The giant bite of a new raptorial sperm whale from the Miocene epoch of Peru
The giant bite of a new raptorial sperm whale from the Miocene epoch of Peru
复制标题
DOI：
10.1038/nature09067
复制
发表时间：
2010-07-01
期刊：
影响因子：
64.8
通讯作者：
Reumer, Jelle
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Lambert, Olivier;Bianucci, Giovanni;Reumer, Jelle
现代巨型抹香鲸 Physeter Macrocephalus 是已知最大的捕食者之一，在深海捕食头足类动物(1,2)。由于缺乏功能性上牙列，它依靠吸力来捕捉猎物(3)；相比之下，一些较小的中新世抹香鲸（Physeteroidea）被解释为猛禽（相对于吸力）捕食者(4,5)，类似于现代虎鲸 Orcinus orca。尽管在中新世的多个地区都发现了非常大的类臼齿，但迄今为止尚未发现相关的诊断性颅骨遗骸(6-8)。在这里，我们报告了在秘鲁中中新世（大约 12-1300 万年前）发现的一种新的巨型抹香鲸，名叫 Leviathan melvillei，根据带有牙齿和下颌骨的头骨进行了描述。这种茎类Physeteroid具有3米长的头部、非常大的上牙和下牙（最大直径和长度分别为12厘米和超过36厘米）、坚固的下巴和比Physeter大得多的颞窝，是最大的猛禽掠食者之一，据我们所知，也是迄今为止发现的最大的四足动物咬合体。化石记录中巨型猛禽抹香鲸的出现，与中新世须须须鲸的多样化和体型范围增加的阶段相吻合。我们认为利维坦主要以高能量含量的中型须鲸为食。作为一种顶级捕食者，它与同时代的巨型鲨鱼巨齿鲨一起，可能对中新世海洋群落的结构产生了深远的影响。利维坦中巨大的颅上盆地的发育，像Physeter中那样延伸到讲台上，可能表明利维坦中存在扩大的鲸蜡器官，这与深潜或强制吸食无关。
The modern giant sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus, one of the largest known predators, preys upon cephalopods at great depths(1,2). Lacking a functional upper dentition, it relies on suction for catching its prey(3); in contrast, several smaller Miocene sperm whales (Physeteroidea) have been interpreted as raptorial (versus suction) feeders(4,5), analogous to the modern killer whale Orcinus orca. Whereas very large physeteroid teeth have been discovered in various Miocene localities, associated diagnostic cranial remains have not been found so far(6-8). Here we report the discovery of a new giant sperm whale from the Middle Miocene of Peru (approximately 12-13 million years ago), Leviathan melvillei, described on the basis of a skull with teeth and mandible. With a 3-m-long head, very large upper and lower teeth (maximum diameter and length of 12 cm and greater than 36 cm, respectively), robust jaws and a temporal fossa considerably larger than in Physeter, this stem physeteroid represents one of the largest raptorial predators and, to our knowledge, the biggest tetrapod bite ever found. The appearance of gigantic raptorial sperm whales in the fossil record coincides with a phase of diversification and size-range increase of the baleen-bearing mysticetes in the Miocene. We propose that Leviathan fed mostly on high-energy content medium-size baleen whales. As a top predator, together with the contemporaneous giant shark Carcharocles megalodon, it probably had a profound impact on the structuring of Miocene marine communities. The development of a vast supracranial basin in Leviathan, extending on the rostrum as in Physeter, might indicate the presence of an enlarged spermaceti organ in the former that is not associated with deep diving or obligatory suction feeding.