Whale skulls are wonkier than ever

The skulls of toothed whales have become more asymmetric over time, according to a new study led by UCL and the Natural History Museum in London. The team also found that early ancestors of living whales had little cranial asymmetry and likely were not able to echolocate, in the findings published in BMC Biology . The study used the skulls of 84 living and 78 extinct cetaceans from 50 million years ago to living whales. 34 of the specimens used, were from the Natural History Museum's collections. The team used three-dimensional geometric morphometrics and phylogenetic comparative methods to reconstruct the evolution of asymmetry through to living whales. The research is the most comprehensive study to date, spanning the evolutionary history of cetaceans. Lead author, PhD student Ellen Coombs (UCL Biosciences and Natural History Museum), said: "There are two sub orders of whales - the mysticetes, including humpback whales, and odontocetes, toothed whales which include dolphins.
account creation

TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT

And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.

Register


Login

Your Benefits

  • Access to all content
  • Receive newsmails for news and jobs
  • Post ads

myScience