In Depth Llanocetus is by far one of the most primitive baleen whales so far discovered, so primitive it was that Llanocetus didn’t actually have baleen. Granted this sounds like a paradox, but Llanocetus has been identified as a baleen whale upon the basis of the shape and form the skull. But the teeth to … Read more
In Depth Ekorus seems to have been one of the last of the giant mustelids to evolve. Appearing in Kenya around six million years ago, Ekorus has been loosely termed to be a leopard sized predator that was suited to ambush hunting in the forests of late Miocene Kenya. However the creation and expansion of … Read more
In Depth Although the name Deinotherium translates to mean ‘Terrible beast’, this definition somewhat belies the true nature of Deinotherium as a prehistoric elephant. Compared to today’s living elephants however, Deinotherium is the type genus of the more distantly related group called the deinotheres. Deinotherium remains one of the largest elephants in the fossil record, … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – Tooth morphology of Mammuthus meridionalis from the Southern bight of the North Sea and from several localities in the Netherlands – Hans van Essen – 2003. – Mammuthus meridionalis (Nesti, 1825) from Campo di Pile (L’Aquila, Abruzzo, Central Italy) – S. Agostini, M.R. Palombo M.A. Rossi, E. Di Canzio & … Read more
In Depth Paradaphoenus acquired its name from its superficial similarity to another bear dog called Daphoenus. Depending upon the palaeontologist, Paradaphoenus has been assigned a more general position within the Amphicyonidae, as well as a more precise classification within the Daphoeninae, the group named after Daphoenus. At almost two kilos Paradaphoenus was one of the … Read more
In Depth Maiabalaena is a genus of whale that lived in waters around North America during the Oligocene period. Maiabalaena is noted for having neither teeth nor baleen, with the genus describers postulating that whales may have lost teeth before developing baleen. Maiabalaena is thought to have been a suction feeder, opening its mouth wide … Read more
In Depth Incakujira is a genus of rorqual whale known to have lived in the waters around South America during the Miocene. As a filter feeder, Incakujira probably filtered out small crustaceans such as krill from the sea water as it swam. Further Reading - A new Miocene baleen whale from the Peruvian desert. - … Read more
In Depth Kubanochoerus is a genus of extinct long legged pig that seems to have had a very broad distribution reaching from Russia to China and across to at least eastern Africa throughout most of the Miocene. The most distinctive feature of Kubanochoerus is the skull which is proportionately long when compared to modern pigs, … Read more
In Depth As an Asian brontothere, Embolotherium rivals large North American species like Megacerops in terms of size. However a full skeleton of Embolotherium remains unknown to science and this conclusion is based upon comparison of the known parts of Embolotherium with the more complete remains of other brontotheres. Whereas many brontotheres have ornamentation on … Read more
In Depth Waharoa is a genus of whale known to have lived in the waters around new Zealand during the Oligocene. Further Reading - Anatomy, feeding ecology, and ontogeny of a transitional baleen whale: a new genus and species of Eomysticetidae (Mammalia: Cetacea) from the Oligocene of New Zealand. - PeerJ 3:e1129. - R. W. … Read more