ETD

Archivio digitale delle tesi discusse presso l'Università di Pisa

Tesi etd-11142019-001949


Tipo di tesi
Tesi di laurea magistrale
Autore
CITRON, SARA
URN
etd-11142019-001949
Titolo
A reappraisal of Orcinus citoniensis, the earliest killer whale: osteoanatomy, phylogeny and palaeoecology.
Dipartimento
BIOLOGIA
Corso di studi
CONSERVAZIONE ED EVOLUZIONE
Relatori
relatore Bianucci, Giovanni
relatore Collareta, Alberto
Parole chiave
  • Orcinus
  • killer whale
  • palaeoecology
  • phylogeny
  • orca
  • Orcinus citoniensis
Data inizio appello
09/12/2019
Consultabilità
Non consultabile
Data di rilascio
09/12/2089
Riassunto
The anatomical redescription and the phylogenetic analyses confirm the original assignation of the specimen to the genus Orcinus and its referral to an extinct species that is clearly distinct from the extant Orcinus orca. The morphological cladistic analysis supports the validity of the clade Orcininae consisting of Eodelphinus, Hemisyntrachelus, Orcinus, and Pseudorca. Orcinus citoniensis relied on proportionally smaller preys than O. orca and P. crassidens and its diet was mostly composed of relatively small- to medium-sized fishes. There are no evidence supporting a frequent inclusion of marine mammals or particularly big bony fishes in the diet of O. citoniensis. Nonetheless, thanks to the large size and robustness of its teeth, O. citoniensis could have occasionally exhibited macroraptorial biting and tearing.
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