Hadrokirus
| Hadrokirus martini Temporal range: Late Miocene | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Phocidae |
| Genus: | †Hadrokirus |
| Type species | |
| †Hadrokirus martini Amson & Muizon, 2013 | |
Hadrokirus martini is an extinct species of true seal (Phocidae) that lived on the coast of Peru about 6 million years ago. It was found in the Pisco Formation, together with other marine animals such as crustaceans, sharks, coastal birds, whales and aquatic sloths. The main particularity of this seal dwells in its teeth: they are extremely robust, hence the name (hadros, stout in Greek; kiru, tooth in Quechua). It is assumed that Hadrokirus martini was durophagous, its diet probably comprised crustaceans, small bivalves and other shelled animals, as it is seen for instance in the living sea otter. The extant seals the most closely related to Hadrokirus martini are the Lobodontini (seals from Antarctica).
References
- Amson, E.; de Muizon, C. (2013). "A new durophagous phocid (Mammalia: Carnivora) from the late Neogene of Peru and considerations on monachine seals phylogeny". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. doi:10.1080/14772019.2013.799610.
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