11/18/2023 0 Comments Blue whale vs killer whale sizeTo better understand Rododelphis, the researchers compared its anatomy to today’s false killer whales and orcas, as well as Orcinus citoniensis, the orca’s only known fossil relative. Based on the layer of earth that contained Rododelphis, it is estimated that the dolphin lived 1.5 million years ago during the Pleistocene epoch. Geisler, Bianucci, and several other colleagues from the University of Pisa named the species Rododelphis stamatiadisi, after the island where the fossil was found and the paleontologist who made the discovery (Polychronis Stamatiadis). In 2020, the remains of an ancient dolphin unknown to science were found on the Greek island of Rhodes, providing the first clear fossil evidence for the origins of the false killer whale. Now, a study published March 7 in the scientific journal Current Biology, co-authored by Jonathan Geisler, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of anatomy at the College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM), and Giovanni Bianucci, Ph.D., a paleontologist at the University of Pisa (Italy), may hold vital clues. However, it is unclear when this predatory behavior began, and fossil records for both species are extremely limited. Both predators are members of the oceanic dolphin family, with pods of orcas even known to aggressively hunt and eat blue whales-the largest creatures to ever live. Only two species of cetaceans (dolphins, whales, and porpoises) prey on other marine mammals: the true killer whale, or orca, and the false killer whale, which has a skeleton similar to the orca but gray coloring vs. Pictured: Life reconstruction of the Pleistocene false killer whale Rododelphis stamatiadisi preying upon blue whiting fish in deep waters off the coast of Greece.
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