Miocene dolphin fossil sheds light on ancient echo-locators
Catalina Sanchez-Posada, a former MGAP student, is the first author of this publication in the Jornal of Verebrate Paleontology that studied a fossil dolphin.
05.11.2024
Sanchez-Possada C., Racicot R.A., Ruf I.,Krings M., & Rössner G.E.(2024). Romaleodelphis pollerspoecki, gen. et sp. nov., an archaic dolphin from the Central Paratethys (Early Miocene, Austria), Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, e2401503. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2024.2401503
The authors describe a new fossil dolphin species from Austria, Romaleodelphis pollerspoecki, which reveals surprising insights into early toothed whale evolution. Dating back over 22 million years, this long-snouted species had a uniform set of teeth and lived in shallow coastal waters near estuaries. CT scans show that it could hear high-frequency sounds, similar to today’s specialized echo-locating dolphins, suggesting sophisticated acoustic adaptations evolved earlier than previously thought. This discovery highlights the growing diversity and convergent evolution of early dolphins in the ancient seas of the Central Paratethys.
