Matt WillemsenJul 17, 2023
The true origins of the world’s smallest and weirdest whale
The pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata, is the weirdest whale you’ve probably never heard of.
It is the smallest of the living baleen whales and restricted to the Southern Hemisphere.
https://theconversation.com/the-true-origins-of-the-worlds-smallest-and-weirdest-whale-208279 #small #whale #baleen #PygmyRightWhale #CapereaMarginata
The true origins of the world's smallest and weirdest whale

Our new genomic research finally solves a 150 years of scientific mystery about the unusual and ancient pygmy right whale.

The Conversation
Lukas VFN 🇪🇺Jul 10, 2023

#Researchers have finally settled a decades-long dispute about the evolutionary origins of the #PygmyRightWhale https://phys.org/news/2023-07-whale-debate-rest.html

Convergent #evolution of skim feeding in baleen #whales https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.13047

"#Genomics now shows that #Caperea is a distinct lineage and not related to #RightWhales. It is the sole guardian of a unique piece of evolutionary heritage. It truly is the last survivor of an otherwise lost family that once played a much bigger role"

Whale of a debate put to rest

Researchers have finally settled a decades-long dispute about the evolutionary origins of the pygmy right whale.

Phys.org