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. Larger cousins to these whales are the huge sperm whales of the Physeter genus also have teeth only in the lower jaw. Since these whales are hunters of soft bodied prey such as cephalopods, specifically squid, it begs the question, did Nanokogia have a similar prey preference, albeit for smaller squid species?
Further Reading
- Evolutionary patterns among living and fossil kogiid sperm whales: Evidence from the Neogene of Central America. - PLoS One 10(4):e0123909. - J. Velez-Juarbe, A. R. Wood, C. Gracia & A. J. W. Hendy - 2015.
