North Pacific Whale: 30-Million-Year-Old Fossil Identified

Researchers have identified a baleen whale fossil that once swam in the North Pacific Ocean about 30 to 33 million years ago, according to a study at the University of Otago. The fossilized whale was recovered from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, and the species was identified as Fucaia buelli, according to the researchers. This is one of the oldest baleen whales to be found and is also one of the smallest, with a 2-to-2.5-meter length.

The Fucaia buelli fossil is transitional between ancient toothed whales and the modern baleen whales. Modern baleen whales have comb-like plates, which allows them to filter organisms in the water. Fucaia, on the other hand, had well developed teeth, which allowed these whales to capture and chew their prey.

"Once captured, prey was likely sucked deeper into the mouth for swallowing - a technique which, ultimately, may have given rise to baleen and filter feeding in the modern Mysticeti suborder of whales," Dr. Felix Marx, co-author of the study, said in a news release.

The researchers' study is shedding light on how modern baleen whales lost their teeth. They found that the Fucaias' long and close-spaced teeth enabled the species to chew their food, which is very distinctive from modern baleen whales.

"We think that Fucaia was similar to modern dolphins in capturing its prey using its teeth and perhaps strong suction," Marx said. "Suction feeding likely enabled early whales to move from a tooth-based feeding style to filter-feeding, by allowing them to capture smaller prey items than teeth alone could handle."

The Fucaia whale belonged to a popular, extinct species known as Aetiocetidae. The fossil was kept at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Washington.

The findings of this study were published in the UK journal Royal Society Open Science.

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