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
In Depth Mammuthus columbi is better known as the Columbian mammoth, although it is not actually named after the country Colombia that is in South America, but after the province of British Columbia in Canada. The Columbian mammoth appears to have been one of the most common mammoths roaming North America during the Pleistocene, and is … Read more
In Depth Nanokogia seems to have been much like modern day pygmy sperm whales of the Kogia genus. This is reflected in the genus name which basically means ‘Small Kogia’. One difference however is that Nanokogia seems to have lacked teeth in the upper jaw, which may be a reflection of a specific prey specialisation. … Read more
In Depth The first description of Paleoparadoxia remains was published in 1939 by Tokunaga as Cornwallius tabatai. The genus Paleoparadoxia was not named until 1959 when R. H. Reinhart published a review of the Sirenia and Desmostylia. Paleoparadoxia was a large quadrupedal mammal that has been identified as a member of the Desmostylia (type genus … Read more
In Depth Lycopsis is a genus of borhyaenoid mammal that lived in South America during the Miocene. Further Reading - A New Species of Lycopsis (Borhyaenidae: Marsupialia) from the La Venta Fauna (Late Miocene) of Colombia, South America. - Journal of Paleontology 51(3):633-642. - L. G. Marshall - 1977. - New clues for understanding Neogene … Read more
In Depth Paritatodon is a genus of docodont mammal that lived during the Jurassic. Further Reading - Mammals from the Middle Jurassic Balabansai Formation of the Fergana Depression, Kyrgyzstan. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(3):855-871. - T. Martin & A. O. Averianov - 2010. – Reconsideration of the systematic position of the Middle Jurassic mammaliaforms … Read more
In Depth Jaggermeryx is a genus of anthracothere that lived in Egypt during the Miocene period. Jaggermeryx is noted for having jawbones which have eight mental foramen on each size, which is a strong indicator that Jaggermeryx had very sensitive lips as well as a snout. These feeding adaptations would have had a very fleshy … Read more
In Depth Sinomastodon is a genus of elephant that lived in Asia between the Miocene and early Pleistocene. Further Reading - Mastodons (Proboscidea, Mammalia) from the LateNeogene and Early Pleistocene of the People’s Republic of China. - HistoricalAccount. Mainzer geowiss, mitt., 15, pp. 119–181. - H. Tobien, G. F. Chen & Y. Q. Li - … Read more
In Depth Falcatodon is a genus of Creodont that lived in Egypt during the early Oligocene. Falcatodon was originally described as a species of Metapterodon before being re-described as a distinct genus in 2017. Further Reading - New Pterodontinae (Creodonta: Hyaenodontidae) from the late Eocene–early Oligocene Jebel Qatrani Formation, Fayum Province, Egypt. – PaleoBios, 19(2): … Read more
In Depth Though only based upon the description of a single skull, Waipatia has still been one of the more significant discoveries regarding our understanding of the early evolution of dolphins. This is because the skull of Waipatia represents one of the first good examples of actual bones and not just teeth. This has also … Read more