Semirostrum ceruttii: Scientists Discover Extinct Porpoise with Unique Underbite

Paleontologists led by Dr Rachel Racicot of Yale University have described a new species of extinct porpoise that lived off the coast of what is now California during Pliocene, between 5 and 1.5 million years ago.

The prehistoric marine animal, named Semirostrum ceruttii, is related to living crown porpoises.

The generic name Semirostrum refers to the animal’s unusual jaw – the rostrum is the lower half of the jaw. The species name honors Dr Richard Cerutti, a paleontologist at the San Diego Natural History Museum.
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28 Million-Year-Old Whale Skull Fossil Found, ‘Really Unusual’ New Species Shows Possible Origin Of Echolocation

The fossilized skull of a 28 million-year-old whale may be the oldest evidence paleontologists have of echolocation. According to analysis of the new species of toothed whale, Cotylocara macei looked similar to modern-day dolphins and lived in shallow marine environments. It also had a deep cavity on the top of its head that would have stored air during dives and may have reflected sound.

“The anatomy of the skull is really unusual,” Jonathan Geisler, a professor of anatomy at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine and lead author of the study, said in a statement. “I’ve not seen anything like this in any other whale, living or extinct.”

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