They discover an ancestor of dolphins in Patagonia

SOCIETY

Mariana Viglino with technician Santiago Bessone, working in the field.

The studied animal, which inhabited the seas of Patagonia about 20 million years ago, belongs to the superfamily of Platanistoidea, a very diverse group in the past, as evidenced by the large number of Fossils that have been found over time and in different parts of the world. However, in the present, this group is represented by a single species, which is Platanist Gangetic: the dolphin of the Ganges River of India.

This is a small dolphin, about two meters. He was baptized as Aondelphis Talen – who in the Tehuelche language means little southern dolphin – because he was found in the province of Chubut. "Although the remains that we badyzed are rather fragmentary, the bones of the ear allowed us to determine that it is a new species," says Mariana Viglino, PhD student. at Paleontology and Paleoenvironment of Patagonia's Palaeoenvironment of Patagonia Institute of Geology and Paleontology (IPGP-CONICET)

"This animal gives us a new piece to begin to answer the evolutionary question of the extreme diversity of a group that , 20 million years ago, presently only one species and no longer lives the sea, not in the southern hemisphere, but in the rivers of the northern hemisphere. Group discoveries in Patagonia in recent decades are very important to science, "says Viglino

.The anatomical features of the ear that exhibited the bone remains of this dolphin allow us to badume that Alenlphis talen had the ability to echolocation, a fundamental feature that is also observed in current dolphins. "For these animals, from the adaptive point of view, hearing is key.They have a very limited vision and this ability allows them to perceive the environment through the echo produced in the objects after the sound that dolphins emit to guide you ", describes the IPGP-CONICET research badistant and member of the group, Mónica Buono.

The multidisciplinary team of scientists including Viglino and Buono, seeks to obtain additional information not only about the animal collected, but also about the environment and the environment that l & rsquo; # 39; lived. For that, geological studies are in progress.

"The badysis of the sediments in which the remains were deposited will further clarify their age and provide data on the environment and wildlife." Associated with cetaceans, we find a great diversity of species. Invertebrates, such as molluscs, echinoderms, crustaceans, among others.There is a diversity of wildlife that inhabited the same environment as this dolphin and provides valuable information, "says geologist and badistant researcher of the IPGP-CONICET and member of the team, José Cuitiño.

The remains of Alendalis talen were collected in 1990 by researcher Mario Cozzuol and the specialized technician Pablo Puerta "with the aim of ordering and better knowing the diversity of species of Patagonian cetaceans that disappeared there Millions of years ago, on the basis of these discoveries, the possibility of working in an integrated way with geologists is open to position these specimens in their context, "says Mónica Buono, IPGP badistant researcher. -CONICET

Ancestor

dolphins

Discovery

Paleontology

Patagonia