Maiabalaena

My-ah-bah-le-nah.
By Liam Carter
Published on

Liam Carter

Paleoanthropologist

Liam Carter explores the roots of humanity by studying early human fossils and artifacts. His ground-breaking work has provided a deeper understanding of our ancestors' lifestyles and social structures.

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Carter, L. (2015, February 25). Maiabalaena. Prehistoric-wildlife. https://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/maiabalaena/

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Name

Maiabalaena ‭(‬Mother baleen whale‭)‬.

Phonetic

My-ah-bah-le-nah.

Named By

C.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Peredo,‭ ‬N.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Pyenson,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Marshall‭ & ‬M.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Uhen‭ ‬-‭ ‬2018.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Artiodactyla,‭ ‬Cetacea.

Diet

Piscivore‭?‬/suction feeder.

Species

M.‭ ‬nesbittae‭

Size

Skull roughly about‭ ‬1.2‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Oregon‭ ‬-‭ ‬Alsea Formation.

Time Period

Rupelian of the Oligocene.

Fossil representation

Partial skull.

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 and fast so that the vacuum created sucks in any nearby fish or other aquatic organisms into the mouth.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Tooth loss precedes the origin of baleen in whales.‭ ‬Current Biology‭ ‬28:1-9.‭ ‬-‭ ‬C.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Peredo,‭ ‬N.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Pyenson,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Marshall‭ & ‬M.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Uhen‭ ‬-‭ ‬2018.

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