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
_No. 142118._—Bering Island; young (new born?). Anterior tooth conical,
hollow, with thin walls. The lower half of the tooth is filled with a
mass of bony pulp, which is separable. The tooth is widest at the base,
and is without any constriction indicating the formation of a root. Outer
and inner surfaces slightly convex, the latter with several distinct
longitudinal furrows, which extend to the apex. The whole tooth has a
thin coating of cement, except the tip, for a length of about 10 mm.,
which is more nearly white, and consists, presumably, of dentine. The
tooth is very symmetrical, but rather more convex externally. The apex is
pointed, erect, and a little more convex externally than internally. (Pl.
39, figs. 1, 2.)
The posterior tooth is similar to the anterior one, but much shorter and
more blunt, and the longitudinal furrows are about equally distinct
externally and internally. The cement extends nearly to the apex, which
latter is very short and is directed backward.
_No. 49727._—St. George Island, Alaska; male, immature. Anterior teeth
conical, acute, somewhat unsymmetrical, rather more convex externally
than internally. The internal surface with a deep median longitudinal
groove, and others less distinct on each side near the base. Apex
slightly inclined forward and inward, convex externally, with a single
longitudinal groove; nearly flat internally, with, or without, a groove.
Base of tooth for about 17 mm. covered with longitudinal rugosities,
indicating that the root was about to close. It is open, however, the
walls of the tooth at the narrowest point being 8 mm. apart and the
cavity filled with dense bony pulp. The anterior and posterior outlines
of the teeth are irregular, being convex near the base, then slightly
concave, and again convex near the apex. When in the natural position,
these teeth protrude about 33 mm., or a little more than one-third their
height, above the alveolus. (Pl. 39, figs. 3, 4.)
Posterior teeth lacking.
_No. 49725._—Centerville beach, California; male (?), adult. Anterior
tooth conical, with anterior and posterior margins as in the last. Apex
considerably abraded and rounded off; not inclined inward or forward.
Internal and external surfaces nearly equally convex, but the former with
a broad median longitudinal groove. Root closed, the base of the tooth
for a breadth of about 30 mm. covered with rounded rugosities. The
inferior border slightly convex and the angles rounded off. When in the
natural position, somewhat more than one-half of the tooth protrudes
beyond the alveolus, and the tooth itself is inclined forward and
outward. (Pl. 39, fig. 5.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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