Evidence has been found of the existence of a now extinct dwarf dolphin, whose name is Inermorostrum xenops and means "strange face, without weapons" , which could have been used once his toothless mouth to suck fish and squid, according to a new study.Want to know more? We'll tell you!
Meet the dwarf dolphin without teeth
A dolphin skull fossil was found by hunters at the bottom of the Wando River near Charleston, South Carolina, in the United States .Scientists responsible for investigating the fossil were able to determine that it is approximately 28 to 30 million years old.
The finding suggests that Dolphins and whales have had, throughout their evolution, strange forms of feeding very different from those we know today in their evolved species. The fossil size suggests that this extinct dolphin was a dwarf species.It may have measured up to about 4 feet (1.2 meters) long and weighing around 100 pounds.(45 kilograms).
When this dwarf dolphin lived, shared the sea with scallops, barnacles and corals, as well as with sharks, swordfish that reached up to about 9 meters long and a great variety of whales and dolphins. This marine ecosystem also included giant predators, so the newly discovered species would have been an easy target for many of these sea predators.
"Inermorostrum xenops" was the name given to this recently discovered species ; "Inermorostrum" means "snout without weapons" in Latin, and "xenops" means "strange face" in Greek.The name makes clear reference to its short and toothless snout.This dolphin has the shortest jaw of any known cetacean until the moment.
Scientists suggested that the Inermorostrum xenops probably adapted to suction feeding, as did many other cetaceans that feed through this method.also that the "Inermorostrum" should have been fed predominantly with soft body prey: fish small enough to swallow, as well as soft-bodied invertebrates that include squid, octopus, sea cucumbers, and many others.
This species of dolphin had larger holes in the skull's muzzle, suggesting that this curious creature may have had large, fleshy lips, or perhaps even whiskers.
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