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Macroraptorial sperm whales occupied the same niche as killer whales (Orcinus orca). Using their large and deeply rooted teeth, wide-opening jaws, and great size, they likely fed on a variety of sea life, including fish, cephalopods , seals , and small whales and dolphins, occupying a niche similar to the modern day killer whale ( Orcinus orca ).
Like in modern sperm whales, Zygophyseter had a very large basin above the braincase, known as the supracranial basin, which probably housed the spermaceti organ and the melon. These are used in the generation and focusing of sound for biosonar in the modern sperm whale, indicating Zygophyseter had some mechanisms for biosonar; that is to say ...
Livyatan is an extinct genus of macroraptorial sperm whale containing one known species: L. melvillei. The genus name was inspired by the biblical sea monster Leviathan, and the species name by Herman Melville, the author of the famous novel Moby-Dick about a white bull sperm whale. Herman Melville often referred to whales as "Leviathans" in ...
Acrophyseter is a genus of extinct sperm whale that lived in the Late Miocene off the coast of what is now Peru. The genus comprises two species: A. deinodon and A. robustus.It is part of a group of macroraptorial sperm whales that all share several features for hunting large prey, such as deeply rooted and thick teeth.
Scaldicetus is an extinct genus of highly predatory macroraptorial sperm whale.Although widely used for a number of extinct physeterids with primitive dental morphology consisting of enameled teeth, Scaldicetus as generally recognized appears to be a wastebasket taxon filled with more-or-less unrelated primitive sperm whales.
A sperm whale skeleton. The ribs are bound to the spine by flexible cartilage, which allows the ribcage to collapse rather than snap under high pressure. [52] While sperm whales are well adapted to diving, repeated dives to great depths have long-term effects. Bones show the same avascular necrosis that signals decompression sickness in humans ...
Idiophyseter [1] is a genus of macroraptorial sperm whale from the Miocene. Its fossils have been found in Templeton California. [2] Idiophyseter was small in size compared to modern genera and its maxilla has single-rooted alveoli. It lacked ventral internal process of the sort present in the modern day genus of sperm whale . [3]
The nasal bones of these whales are distinctly asymmetrical, with the blowhole being located on the left side of the head; in the sperm whale, this is near the top of the head, while on the kogiids it is further forward. All species have a large number of similar, and relatively simple, teeth.