Nanokogia

Name: Nanokogia ‭(‬small kogia‭)‬.
Phonetic: Nah-noe-koe-ge-ah.
Named By: J.‭ ‬Velez-Juarbe,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Wood,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Gracia‭ & ‬A.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Hendy‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Cetacea.
Species: N.‭ ‬isthmia‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Piscivore/Carnivore‭?
Size: Unavailable.
Known locations: Panama‭ ‬-‭ ‬Chagres Formation.
Time period: Tortonian of the Miocene.
Fossil representation: Partial skulls and jaws.




       Nanokogia seems to have been much like modern day pygmy sperm whales of the Kogia genus.‭ ‬This is‭ ‬reflected in the genus name which basically means‭ ‘‬Small Kogia‭’‬.‭ ‬One difference however is that Nanokogia seems to have lacked teeth in the upper jaw,‭ ‬which may be a reflection of a specific prey specialisation.‭ ‬Larger cousins to these whales are the huge sperm whales of the Physeter genus also have teeth only in the lower jaw.‭ ‬Since these whales are hunters of soft bodied prey such as cephalopods,‭ ‬specifically squid,‭ ‬it begs the question,‭ ‬did Nanokogia have a similar prey preference,‭ ‬albeit for smaller squid species‭?

Further reading
-‭ ‬Evolutionary patterns among living and fossil kogiid sperm whales:‭ ‬Evidence from the Neogene of Central America.‭ ‬-‭ ‬PLoS One‭ ‬10‭(‬4‭)‬:e0123909.‭ ‬-‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Velez-Juarbe,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Wood,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Gracia‭ & ‬A.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Hendy‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.



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