Fossil_whales_langebaanweg

Modern and fossil baleen whales (mysticetes) from Southern Africa (SA) are examined using a combination of micro-tomography (micro-CT), histology and calcium isotope analysis of tympanic bullae (ear bones), and carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of baleen, with the aim to provide information about their age, life history traits, migratory habits and feeding ecology. Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis), pygmy right whales (Caperea marginata), Eden’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni), sei whales (B. borealis), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), dwarf minke whales (B. acutorostrata subsp.) and an Antarctic minke whale (B. bonaerensis), form the modern whale sample in this study. The pygmy right whale is of particular interest, as there are several gaps in our understanding about this species. The fossil whale sample consists of fragmentary tympanic bullae (TB) from Langebaanweg (LBW), Mio-Pliocene (5Ma) fossil locality on the south-west coast of SA. Micro-CT and histological examination of the modern and fossil TB from different ontogenetic stages will provide information about age, as these bones record annually deposited growth lines, life history patterns, and bone development through ontogeny. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of the pygmy right whale baleen will provide specific information about this species’ diet and migratory patterns. Calcium isotope analysis from the modern and fossil TB will provide the first thorough assessment of δ44Ca values for modern mysticete whales with approximately known diets; offer insights into the palaeotrophic structure and palaeodiets of the fossil mysticetes and provide the first calcium isotope analysis of fossils from LBW.