What features did the Dorudon have?
Dorudon was a small whale. Related to the apex predator Basilosaurus, they shared many similar physical traits. It had a relatively large skull with a pair of jaws lined with sharp teeth used to grip onto prey. It also had small hind limbs used to help males and females lock onto each other during copulation.
How did Dorudon live?
They were about 5 m (16 ft) long and fed on small fish and mollusks. Dorudon lived in warm seas around the world. Fossils have been found along the former shorelines of the Tethys Sea in present-day Egypt and Pakistan, as well as in the United States, New Zealand, and Western Sahara.
What was unique about Dorudon?
Dorudon also possessed very small and simplified hindlimbs. Locomotion: Dorudon shares many specialized features with modern whales. The pelvis is not attached to the vertebral column, and the hindlimbs, although present, are dramatically reduced as compared to land mammals and even to earlier whales.
What kind of animal was Dorudon?
Dorudon
| Pronunciation: | DOR-oo-don |
|---|---|
| Latin name: | Dorudon atrox |
| Meaning: | “spear-toothed” |
| Animal Type: | Mammal – cetacean (whale family) |
| Dietary Type: | Carnivorous – Small fish and molluscs |
Is Dorudon a transitional fossil?
Dorudon. For the final example of a transitional fossil, consider the early whale Dorudon atrox. This whale lived about 40 million years ago and shares many features with modern whales, but it also has several unusual features not seen in modern whales.
Where was the Dorudon found?
Dorudon (name meaning “Spear Tooth”) is a genus of basilosaurid whale that originated during the Eocene epoch in what is now Africa.
How long ago did the Dorudon live?
Dorudon atrox These whales were fully aquatic and lived between 34 and 40 million years ago.
What did the Dorudon evolve from?
The descendants of Dorudon went on to evolve into modern whales. About 34 million years ago, a group of whales began to develop a new way of eating. They had flatter skulls and feeding filters in their mouths. These are called baleen whales, which include blue whales and humpback whales.
Where was Dorudon found?
Dorudon lived in warm seas around the world. Fossils have been found along the former shorelines of the Tethys Sea in present-day Egypt and Pakistan, as well as in the United States, New Zealand, and Western Sahara.
When was the Dorudon discovered?
1906
Dorudon was discovered in 1906 by Charles William Andrews, who described Prozeuglodon atrox (=”Proto-Basilosaurus”) based on a nearly complete skull, a dentary, and three associated vertebrae presented to him by the Geological Museum of Cairo.
How did Basilosaurus and Dorudon move?
The long tail ended with a small fluke. Gingerich thinks it’s possible that when under water, Basilosaurus swam with an up-and-down undulating motion, but at the surface may have made snakelike, side-to-side, S-shaped movements. Co-existing with this huge carnivores was Dorudon, a smaller whale from the same family.
Where was the Dorudon founded?
Africa
Dorudon (name meaning “Spear Tooth”) is a genus of basilosaurid whale that originated during the Eocene epoch in what is now Africa.
What makes Dorudon different from other archaeocetes?
Even-though D. serratus is the type species, the description of Dorudon is largely based on D. atrox because of its completeness. The cranial morphology of D. atrox makes it distinct from all other archaeocetes. (1) Upper incisors and canine. (2) Upper premolars and molars.
What did the dorudontines eat?
Dorudon (“Spear-Tooth”) was a genus of ancient cetacean that lived alongside Basilosaurus 41 to 33 million years ago, in the Eocene. They were about five meters (16 ft) long and were most likely carnivorous, feeding on small fish and mollusks. Dorudontines lived in warm seas around the world.
What is the taxonomic status of Dorudon atrox?
The current taxonomic status of Dorudon is based on Uhen 2004 ‘s revision of Dorudon and detailed description of D. atrox. Before this, the taxonomy of Dorudon was in disarray and based on a limited set of specimens. D. atrox is known from Egypt, D. serratus from Georgia and South Carolina in the United States.
Who is the author of Dorudon?
Dorudon (Wikimedia Commons). Bob Strauss is a science writer and the author of several books, including “The Big Book of What, How and Why” and “A Field Guide to the Dinosaurs of North America.” Seashores of North America, northern Africa and the Pacific Ocean