A Comparison of Fossils of the Two Whale Fam ilies: Physeteridae and Monodentidae (Cetacea)
Whales are a group of marine creatures that have elicited scientifi c and layman’s curiosity since long. The present paper has a focus on elucidating fossils of two Odontoceti families viz. Physeteridae and Monodentidae. Extant Physeteridae is a monotypic family, while Monodentidae is restricted geo...
Published in: | Mongolian Journal of Biological Sciences |
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Main Author: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
National University of Mongolia
2016
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.22353/mjbs.2016.14.08 https://doaj.org/article/40c2ba1a80e1480dbe7e3111abff2292 |
Summary: | Whales are a group of marine creatures that have elicited scientifi c and layman’s curiosity since long. The present paper has a focus on elucidating fossils of two Odontoceti families viz. Physeteridae and Monodentidae. Extant Physeteridae is a monotypic family, while Monodentidae is restricted geographically to cold waters of the Arctic and adjoining seas. Physeteridae fossil data showed a total of 28 species, while Monodentidae had only half a dozen species. Warming of the climate in the past appears to have played a role in northward migration of Monodentids. |
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