Macrosqualodelphis Explained

Macrosqualodelphis is an extinct genus of river dolphins from the Early Miocene (Burdigalian) Chilcatay Formation of the Pisco Basin, Peru. The type species is M. ukupachai.

Description

Macrosqualodelphis is distinguished from other squalodelphinids by its larger size (3.5m (11.5feet)) and a less abrupt anterior tapering of rostrum in dorsal view, U-shaped left antorbital notch prominent nuchal crest higher than the frontals and nasals at the vertex, a thinner, blade-like lateral margin of the posterior portion of the rostrum, and a more voluminous temporal fossa and larger teeth.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Giovanni Bianucci, Giulia Bosio, Elisa Malinverno, Christian de Muizon, Igor M. Villa, Mario Urbina and Olivier Lambert. 2018. "A New Large Squalodelphinid (Cetacea, Odontoceti) from Peru Sheds Light on the Early Miocene Platanistoid Disparity and Ecology" . Royal Society Open Science. 5(4) DOI: 10.1098/rsos.172302 Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.