Brygmophyseter

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Brygmophyseter
Temporal range:
Ma
↓
Restored skeleton
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Superfamily: Physeteroidea
Family: incertae sedis
Genus: †Brygmophyseter
Barnes, 2006
Species:
†B. shigensis
Binomial name
†Brygmophyseter shigensis
(Hirota and Barnes, 1995)
Synonyms
  • Scaldicetus shigensis
  • Naganocetus shigensis

Brygmophyseter, known as the biting sperm whale, is an

The History Channel's TV series Jurassic Fight Club
.

History of discovery

The

humeri and radii in the limbs.[1][2] It was dated to the Langhian stage of the Miocene 14–15 million years ago (mya), and the specimen is currently on display at the Gunma Museum of Natural History in Japan.[1][3]

The genus name is a combination of the Ancient Greek word brygmos, which means "biting" or "gnashing", combined with physeter, which is the generic name of the living sperm whale, and also means "blower" in Ancient Greek.[1][4] The junior synonym Naganocetus derives from the Nagano Prefecture and the Latin cetus meaning "whale".[5]

Description

Restoration

Like other raptorials, Brygmophyseter had enamel-coated teeth in both jaws, unlike the modern

shoulder blades were thicker than they were tall.[6][1]

Brygmophyseter compared to a diver

Brygmophyseter is estimated to have been around 6.5–7 meters (21–23 ft) long.

neck vertebrae, ten thoracic vertebrae, ten lumbar vertebrae, and fifteen tail vertebrae. In comparison, the modern sperm whale has eleven thoracic, eight lumbar, and twenty-two tail vertebrae, and the smaller tail in Brygmophyseter is probably a primitive characteristic. The vertebra segments increase in height until the seventh lumbar vertebra, then they begin to decrease. In the thoracic vertebrae, with the exception of the tenth one, the width of the segments is larger than the height. The lumbar and tail vertebrae are circular in shape.[6][1]

The head of the humerus arm bone of Brygmophyseter was positioned perpendicular to the shaft. The elbow joint on the humerus was not distinct from the ulna, typical in cetaceans. The ulna was more primitive than that of the modern sperm whale, in that the shaft was longer and more slender, and the head of the bone was smaller.[1]

Taxonomy

Phylogeny

Reconstructed skeleton in side view

Brygmophyseter is a member of a fossil

paraphyletic (hence, probably invalid) subfamily Hoplocetinae, alongside Scaldicetus, Diaphorocetus, Idiorophus, and Hoplocetus.[10]

The species was first described in 1994 by

junior synonym.[11]

Physeteroidea
Relationships between Brygmophyseter and other sperm whales, raptorials in bold[12][9]

Paleoecology

killer whale (Orcinus orca).[7]

Since Brygmophyseter was a raptorial, and the group is characterized by their adaptations for subduing large prey, Brygmophyseter was likely a macropredator of marine mammals and other large marine vertebrates, occupying a niche similar to the killer whale. Though no stomach remains or bite marks have been found, it is thought to have preyed upon a variety of animals, including whales, seals, fish, and cephalopods.[7]

Brygmophyseter was discovered in the

lantern shark.[18]

In fiction

Brygmophyseter was featured in the fifth episode of

The History Channel's Jurassic Fight Club, "Deep Sea Killers". In this episode, Brygmophyseter, which was referred to as the "biting sperm whale", was portrayed as being able to weaponize sonar in order to stun prey, and to have traveled in pods like the modern-day killer whale. The pod was attacked by a megalodon, which seemingly had a similar size to the whales. When the megalodon severely wounded one of the members of the pod, the rest of the whales teamed up to drive the megalodon off. Once the member of the pod died, however, the megalodon returned to feed on it.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kimura, T.; Hasegawa, Y.; Barnese, L. G. (2006). "Fossil sperm whales (Cetacea, Physeteridae) from Gunma and Ibaraki prefectures, Japan; with observations on the Miocene fossil sperm whale Scaldicetus shigensis Hirota and Barnes, 1995". Bulletin of the Gunma Museum of Natural History. 103: 1–23.
  2. ^ "Shigamakkoukujira (Scaldicetus shigensis)". Archived from the original on 1 February 2009.
  3. ^ "Brygmophyseter Shignesis in Shiga Fossil Museum, Japan". Archived from the original on 9 February 2009.
  4. ^ "Research & Collection News" (PDF). Paleontology. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. May 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  5. ^
    doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2006.00228.x
    .
  6. ^
    doi:10.1111/j.1440-1738.1994.tb00125.x
    .
  7. ^
    S2CID 14542690
    .
  8. S2CID 239510338
    .
  9. ^
    hdl:11568/814760
    .
  10. ^ Toscano, A.; Abad, M.; Ruiz, F.; Muñiz, F.; Álvarez, G.; García, E.; Caro, J. A. (2013). "Nuevos Restos de Scaldicetus (Cetacea, Odontoceti, Physeteridae) del Mioceno Superior, Sector Occidental de la Cuenca del Guadalquivir (Sur de España)" [New Remains of Scaldicetus (Cetacea, Odontoceti, Physeteridae) from the Upper Miocene, Western Sector of the Guadalquivir Basin]. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas (in Spanish). 30 (2).
  11. S2CID 85723286
    .
  12. ISBN 978-1-4214-2326-5
    .
  13. ISBN 978-1-118-56155-3
    .
  14. doi:10.31610/zsr/2015.24.1.128
    .
  15. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.12.013
    .
  16. ^ Takakuwa, Y.; Koike, H.; Narita, K. (2009). "Outline of fossil elasmobranchs from the Middle Miocene Bessho and Aoki Formations, Nagano Prefecture, Japan". Research Report of the Shinshushinmachi Fossil Museum (in Japanese). 13: 7–18.
  17. ^ Koike, H.; Ohe, F.; Narita, K. (2008). "A fossil dermal denticle, Scymnodon ichiharai (Elasmobranchii; Somniosidae) from Miocene Bessho Formation in Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan". Research Report of the Shinshushinmachi Fossil Museum (in Japanese). 11: 1–13.
  18. ^ Koike, H.; Ohe, F.; Narita, K. (2008). "A fossil dermal denticle, Etmopterus sp. (Elasmobranchii; Etmopteridae) from the Middle Miocene Bessho Formation in Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan". Research Report of the Shinshushinmachi Fossil Museum (in Japanese). 11: 15–18.
  19. The History Channel
    . Retrieved 26 November 2017.

External links

Wikispecies has information related to Brygmophyseter.
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