First filter feeding in the Early Triassic: cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales
Abstract Modern baleen whales are unique as large-sized filter feeders, but their roles were replicated much earlier by diverse marine reptiles of the Mesozoic. Here, we investigate convergence in skull morphology between modern baleen whales and one of the earliest marine reptiles, the basal ichthy...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:11e1a4bf5af34545befe7fb9634421df 2023-09-05T13:18:21+02:00 First filter feeding in the Early Triassic: cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales Zi-Chen Fang Jiang-Li Li Chun-Bo Yan Ya-Rui Zou Li Tian Bi Zhao Michael J. Benton Long Cheng Xu-Long Lai 2023-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 https://doaj.org/article/11e1a4bf5af34545befe7fb9634421df EN eng BMC https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 https://doaj.org/toc/2730-7182 doi:10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 2730-7182 https://doaj.org/article/11e1a4bf5af34545befe7fb9634421df BMC Ecology and Evolution, Vol 23, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2023) Nanzhang-Yuan’an Fauna Marine reptiles Ichthyosauromorph Mysticeti Mesozoic Ecology QH540-549.5 Evolution QH359-425 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 2023-08-20T00:36:25Z Abstract Modern baleen whales are unique as large-sized filter feeders, but their roles were replicated much earlier by diverse marine reptiles of the Mesozoic. Here, we investigate convergence in skull morphology between modern baleen whales and one of the earliest marine reptiles, the basal ichthyosauromorph Hupehsuchus nanchangensis, from the Early Triassic, a time of rapid recovery of life following profound mass extinction. Two new specimens reveal the skull morphology especially in dorsal view. The snout of Hupehsuchus is highly convergent with modern baleen whales, as shown in a morphometric analysis including 130 modern aquatic amniotes. Convergences in the snout include the unfused upper jaw, specialized intermediate space in the divided premaxilla and grooves around the labial margin. Hupehsuchus had enlarged its buccal cavity to enable efficient filter feeding and probably used soft tissues like baleen to expel the water from the oral cavity. Coordinated with the rigid trunk and pachyostotic ribs suggests low speeds of aquatic locomotion, Hupehsuchus probably employed continuous ram filter feeding as in extant bowhead and right whales. The Early Triassic palaeoenvironment of a restrictive lagoon with low productivity drove Hupehsuchus to feed on zooplankton, which facilitated ecosystem recovery in the Nanzhang-Yuan’an Fauna at the beginning of the Mesozoic. Article in Journal/Newspaper baleen whales Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles BMC Ecology and Evolution 23 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Nanzhang-Yuan’an Fauna Marine reptiles Ichthyosauromorph Mysticeti Mesozoic Ecology QH540-549.5 Evolution QH359-425 |
spellingShingle |
Nanzhang-Yuan’an Fauna Marine reptiles Ichthyosauromorph Mysticeti Mesozoic Ecology QH540-549.5 Evolution QH359-425 Zi-Chen Fang Jiang-Li Li Chun-Bo Yan Ya-Rui Zou Li Tian Bi Zhao Michael J. Benton Long Cheng Xu-Long Lai First filter feeding in the Early Triassic: cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales |
topic_facet |
Nanzhang-Yuan’an Fauna Marine reptiles Ichthyosauromorph Mysticeti Mesozoic Ecology QH540-549.5 Evolution QH359-425 |
description |
Abstract Modern baleen whales are unique as large-sized filter feeders, but their roles were replicated much earlier by diverse marine reptiles of the Mesozoic. Here, we investigate convergence in skull morphology between modern baleen whales and one of the earliest marine reptiles, the basal ichthyosauromorph Hupehsuchus nanchangensis, from the Early Triassic, a time of rapid recovery of life following profound mass extinction. Two new specimens reveal the skull morphology especially in dorsal view. The snout of Hupehsuchus is highly convergent with modern baleen whales, as shown in a morphometric analysis including 130 modern aquatic amniotes. Convergences in the snout include the unfused upper jaw, specialized intermediate space in the divided premaxilla and grooves around the labial margin. Hupehsuchus had enlarged its buccal cavity to enable efficient filter feeding and probably used soft tissues like baleen to expel the water from the oral cavity. Coordinated with the rigid trunk and pachyostotic ribs suggests low speeds of aquatic locomotion, Hupehsuchus probably employed continuous ram filter feeding as in extant bowhead and right whales. The Early Triassic palaeoenvironment of a restrictive lagoon with low productivity drove Hupehsuchus to feed on zooplankton, which facilitated ecosystem recovery in the Nanzhang-Yuan’an Fauna at the beginning of the Mesozoic. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Zi-Chen Fang Jiang-Li Li Chun-Bo Yan Ya-Rui Zou Li Tian Bi Zhao Michael J. Benton Long Cheng Xu-Long Lai |
author_facet |
Zi-Chen Fang Jiang-Li Li Chun-Bo Yan Ya-Rui Zou Li Tian Bi Zhao Michael J. Benton Long Cheng Xu-Long Lai |
author_sort |
Zi-Chen Fang |
title |
First filter feeding in the Early Triassic: cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales |
title_short |
First filter feeding in the Early Triassic: cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales |
title_full |
First filter feeding in the Early Triassic: cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales |
title_fullStr |
First filter feeding in the Early Triassic: cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales |
title_full_unstemmed |
First filter feeding in the Early Triassic: cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales |
title_sort |
first filter feeding in the early triassic: cranial morphological convergence between hupehsuchus and baleen whales |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 https://doaj.org/article/11e1a4bf5af34545befe7fb9634421df |
genre |
baleen whales |
genre_facet |
baleen whales |
op_source |
BMC Ecology and Evolution, Vol 23, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 https://doaj.org/toc/2730-7182 doi:10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 2730-7182 https://doaj.org/article/11e1a4bf5af34545befe7fb9634421df |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 |
container_title |
BMC Ecology and Evolution |
container_volume |
23 |
container_issue |
1 |
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1776199331177562112 |