New Eocene mysticete

[DD1991]

A new fossil mysticete paper is available online:

 

Olivier Lambert; Manuel Martínez-Cáceres; Giovanni Bianucci; Claudio Di Celma; Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi; Etienne Steurbaut; Mario Urbina; Christian de Muizon (2017). "Earliest Mysticete from the Late Eocene of Peru Sheds New Light on the Origin of Baleen Whales". Current Biology. in press. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2017.04.026.

 

As the second Eocene mysticete based on complete remains, Mystacodon muddies the picture of early mysticete evolution because Llanocetus is more derived than other toothed mysticetes in having wide gaps between posterior cheek teeth, unlike Mystacodon. Therefore, it is clear that the cranial bauplan of Eocene mysticetes is more complex than previously thought and that more work remains to elucidate mysticete evolution in the Eocene (no bonafide odontocetes have yet been described from the Eocene).