A new Early Oligocene toothed ‘baleen’ whale (Mysticeti: Aetiocetidae) from western North America: one of the oldest and the smallest

• Published in: Royal Society Open Science
• Main Authors: Felix G. Marx, Cheng-Hsiu Tsai, R. Ewan Fordyce
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 2015
• Subjects: mysticeti; baleen whale; aetiocetidae; suction feeding; filter feeding; baleen; Science; Q; Narrows The; baleen whales
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.150476; https://doaj.org/article/3a45f823afb74ebf862bcf333e90ecd6

Archaic toothed mysticetes represent the evolutionary transition from raptorial to bulk filter feeding in baleen whales. Aetiocetids, in particular, preserve an intermediate morphological stage in which teeth functioned alongside a precursor of baleen, the hallmark of all modern mysticetes. To date,...