Northern pygmy right whales highlight Quaternary marine mammal interchange
Journal
Current Biology
Journal Volume
27
Journal Issue
19
Pages
R1058-R1059
Date Issued
2017
Author(s)
Collareta A.
Fitzgerald E.M.G.
Marx F.G.
Kohno N.
Bosselaers M.
Reitano A.
Insacco G.
Catanzariti R.
Oishi M.
Bianucci G.
URI
Abstract
The pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata, is the most enigmatic living whale. Little is known about its ecology and behaviour, but unusual specialisations of visual pigments [1], mitochondrial tRNAs [2], and postcranial anatomy [3] suggest a lifestyle different from that of other extant whales. Geographically, Caperea represents the only major baleen whale lineage entirely restricted to the Southern Ocean. Caperea-like fossils, the oldest of which date to the Late Miocene, are exceedingly rare and likewise limited to the Southern Hemisphere [4], despite a more substantial history of fossil sampling north of the equator. Two new Pleistocene fossils now provide unexpected evidence of a brief and relatively recent period in geological history when Caperea occurred in the Northern Hemisphere (Figure 1A,B). During the Pleistocene, glacial cooling allowed marine mammals to cross the tropics and disperse across both hemispheres, Here, Tsai et al. report fossil findings suggesting that pygmy right whales, Caperea marginata, occurred in the Northern Hemisphere during this era. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd
SDGs
Type
journal issue