Livyatan size

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Livyatan is an extinct genus of macroraptorial sperm whale containing one known species: L. The genus name was inspired by the biblical sea monster Leviathan , and the species name by Herman Melville , the author of the famous novel Moby-Dick about a white bull sperm whale. It is mainly known from the Pisco Formation of Peru during the Tortonian stage of the Miocene epoch , about 9. It was a member of a group of macroraptorial sperm whales or "raptorial sperm whales" and was probably an apex predator , preying on whales, seals and so forth. Characteristically of raptorial sperm whales, Livyatan had functional, enamel -coated teeth on the upper and lower jaws, as well as several features suitable for hunting large prey. Livyatan ' s total length has been estimated to be about The teeth of Livyatan measured

Livyatan size

Note : This species was originally named Leviathan melvillei in the summer of As it turned out, the name Leviathan had already been used for a mastodon, an extinct type of elephant. Rules established by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature prohibit this, otherwise confusing situations could develop because different species share the same name. Thus the authors renamed their new species Livyatan , which is the original Hebrew spelling Leviathan is the English spelling. Range : The only known specimen of Livyatan was reported from Peru, indicating that it inhabited the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Size : Based on the size of the 3 meter approximately ten feet long skull and on comparisons with other sperm whales, Livyatan had a body length of meters feet. Anatomy : The skull and lower jaws of Livyatan are gigantic and massive. Unlike the modern sperm whale Physeter , Livyatan possessed massive, deeply rooted upper teeth and a short, wide snout. The modern sperm whale lacks upper teeth, and has a very long, less robust snout. Similar to the modern sperm whale, Livyatan exhibited a concave surface on the top of the skull called the 'supracranial basin,' which presumably housed a large fluid-filled sac called the 'spermaceti organ'. The teeth of Livyatan are large 14 inches long, inches in width — nearly the size of a 2-liter bottle of soda, and more than double the size of the largest known Tyrannosaurus rex teeth , have sharp tips, and bear deep gouges from wearing against other teeth. Locomotion : Although most of the skeleton of Livyatan is unknown, primitive sperm whales of a similar evolutionary grade, like Zygophyseter ,have skeletons that are much like those of modern sperm whales.

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Livyatan , sometimes known as the killer sperm whale or the dire whale , is an extinct genus of physeteroid whale, which lived during the Miocene epoch, approximately million years ago. The type species is the only known species, being L. The skull of Livyatan is 3 metres 10 feet long. Unlike the modern sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus , L. The jaws of L. The teeth of L.

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Livyatan size

Update : This animal has been renamed! It used to be Leviathan until someone pointed out to the authors that the name had already been taken! But living whales have it easy. Those that swam off the coast of Peru around 12 million years ago were hunted by a far bigger predator, a recently discovered animal with a very appropriate name: Livyatan. Livyatan melvillei , named after the Biblical sea monster and the author of Moby Dick , was a giant sperm whale that has just been discovered by Belgian scientist Olivier Lambert. At between

Regina phalange

The uses for the spermaceti organ in Livyatan are unknown. Livyatan was an apex predator, and it usually hunted animals close to the surface. OCLC Above-average females have been recorded up around 12 to 13 meters 39 to 43 ft , and the maximum size usually stated for males is males around 18 to 19 meters 59 to 62 ft. Fossil remains of many other animals—including baleen whales, beaked whales, dolphins, porpoises, sharks, sea turtles, seals and sea birds—have been found at the same site where the remains of L. The teeth of L. Each mandible in the lower jaw was higher than it was wide, with a larger gap in between the two than in the modern sperm whale. A slanting crest on the temporal fossa directed towards the back of the skull separated the snout from the rest of the skull, and was defined by a groove starting at the antorbital processes on the cheekbones. Unlike the modern sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus , L. Livyatan melvillei. Plesiobalaenoptera , an ancient grey whale cf. Explore Wikis Community Central.

Update : This animal has been renamed! It used to be Leviathan until someone pointed out to the authors that the name had already been taken! But living whales have it easy.

Other large marine animals found include ancient elephant seals , dugongs , sea turtles, ancient penguins such as Pseudaptenodytes , the extinct albatross Diomedea thyridata and the extinct toothed seabirds of the genus Pelagornis. Other localities of similar age on the South African west coast have also yielded many additional species of balaenopterids and sperm whales as well as ten species of beaked whales. Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia. In , palaeontologist Romala Govender reported the discovery of two large sperm whale teeth from Pliocene deposits near the Hondeklip Bay village of Namaqualand in South Africa. Australasian Science Magazine. One male caught in was reported to be Toggle limited content width. Watmore; Donald R. The jaws of L. Livyatan is an extinct genus of macroraptorial sperm whale containing one known species: L. Livyatan was a hypercarnivore, which means that its diet was more than 70 percent meat, which is why scientists believe it is the ancestor of Modern Sperm Whales. Unlike the modern sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus , L.