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Astrapionte — Odobenocetops leptodon (Coldstone Skin~ Head)

#miocene #paleoart #peru #whale
Published: 2023-10-07 04:33:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 857; Favourites: 20; Downloads: 0
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Description O. leptodon was a medium-sized toothed whale known from Late Miocene Peru that was... a bit... weird to be frank.

Well, not 'bad' weird... An intriguing 'weird'.

The males of this species superficially resembled Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus; a large pinniped of the Northern Seas with a notorious set of elongated canine teeth (=tusks) for the uninformed), with a pair of backwards-protruding tusks parallel to the body. Strangely, the right tusks were more than twice the length of the left one. The practicality of these tusks is not well known; they are noted to be too weak to aid in digging, sparring, or any activity that requires force. It is more likely that they were used only for social display, like Narwhals (Monodon monoceros). As of October 2023, it is unknown. The animal also sported a very flexible neck, that is thought to most likely aid in foraging. Perhaps they sought out mollusks, crustaceans, and other small creatures by disturbing the seafloor like Walruses. O. leptodon differs from its sister species, O. peruvianus, in having a small melon that probably was used for echolocation; O. peruvianus seems to have sported better vision in place of a melon.
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