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

南极洲半岛西摩岛，准备最古老的原须鲸

• 批准号: 8920883
• 负责人: Michael Woodburne
• 金额: $ 1.45万
• 依托单位: University of California-Riverside
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1990
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1990-01-15 至 1991-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8920883&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Preparing; Oldest; Proto; mysticete; Whale

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.

该奖项将为研究世界上最古老的原须鲸的头盖骨和部分骨骼做好准备，该鲸鱼于 1987/88 年在南极半岛西摩岛始新世晚期拉梅塞塔组中发现。 头盖骨几乎完整，缺少部分岩骨区域，并且胸椎骨骼的几块椎骨和肋骨也被保存下来。 因此，它是世界上已知最古老的原始神秘动物，根据许多其他群体的证据表明，南极水域在低纬度地区出现之前就产生了许多进化上的新奇事物。 该标本埋藏在致密、高度硬化的砂岩中，使其准备工作繁琐且耗时。 在新西兰邓迪丁奥塔加大学的支持下，在 R. Ewan Fordyce 博士的监督下，大约一半的工作已经完成。 一旦准备和研究完成，该标本将返回美国，并被史密森尼学会收藏。 正因为如此，并且认识到该标本的重要性，史密森学会古生物学部将为该项目做出贡献。