Extinct California porpoise had a unique underbite

Thursday, March 13, 2014 - 13:01 in Paleontology & Archaeology

Millions of years ago, the coast of California was home to a species of porpoise distinguished from its living relatives by a lower jaw that extended well beyond the upper. In other words, the long-lost porpoise had a rather distinct and unusual underbite. Careful analysis of the fossilized Semirostrum ceruttii skull also shows that the porpoise's pronounced beak included innervated jaws, which the animal likely used to feel for prey along the ocean floor.

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