Building giants: the origins of extreme biology in baleen whales

建造巨人：须鲸极端生物学的起源

• 批准号: LP150100403
• 负责人: Prof Alistair Evans
• 金额: $ 29.33万
• 依托单位: Monash University
• 依托单位国家: 澳大利亚
• 项目类别: Linkage Projects
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 澳大利亚
• 起止时间: 2016-02-23 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://dataportal.arc.gov.au/RGS/Web/Grants/LP150100403
• 关键词: Building; giants; origins; extreme; biology

Baleen whales are unlike any other animal. They have evolved unparalleled specialisations for feeding, hearing, smell, cognition and – above all – the largest ever body size. These extreme features underlie the unmatched dominance of baleen whales in today's oceans. The origins of these key adaptations required major changes in the anatomy and function of the skull and teeth. However, exactly how and when the extreme innovations of baleen whales began remains an outstanding question in animal biology. This proposal aims to combine exceptional Australian fossils with recent advances in 3D imaging, biomechanics, and evolutionary analysis to discover how the secrets to the success of baleen whales first evolved.

须鲸不同于其他任何动物。它们在进食、听觉、嗅觉、认知方面进化出了无与伦比的专长，最重要的是，它们拥有有史以来最大的体型。这些极端的特征奠定了须鲸在当今海洋中无与伦比的统治地位。这些关键适应的起源需要颅骨和牙齿的解剖结构和功能发生重大变化。然而，长须鲸的极端创新究竟是如何以及何时开始的，仍然是动物生物学中的一个悬而未决的问题。该提案旨在将澳大利亚独特的化石与3D成像，生物力学和进化分析的最新进展相结合，以发现须鲸最初进化成功的秘密。