 in maximum diameter), robust and have a short enamel cap on the crowns. They are somewhat larger than those of modern orcas but considerably smaller than those of macroraptorial sperm whales, such as ''Zygophyseter'', as well as those of '' Scaldicetus caretti''. They display a large degree of abrasion, suggesting a highly predatory niche comparable to that of modern orcas. The genus of the latter, '' Orcinus'', first appears in the middle Pliocene and it may have eventually replaced ''Hoplocetus''. These teeth features also characterize the other extinct toothed whale genera, ''Diaphorocetus'', ''Idiorophus' ... [...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] |
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] |
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] |
Zygophyseter
''Zygophyseter varolai'' is an extinct sperm whale that lived during the Tortonian age of the Late Miocene 11.2 to 7.6 million years ago. It is known from a single specimen from the Pietra Leccese Formation in Italy. It was a member of a stem group of fossil macroraptorial sperm whales (often shortened to "raptorial") also including ''Brygmophyseter'', ''Acrophyseter'', and ''Livyatan''. It probably grew to be around in length and shared some characteristics with other raptorials, such as large teeth with tooth enamel that were functional in both the upper and lower jaws which the modern sperm whale (''Physeter macrocephalus'') lacks. It also had a beak, the ability to echolocate prey, and could have probably swum faster than the modern-day sperm whale which can reach . These were probably used in the capture of large prey, such as large fish, seals, and whales. In fact, its common name, the killer sperm whale, refers to its feeding habits that would have had a resemblance to th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Langhian
The Langhian is, in the ICS geologic timescale, an age or stage in the middle Miocene Epoch/ Series. It spans the time between 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma and 13.65 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago) during the Middle Miocene.GeoWhen (2007) The Langhian was a continuing warming period defined by Lorenzo Pareto in 1865, it was originally established in the Langhe area north of Ceva in northern Italy, hence the name. The Langhian is preceded by the Burdigalian and followed by the Serravallian Stage. Stratigraphic definition The base of the Langhian is defined by the first appearance of foraminifer species ''Praeorbulina glomerosa'' and is also coeval with the top of magnetic chronozone C5Cn.1n. A GSSP for the Langhian Stage was not yet established in 2009. The top of the Langhian Stage (the base of the Serravallian Stage) is at the first occurrence of fossils of the nanoplankton species ''Sphenolithus heteromorphus'' and is located in magnetic chronozone C5ABr. The Langhian is coeval wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prehistoric Cetacean Genera
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of symbols, marks, and images appears very early among humans, but the earliest known writing systems appeared 5000 years ago. It took thousands of years for writing systems to be widely adopted, with writing spreading to almost all cultures by the 19th century. The end of prehistory therefore came at very different times in different places, and the term is less often used in discussing societies where prehistory ended relatively recently. In the early Bronze Age, Sumer in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley Civilisation, and ancient Egypt were the first civilizations to develop their own scripts and to keep historical records, with their neighbors following. Most other civilizations reached the end of prehistory during the following Iron Ag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sperm Whales
The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus '' Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus ''Kogia''. The sperm whale is a pelagic mammal with a worldwide range, and will migrate seasonally for feeding and breeding. Females and young males live together in groups, while mature males (bulls) live solitary lives outside of the mating season. The females cooperate to protect and nurse their young. Females give birth every four to twenty years, and care for the calves for more than a decade. A mature sperm whale has few natural predators, although calves and weakened adults are sometimes killed by pods of killer whales (orcas). Mature males average in length, with the head representing up to one-third of the animal's length. Plunging to , it is the third dee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wastebasket Taxa
Wastebasket taxon (also called a wastebin taxon, dustbin taxon or catch-all taxon) is a term used by some taxonomists to refer to a taxon that has the sole purpose of classifying organisms that do not fit anywhere else. They are typically defined by either their designated members' often superficial similarity to each other, or their ''lack'' of one or more distinct character states or by their ''not'' belonging to one or more other taxa. Wastebasket taxa are by definition either paraphyletic or polyphyletic, and are therefore not considered valid taxa under strict cladistic rules of taxonomy. The name of a wastebasket taxon may in some cases be retained as the designation of an evolutionary grade, however. The term was coined in a 1985 essay by Steven Jay Gould. Examples There are many examples of paraphyletic groups, but true "wastebasket" taxa are those that are known not to, and perhaps not intended to, represent natural groups, but are nevertheless used as convenient groups ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily ( Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoological names with "-inae". See also * International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants The ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants, fungi and a few other groups of organisms, all those "trad ... * International Code of Zoological Nomenclature * Rank (botany) * Rank (zoology) Sources {{biology-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Idiorophus
''Idiorophus'' is a genus of toothed whales in the family Physeteridae. Fossils have been found in the Colhuehuapian Gaiman Formation of Argentina and the Libano Sandstone in Italy. The teeth of ''Idiorophus'' were similar in size to those of the modern orca The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white .... References Further reading * R. Kellogg. 1925. Two physeteroid whales from California. Contributions to Palaeontology from the Carnegie Institution of Washington 348(1):1–35 * R. Lydekker. 1894. Cetacean skulls from Patagonia. Anales del Museo de la Plata II:1–13 {{Taxonbar, from=Q3021080 Toothed whales Miocene mammals of Europe Miocene mammals of South America Colhuehuapian Neogene Argentina Fossils of Argentina Gaiman Formation Fossils of Italy Foss ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
