HOME | DD

Description
15 million years ago during the middle Miocene epoch in what is now the Pebas Formation of Peru, a crocodilian is suddenly launched out of the water, and in less than a second it is clear what launched it. While some crocodilians grow massive, the one sent flying here is a small species known as Kuttanacaiman iquitosensis, measuring less than 2 meters long. Its attacker is a dolphin, one much larger than the reptile and named Pebanista yacuruna. This dolphin takes bigger prey than just fish. Is the crocodilian about to became its next meal, a toy to be played with, or a bit of both?

Drawing inspired by the recent naming of a new fossil dolphin, and it also happens that I'm posting this right before National Dolphin Day (April 14). Back in March, the fossilized skull of a dolphin was described as a new genus and species named Pebanista yacuruna, the genus name referring to the Miocene-aged Pebas Formation of Peru where it was found. During the Miocene epoch, a massive wetland spanned across much of northern South America, including this site, known as the Pebas system or Pebas mega-wetland, which means Pebanista was a freshwater animal. While this may seem odd since dolphins are generally thought of as marine animals, there are actually multiple unrelated families of river dolphins alive today. While one of these families (the Iniidae) inhabits tropical South America today, Pebanista was not related to it and instead belonged to the Platanistidae, a family whose only living species live in south Asia. Aside from being on the other side of the planet from its modern relatives, another notable thing about Pebanista is its size: it is estimated to have grown between 2.8 and 3.47 meters long, and even by the lowest estimates, this makes it the largest freshwater cetacean known. Like modern river dolphins, Pebanista has reduced eyes, likely relying on echolocation to hunt in murky rivers and lakes where visibility sucks ass anyways. However, the more robust snout and enlarged teeth suggests Pebanista was hunting bigger prey than its extant counterparts, and it was likely macroraptorial, taking on large vertebrate prey.

Among the fossil content of the Pebas Formation are numerous different types of crocodilians, one of which was the small caiman Kuttanacaiman iquitosensis. Reaching less than 2 meters long, it is rather small by crocodilian standards, and its preferred prey was not large either: with a short round snout and blunt teeth in the back of its mouth, this caiman is believed to have ate mostly shellfish, crushing through their shells to eat the flesh. Given its size, it seems within range to be bullied by Pebanista if not preyed upon straight up. I'm not sure what size prey the dolphin could take on, but even non-macroraptorial dolphins are known to throw smaller animals around and end up killing them. I was inspired primarily by this recorded instance of bottlenose dolphins slamming and tossing a harbour porpoise until it dies.

Description
15 million years ago during the middle Miocene epoch in what is now the Pebas Formation of Peru, a crocodilian is suddenly launched out of the water, and in less than a second it is clear what launched it. While some crocodilians grow massive, the one sent flying here is a small species known as Kuttanacaiman iquitosensis, measuring less than 2 meters long. Its attacker is a dolphin, one much larger than the reptile and named Pebanista yacuruna. This dolphin takes bigger prey than just fish. Is the crocodilian about to became its next meal, a toy to be played with, or a bit of both?

Drawing inspired by the recent naming of a new fossil dolphin, and it also happens that I'm posting this right before National Dolphin Day (April 14). Back in March, the fossilized skull of a dolphin was described as a new genus and species named Pebanista yacuruna, the genus name referring to the Miocene-aged Pebas Formation of Peru where it was found. During the Miocene epoch, a massive wetland spanned across much of northern South America, including this site, known as the Pebas system or Pebas mega-wetland, which means Pebanista was a freshwater animal. While this may seem odd since dolphins are generally thought of as marine animals, there are actually multiple unrelated families of river dolphins alive today. While one of these families (the Iniidae) inhabits tropical South America today, Pebanista was not related to it and instead belonged to the Platanistidae, a family whose only living species live in south Asia. Aside from being on the other side of the planet from its modern relatives, another notable thing about Pebanista is its size: it is estimated to have grown between 2.8 and 3.47 meters long, and even by the lowest estimates, this makes it the largest freshwater cetacean known. Like modern river dolphins, Pebanista has reduced eyes, likely relying on echolocation to hunt in murky rivers and lakes where visibility sucks ass anyways. However, the more robust snout and enlarged teeth suggests Pebanista was hunting bigger prey than its extant counterparts, and it was likely macroraptorial, taking on large vertebrate prey.

Among the fossil content of the Pebas Formation are numerous different types of crocodilians, one of which was the small caiman Kuttanacaiman iquitosensis. Reaching less than 2 meters long, it is rather small by crocodilian standards, and its preferred prey was not large either: with a short round snout and blunt teeth in the back of its mouth, this caiman is believed to have ate mostly shellfish, crushing through their shells to eat the flesh. Given its size, it seems within range to be bullied by Pebanista if not preyed upon straight up. I'm not sure what size prey the dolphin could take on, but even non-macroraptorial dolphins are known to throw smaller animals around and end up killing them. I was inspired primarily by this recorded instance of bottlenose dolphins slamming and tossing a harbour porpoise until it dies.