Preparing the Oldest Proto-mysticete Whale, Seymour Island, Antarctica Peninsula

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This award will complete the preparation for study of a cranium and partial skeleton of the world's oldest proto-mysticete whale, recovered in 1987/88 from the late Eocene La Meseta Formation, Seymour Island, Antarctic Pennisula. The cranium is virtually complete, lacking part of the petrosal region, and several vertebrae and ribs of the thoracic skeleton also are preserved. As such, it is the oldest known proto-mysticete in the world, suggesting - with evidence from many other groups - that Antarctic waters produced many evolutionary novelities in advance of their appearance in lower latitudes. The specimen is entombed in a dense, highly indurated sandstone, making its preparation tedious and time consuming. About one- half of the work has been accomplished, under the auspices of the University of Otaga, Dundedin, New Zealand, being supervised by Dr. R. Ewan Fordyce. Once preparation and study have been completed, the specimen will return to the United States where it will be curated into the collections of the Smithsonian Institution. Because of this and in recognition of the significance of the specimen, the Smithsonian Institution Department of Paleobiology will contribute to the project.