Incakujira

Incakujira
Temporal range: Tortonian (Huayquerian)
~11.6–7.2 Ma
↓
Incakujira anilliodefuego paratype specimen
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Artiodactyla
Infraorder:Cetacea
Family:Balaenopteridae
Genus:†Incakujira
Marx and Kohno, 2016
Species
  • I. anillodefuego Marx and Kohno, 2016 (type)

Incakujira is an extinct genus of rorqual from the Late Miocene (Huayquerian in the SALMA classification) Pisco Formation in western Peru.[1]

Description

Incakujira differs from other rorquals (fossil and extant) in having a less attenuated rostrum and the features of the maxilla, supraorbital, and remainder of the cranium. Kujira in the genus name means "whale" in Japanese.[2]

Biology

The twisted postglenoid process of the squamosal suggests that the lunge-feeding capabilities of Incakujira were not as great as those of extant rorquals, and that Incakujira itself also pursued additional krill-feeding strategies like skimming.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Incakujira at Fossilworks.org
  2. 1 2 F. G. Marx and N. Kohno. 2016. A new Miocene baleen whale from the Peruvian desert. Royal Society Open Science 3(10):160542
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