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 superior maxillary bones are quite pointed in front and widen
out toward the base of the snout. Their lateral edges become
developed on each side into a prominent vertical ridge, which is
slightly convex on the outer surface, and the reverse on the inner.
These bones, after having widened out upon approaching the orbits,
ascend vertically along with the occipital (the two together holding
the frontal, which is quite perceptible, between them) and form at
the back of the head a transverse ridge, which is quite high and very
thick. From my not knowing by what name it was known, I did not
satisfy myself concerning the presence of palatine tubercles. Another
peculiarity of the head consists in the lower maxillary bones being
provided each at its point with a single small and very sharp tooth.
These were not noticed during the dissection, owing to their being
too much imbedded in the integuments; they are now, however, quite
visible. In the cavity of the skull is a septum of bone separating
the cerebrum from the cerebellum (_i. e._, the tentorium). The first
rib is very wide and short, and presents a marked contrast to the
others. The sternum is quite flat and wide. The pectoral fins are
small, and have been carefully preserved, with the various carpal and
phalangeal bones kept together by their natural ligaments. As the
skeleton stands, the fins consist only of the scapula, the humerus,
the radius, and the ulna, with but few phalanges.
“‘The length of this specimen is between twelve and thirteen feet.’”
(_Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila._, 1865, p. 15.)
[39]The Buenos Ayres specimen is not included here, as I am uncertain as
to its proper interpretation.
[40]Trans. New Zealand Inst., vol. 5, 1873, p. 164, pls. 4-5.
[41]Hector also figures a tooth from a specimen found at Manawatu beach
in pl. 5, fig. 3, which is like those of the Chatham Island specimen
in size and shape (diameter 34 mm.), and should belong to a male, but
as he does not figure or describe the skull this can not be used in
the present discussion.
[42]Trans. New Zealand Inst., vol. 9, 1876, p. 430, pl. 24, figs. A and
C; pl. 26, fig. 4.
[43]Idem, p. 440, pl. 24, fig. B; pl. 26, fig. 3.
[44]Zool. et Paléontol. franç., 2d ed., 1859, p. 287, pl. 39, figs. 2-7.
[45]Anal. Mus. Pub. Buenos Aires, vol. 1, 1868, pp. 301-366, pls. 15-20.
[46]Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1865, p. 15.
[47]Forest and Stream, vol. 65, 1905, p. 452.
[48]Trans. Zoöl. Soc. London, vol. 8, 1871, pp. 203-234, pls. 27-29.
[49]See Bull. Amer. Geogr. Soc, 1886, No. 4, p. 328.
[50]There is, or was formerly, in the museum of the Alaska Commercial
Company in San Francisco a skull of _Berardius_ 3 feet 6 inches long.
The locality in which it was obtained is unknown to me.
[51]Science, new ser., vol. 20, 1904, p. 888.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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