First filter feeding in the Early Triassic:cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales
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 ichthyosauromor...
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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1983/668e3905-53e1-47de-b44f-275b4882cd08 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/668e3905-53e1-47de-b44f-275b4882cd08 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 |
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ftubristolcris:oai:research-information.bris.ac.uk:publications/668e3905-53e1-47de-b44f-275b4882cd08 2024-02-04T09:59:08+01:00 First filter feeding in the Early Triassic:cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales Fang, Zi-Chen Li, Jiang-Li Yan, Chun-Bo Zou, Ya-Rui Tian, Li Zhao, Bi Benton, Michael J Cheng, Long Lai, Xu-Long 2023-08-08 https://hdl.handle.net/1983/668e3905-53e1-47de-b44f-275b4882cd08 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/668e3905-53e1-47de-b44f-275b4882cd08 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Fang , Z-C , Li , J-L , Yan , C-B , Zou , Y-R , Tian , L , Zhao , B , Benton , M J , Cheng , L & Lai , X-L 2023 , ' First filter feeding in the Early Triassic : cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales ' , BMC Ecology and Evolution , vol. 23 , no. 1 , 36 . https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 Animals Biological Evolution Phylogeny Ecosystem Skull Mouth Bowhead Whale article 2023 ftubristolcris https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 2024-01-11T23:51:00Z 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 bowhead whale University of Bristol: Bristol Research BMC Ecology and Evolution 23 1 |
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Open Polar |
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University of Bristol: Bristol Research |
op_collection_id |
ftubristolcris |
language |
English |
topic |
Animals Biological Evolution Phylogeny Ecosystem Skull Mouth Bowhead Whale |
spellingShingle |
Animals Biological Evolution Phylogeny Ecosystem Skull Mouth Bowhead Whale Fang, Zi-Chen Li, Jiang-Li Yan, Chun-Bo Zou, Ya-Rui Tian, Li Zhao, Bi Benton, Michael J Cheng, Long Lai, Xu-Long First filter feeding in the Early Triassic:cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales |
topic_facet |
Animals Biological Evolution Phylogeny Ecosystem Skull Mouth Bowhead Whale |
description |
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 |
Fang, Zi-Chen Li, Jiang-Li Yan, Chun-Bo Zou, Ya-Rui Tian, Li Zhao, Bi Benton, Michael J Cheng, Long Lai, Xu-Long |
author_facet |
Fang, Zi-Chen Li, Jiang-Li Yan, Chun-Bo Zou, Ya-Rui Tian, Li Zhao, Bi Benton, Michael J Cheng, Long Lai, Xu-Long |
author_sort |
Fang, Zi-Chen |
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 |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/1983/668e3905-53e1-47de-b44f-275b4882cd08 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/668e3905-53e1-47de-b44f-275b4882cd08 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 |
genre |
baleen whales bowhead whale |
genre_facet |
baleen whales bowhead whale |
op_source |
Fang , Z-C , Li , J-L , Yan , C-B , Zou , Y-R , Tian , L , Zhao , B , Benton , M J , Cheng , L & Lai , X-L 2023 , ' First filter feeding in the Early Triassic : cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales ' , BMC Ecology and Evolution , vol. 23 , no. 1 , 36 . https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 |
container_title |
BMC Ecology and Evolution |
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23 |
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