New Zealand scientists have identified a new extinct dolphin species with a unique diet and mouth structure. Order of toothed cetaceans or odontocetes (Odontoceti), includes dolphins, porpoises, sperm whales, and all other marine mammals that have teeth. The first odontocetes were primarily carnivorous, whereas most modern ones are able to absorb small foods.

In the pre-Miocene period, some odontocetes were known for their strange, protruding incisors, and this has been the subject of much debate. Such animals had heterodont teeth that were shark-like and had many small surfaces. Among them, for example, was an extinct species of dolphin. WaipatiaIt lived off the coast of New Zealand in the late Oligocene, 23-27 million years ago.

A beautifully preserved skull specimen of one of the previously unknown odontocetes appears to have revealed the secret of this strange arrangement of teeth. The bones were discovered a long time ago in the Hakataramea valley (between 22 and 27 million years ago, a large part of the territory of New Zealand sank into the sea), stored in the Otago Museum of Geology. But now they have been identified by scientists from the University of Otago (New Zealand). Paleontologists present their findings in the journal Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

The new look has been named aureia rerehua . The first word translated from Maori means “cloak needles” (according to scientists, they resemble the teeth of an animal), and the second – “beautiful” (hence the nickname the animal was given due to the excellent safety of its bones). The dolphin’s teeth seemed to be “spread out” relative to each other and, according to scientists, they surrounded the caught small fish like a large basket or cage.

This method of grabbing food is very unusual for odontocetes, as other ancient dolphins in the same area would often cut their prey with their teeth. Researchers believe that this method can be called more sensitive in terms of killing the caught fish.

Aurea was the smallest of all relatives (its body length was almost two meters), its skull was rather fragile, and the neck was flexible. All this helped the animal hunt in shallow water.

It is interesting that in the small area where Aurea is located, many other finds were discovered, including various dolphin fossils. This fact suggests that similar animals can exist in close proximity to each other because they occupy different ecological niches. “Prehistoric dolphins used many different feeding strategies,” said the study’s lead author, Shane Meekin.