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Antar MS, Gohar AS, El-Desouky H, Seiffert ER, El-Sayed S, Claxton AG, Sallam HM. A diminutive new basilosaurid whale reveals the trajectory of the cetacean life histories during the Eocene. Commun Biol 2023; 6:707. [PMID: 37563270 PMCID: PMC10415296 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04986-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Soon after whales originated from small terrestrial artiodactyl ancestors, basal stem forms (archaeocetes) came to inhabit more specialized aquatic ecologies and underwent a tremendous adaptive radiation that culminated in the adoption of a fully aquatic lifestyle. This adaptive strategy is first documented by the geographically widespread extinct family Basilosauridae. Here we report a new basilosaurid genus and species, Tutcetus rayanensis, from the middle Eocene of Fayum, Egypt. This new whale is not only the smallest known basilosaurid, but it is also one of the oldest records of this family from Africa. Tutcetus allows us to further test hypotheses regarding basilosaurids' early success in the aquatic ecosystem, which lasted into the latest Eocene, and their ability to outcompete amphibious stem whales and opportunistically adapt to new niches after they completely severed their ties to the land. Tutcetus also significantly expands the size range of the basilosaurids and reveals new details about their life histories, phylogeny, and paleobiogeography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed S Antar
- Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center (MUVP), Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt.
- Nature Conservation Sector, Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, Cairo, 11728, Egypt.
| | - Abdullah S Gohar
- Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center (MUVP), Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt
- Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology (I-GHHE), School of Sciences and Engineering, American University in Cairo, New Cairo, 11835, Egypt
| | - Heba El-Desouky
- Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center (MUVP), Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt
- Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt
| | - Erik R Seiffert
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Sanaa El-Sayed
- Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center (MUVP), Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Alexander G Claxton
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK, 74107, USA
| | - Hesham M Sallam
- Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center (MUVP), Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt
- Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology (I-GHHE), School of Sciences and Engineering, American University in Cairo, New Cairo, 11835, Egypt
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Houssaye A, Martin F, Boisserie JR, Lihoreau F. Paleoecological Inferences from Long Bone Microanatomical Specializations in Hippopotamoidea (Mammalia, Artiodactyla). J MAMM EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-021-09536-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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Gomes Rodrigues H, Lihoreau F, Orliac M, Boisserie JR. Characters from the deciduous dentition and its interest for phylogenetic reconstruction in Hippopotamoidea (Cetartiodactyla: Mammalia). Zool J Linn Soc 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Teeth are frequently used in phylogeny in order to better characterize the evolution of extinct mammal species. While most studies have focused on the adult dentition, the consideration of characters from the deciduous dentition could also contribute to reinforce phylogenetic assumptions or disentangle phylogenetic issues. We chose to investigate the characters of the deciduous dentition in cetartiodactyl taxa in relation to the disputed relationships within hippopotamoids, especially the position of Hippopotamidae. We describe the deciduous dentition of 51 species, among a dataset of 70 cetartiodactyls. We noticed that second and third deciduous premolars have a much lower degree of molarization, and are more suitable for coding than fourth deciduous premolars. Thirty-nine resulting characters were thus added to a previously published matrix, and parsimony and maximum-likelihood analyses were performed. Both analyses provided a better resolved topology for most taxa than without these characters, and with better support for most nodes in the parsimony analysis. Moreover, this analysis provides additional characters supporting the hypothesis of an emergence of hippopotamids within bothriodontine anthracotheres from the Palaeogene of Africa. The promising use of characters from the deciduous dentition in phylogeny should allow discussion of the underlying ontogenetic mechanisms at the origin of dental homology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helder Gomes Rodrigues
- Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie - Paris (CR2P), UMR CNRS 7207, CP38, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Fabrice Lihoreau
- Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Maëva Orliac
- Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Renaud Boisserie
- Laboratoire Paléontologie Evolution Paléoécosystèmes Paléoprimatologie, CNRS, Université de Poitiers - UFR SFA, Poitiers Cedex, France
- Centre Français des Études Éthiopiennes, CNRS, Ministère de l’Europe et des affaires étrangères - Addis Abeba, Éthiopie
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