EURHINODELPHINIDS FROM THE EARLY MIOCENE OF PERU: FIRST UNAMBIGUOUS RECORDS OF THESE HYPER-LONGIROSTRINE DOLPHINS OUTSIDE THE NORTH ATLANTIC REALM ...

• Main Authors: LAMBERT, OLIVIER, DE MUIZON, CHRISTIAN, VARAS-MALCA, RAFAEL M., URBINA, MARIO, BIANUCCI, GIOVANNI
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: RIVISTA ITALIANA DI PALEONTOLOGIA E STRATIGRAFIA 2021
• Subjects: Pacific; Pisco; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.13130/2039-4942/15124; https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/RIPS/article/view/15124

Among the many hyper-longirostrine dolphins (Odontoceti) from the Miocene, members of the family Eurhinodelphinidae bear two highly distinctive cranial features: a long and edentulous premaxillary portion of the rostrum and a mandible that is significantly shorter than the rostrum. Until now, unambiguously attributed members of this clade were only recorded from early to middle Miocene deposits of the North Atlantic realm (east coast U.S.A., North Sea Basin, and Mediterranean). In this work we describe and compare two partial skulls of longirostrine dolphins from late early Miocene (Burdigalian, 19.25-18 Ma) marine deposits of the Chilcatay Formation, in the East Pisco Basin (southern coast of Peru), preserving rostral and mandibular material, as well as ear bones. Based on these specimens we report diagnostic remains attributable to this family for the first time for the whole Southern Hemisphere and the whole Pacific Ocean. This major expansion of eurhinodelphinids' palaeogeographic distribution contrasts ... : RIVISTA ITALIANA DI PALEONTOLOGIA E STRATIGRAFIA , V. 127 N. 1 (2021) ...