In Depth
Mystacodon is a genus of primitive whale that lived in waters around South America during the Eocene. Mystacodon is a transitional form, somewhere between the predatory toothed whale ancestors and later filter feeding baleen whales. Mystacodon however is thought to have been a suction feeder. This is where the whale would open its mouth creating a sudden vacuum in the water. Any small fish nearby are literally sucked in to the mouth which then closes around them.
Further Reading
- Earliest Mysticete from the Late Eocene of Peru Sheds New Light on the Origin of Baleen Whales. - Current Biology 27:17. - O. Lambert, M. Mart�nez-C�eres, G. Bianucci, E. Steurbaut, M. Urbina & C. Muizon - 2017.
