A new large-bodied Pliocene seal with unusual cutting teeth

• Published in: Royal Society open science Vol. 7; no. 11; p. 201591
• Main Authors: Rule, James P., Adams, Justin W., Rovinsky, Douglass S., Hocking, David P., Evans, Alistair R., Fitzgerald, Erich M. G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England The Royal Society 01.11.2020
• Subjects: callophoca; monachinae; north atlantic; Organismal and Evolutionary Biology; phocidae; Monachinae; North Atlantic; Callophoca; Phocidae

Today, monachine seals display the largest body sizes in pinnipeds. However, the evolution of larger body sizes has been difficult to assess due to the murky taxonomic status of fossil seals, including fossils referred to Callophoca obscura , a species thought to be present on both sides of the Nort...