| Kawas benegasorum Temporal range: Mid
Miocene
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|---|---|
Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Clade: | Pinnipedia |
| Family: | Phocidae |
| Genus: | †
Kawas Cozzuol, 2001 |
| Species: | †K. benegasorum
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| Binomial name | |
| †Kawas benegasorum Cozzuol, 2001
[1]
| |
Kawas is an extinct genus of phocid from the Miocene of Argentina. It contains a single species known as Kawas benegasorum.
Etymology
Kawas comes from the Tehuelche language and is the feminine form of 'Kawa' (elephant seal). 'Kawas' can also be translated to mean 'mermaid'. [2]
Description
Kawas was described from an articulated partial skeleton that has been dated to the middle Miocene around 12-14 million years ago. The skeleton is notable by the fact that it shares features in common with "northern hemisphere" seals ( Phocinae) then it does other seals from the southern hemisphere, all traditionally placed in the subfamily Monachinae. This may suggest the Monachinae is paraphyletic. [2]
Another notable aspect of Kawas is the discovery of preserved gut content, which indicate a diet primarily of bony fish. It is one of only two fossil pinnipeds with preserved content. [3]
References
- ^ "Kawas benegasorum". Fossilworks. Gateway to the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ a b Cozzuol, Mario A. (2001). "A "Northern" Seal from the Miocene of Argentina: Implications for Phocid Phylogeny and Biogeography". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 21 (3): 415–421.
- ^ Berta, Annalisa (2017). The Rise of Marine Mammals: 50 Million Years of Evolution. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 106. ISBN 9781421423265.