New species of fossil dolphin found

Source: BBC

New species of fossil dolphin found

17 August 2016 Science & Environment

Scientists have identified a new species of dolphin that lived 25 million years ago.

The extinct animal has been described through re-examination of a specimen that's been in a museum collection since 1951.

Researchers think it is a relative of the endangered South Asian river dolphin, offering clues to the evolutionary history of modern species.

The findings have been published in the journal open access PeerJ.

The fossil, a partial skull about 22cm (9ins) long, was discovered in southeastern Alaska by geologist Donald J Miller.

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Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37108207

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Related: Arktocara yakataga, a new fossil odontocete (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Oligocene of Alaska and the antiquity of Platanistoidea (PeerJ)

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[font size=1]The skull was found in Alaska in 1951 and belongs to a previously unrecognised species[/font]


[font size=1]This artist's impression shows what the dolphin might have looked like[/font]