A middle Eocene basking shark (Lamniformes, Cetorhinidae) from Antarctica.

A proximal fragment of a gill raker identified as belonging to a shark of the genus Cetorhinus was collected from middle Eocene deposits of the La Meseta Formation in the northern part of Seymour Island, Antarctica. This is the first record of a fossil basking shark from Antarctica and one of the ea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antarctic Science
Main Authors: Cione, Alberto L., Reguero, M. A.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1998
Subjects:
Geology
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Oceanography
Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctic Science
Antarctica
Cetorhinus maximus
Seymour Island
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s095410209800011x
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S095410209800011X
Description
Summary:A proximal fragment of a gill raker identified as belonging to a shark of the genus Cetorhinus was collected from middle Eocene deposits of the La Meseta Formation in the northern part of Seymour Island, Antarctica. This is the first record of a fossil basking shark from Antarctica and one of the earliest records of the genus. The minimum age of Cetorhinidae is middle Eocene. The only living species of the family Cetorhinidae is a very large plankton feeder, Cetorhinus maximus. Basking sharks are unknown in subantarctic or Antarctic waters but occur on both South American coasts today. The evolution of filter-feeding vertebrates is discussed.

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