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
The anterior zygapophyses and metapophyses maintain a nearly constant
position close to the top of the centra throughout the column, from the
seventh thoracic backward, and are vertical, thin, and oblong, squared or
rounded. They begin to decrease in size noticeably on the first caudal,
and on the seventh caudal are mere swellings at the sides of the nearly
horizontal plate from which the neural spine springs. They are traceable
as far as the twelfth caudal.
A ridge appears on the side of the neural arch near its base on the fifth
caudal and is stronger and very marked on those following, to the ninth
caudal. A ridge unites the anterior and posterior facets for the chevrons
on the ninth and succeeding caudals.
_Barnegat City_ (female).—Unlike the Newport skeleton, there are no
neural spines on the fifth, sixth, and seventh cervicals. The spine on
the first thoracic vertebra is quite short and sharp, and on the second,
third, and fourth thoracics also is rather pointed, though of increased
length. There is no metapophysis on the seventh cervical.
On the seventh thoracic the facet for the tubercle of the rib, instead of
being very prominent, becomes inconspicuous. The metapophysis is flat and
squared, and there is no lower facet on the side of the centrum. On the
eighth thoracic the metapophysis is thin, squared, and vertical, and a
well-formed transverse process appears on the side of the centrum. The
transverse processes of the ninth thoracic are a little curved backward,
and on the first lumbar and succeeding vertebræ bent forward. These
processes are less tapering on all the lumbars than in the Newport
skeleton. They disappear on the eighth caudal. None is perforated.
The longest neural spine is on the sixth lumbar, and on all the lumbars
both the anterior and posterior edges are somewhat convex. Hence their
shape is rather different from those of the Newport skeleton, in which
the anterior margins are somewhat concave. The tips of the spines are
rather suddenly expanded. The spines of the caudals are rather more
expanded at the tip and more inclined backward than in the Newport
skeleton. They disappear on the eleventh caudal.
The horizontal plate joining the metapophyses is noticeable on the fifth
caudal. The ridge on the side of the neural arch is first noticeable on
the fourth caudal and is very strong on the fifth, sixth, and seventh.
The metapophyses are last traceable on the twelfth caudal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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... — John Shaqi
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