Livyatan: Research Database Physeteridae (Raptorial Sperm Whale) · Miocene (~12-13 MYA) · Pisco Formation, Peru Research Note: Livyatan melvillei was a giant raptorial sperm whale — an apex predator of Miocene seas. Named after the biblical sea monster Leviathan and the novelist Herman Melville (author of Moby Dick), it was one of the largest macroraptorial … Read more
In Depth Like many other prehistoric whales of its type Brygmophyseter had teeth in both the upper and lower jaws. As a mid-sized whale, Brygmophyseter would have probably been a generalist hunter tackling a variety of different prey types including fish, squid, and probably other whales. Not much is known about the hunting behaviour, but … Read more
Zygophyseter: Research Database Physeteroidea (Cetacea) · Miocene (~12 MYA) · Europe — Italy (Piedmont) Research Note: Zygophyseter was a sperm whale from the Miocene of Italy — a raptorial sperm whale and an important taxon for understanding the evolution of physeteroid whales in the Miocene. Research Finding Status Grade Year Method Citation Impact … Read more
In Depth When you translate the full name of Acrophyseter deinodon into English you end up with ‘acute sperm whale terrible teeth’. The genus part of ‘acute sperm whale’ is a reference to the upturned bend in the jaws, suggesting that Acrophyseter may have approached prey from below. The species name deinodon, or ‘terrible teeth’ … Read more