First discovery of the Miocene morthen Atlantic sperm whale Orycterocetus in the Mediterranean

An incomplete mandible of a fossil sperm whale (Odontoceti; Physeteridae) is described. It is a portion of elongated and narrow symphysis with cylindrical and slightly curved teeth without enamel. The specimen, collected from the Miocene "Pietra leccese" sediments of South Italy, appears t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: BIANUCCI, GIOVANNI, LANDINI, WALTER, VAROLA A.
Other Authors: Bianucci, Giovanni, Landini, Walter, Varola, A.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2004
Subjects:
Cetacea
Physeteroidea
Miocene
Italy
North Atlantic
Sperm whale
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11568/205347
Description
Summary:An incomplete mandible of a fossil sperm whale (Odontoceti; Physeteridae) is described. It is a portion of elongated and narrow symphysis with cylindrical and slightly curved teeth without enamel. The specimen, collected from the Miocene "Pietra leccese" sediments of South Italy, appears to represent a species of Orycterocetus, and is the first such record from the Mediterranean. Considering the wide diffusion of Orycterocetus in the North Atlantic, we believe its rare presence in the Mediterranean as occasional and due to a certain degree of interchange between the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic cetacean fauna during the Miocene. © 2004 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

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