DESCRIPTION OF AN ANOMALOUS MONODONTID SKULL FROM WEST GREENLAND: A POSSIBLE HYBRID?

Abstract: The complete skull of an anomalous odontocete cetacean from outer Disko Bay, West Greenland, is described and compared with the skulls of adult narwhals, Monodon monoceros , and belugas, Delphinapterus leucas . The anomalous whale's skull is much larger than those of normal narwhals a...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine Mammal Science
Main Authors: Heide‐Jørgensen, Mads P., Reeves, Randall R.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1993
Subjects:
Greenland
Beluga
Beluga*
Delphinapterus leucas
Disko Bay
Monodon monoceros
narwhal*
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.1993.tb00454.x
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1748-7692.1993.tb00454.x
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1748-7692.1993.tb00454.x
Description
Summary:Abstract: The complete skull of an anomalous odontocete cetacean from outer Disko Bay, West Greenland, is described and compared with the skulls of adult narwhals, Monodon monoceros , and belugas, Delphinapterus leucas . The anomalous whale's skull is much larger than those of normal narwhals and belugas. In particular, the rostrum and mandibles are relatively long and massive. The dentition is unlike that of any known cetacean, but some features of the teeth are considered analogous to those of both narwhals and belugas. The intermediate characteristics of the skull and dentition are consistent with the hypothesis that the anomalous whale was a narwhal‐beluga hybrid.

Similar Items