Kawas benegasorum
| Kawas benegasorum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Clade: | Pinnipedia |
| Family: | Phocidae |
| Genus: | †Kawas Cozzuol, 2001 |
| Species: | †K. benegasorum
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Kawas benegasorum Cozzuol, 2001[1]
| |
Kawas is an extinct genus of
. It contains a single species known as Kawas benegasorum.Etymology
Kawas comes from the Tehuelche language and is the feminine form of 'Kawa' (elephant seal). 'Kawas' can also be translated to mean 'mermaid'.[2]
Description
Kawas was described from an articulated partial skeleton that has been dated to the middle Miocene around 12-14 million years ago. The skeleton is notable by the fact that it shares features in common with "northern hemisphere" seals (
paraphyletic.[2]
Another notable aspect of Kawas is the discovery of preserved gut content, which indicate a diet primarily of bony fish. It is one of only two fossil pinnipeds with preserved content.[3]
References
- ^ "Kawas benegasorum". Fossilworks. Gateway to the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ a b Cozzuol, Mario A. (2001). "A "Northern" Seal from the Miocene of Argentina: Implications for Phocid Phylogeny and Biogeography". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 21 (3): 415–421.
- ISBN 9781421423265.