The Beaked Whales of the Family Ziphiidae: An Account of the Beaked Whales of the Family Ziphiidae in the Collection of the United States Museum...True, Frederick W. (Frederick William)
Science
The Beaked Whales of the Family Ziphiidae: An Account of the Beaked Whales of the Family Ziphiidae in the Collection of the United States Museum...
True, Frederick W. (Frederick William)
Beaked whales
In _stejnegeri_ (Pl. 12, figs. 1-3) the portion of the tooth above the
alveolus is inclined slightly inward and backward, but the pointed tip
curves outward so as to be vertical. When extracted from the alveolus,
the whole tooth is found to be concave internally and convex externally.
The posterior margin is convex and the anterior sinuous, a slight
convexity occurring on the portion which projects above the alveolus. In
this place the outer coating of cement is broken through, showing the
underlying dentine or osteo-dentine, which is somewhat corroded or
absorbed. This is particularly noticeable on the left tooth.
The upper margin of the tooth is transverse, or nearly at right angles
with the anterior and posterior margins. The posterior angle is rounded
and the anterior raised into an acute point by the projection of the
dentine as a distinct, sharp cusp. The inferior end of the tooth is cut
off obliquely and the margin is broken by numerous prominent rugosities.
The surface of all that part of the tooth which is contained in the
alveolus and covered by the gum above it is rugose, while the part above
the gum is quite smooth and highly polished.
The right tooth has the following dimensions (in straight lines): Length
of anterior border, 150 mm.; length of posterior border, 107; length of
superior border, 54; length of inferior border, 86; average length of
exposed dentine tip, 10; greatest breadth of tooth, antero-posteriorly,
81; greatest breadth of tooth, transversely, 15; distance from center of
base of exposed portion, when in position in the alveolus, to tip of
dentine projection, 82; distance from center of base of portion above the
gum to tip of dentine projection, 70; distance from center of base of
portion above the gum to center of inferior margin, 76.
The dimensions of the skulls are as follows, those of the type-specimen
having been revised and corrected:
_Dimensions of two skulls of M. stejnegeri._
Column headings:
A: 143132 U.S.N.M. Yaquina Bay, Oregon, adult.
B: 21112 U.S.N.M. Bering Id. Type (1715), young.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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