Nanokogia
Nanokogia is an extinct genus of pygmy sperm whale that lived off the coast of Panama during the Late Miocene.
| Nanokogia Temporal range: Late Miocene | |
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| Dorsal view of holotype skull of Nanokogia isthmia gen. et sp. nov. (UF 280000). Abbreviations: adif, anterior dorsal infraorbital foramen; an, antorbital notch; en, external nares; et, ethmoid; fr, frontal; la+j, lacrimal + jugal; lmc, lateral maxillary crest; mrg, mesorostral groove; mx, maxilla; pmx, premaxilla; pdif, posterior dorsal infraorbital foramen; scf, supracranial fossa; sfc, sagittal facial crest; sq, squamosal; vo, vomer. Gray shaded areas indicate sediment; diagonal lines denote broken surfaces. Gray shaded areas indicate sediment; diagonal lines denote broken surfaces. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | Kogiidae |
| Genus: | †Nanokogia Velez-Juarbe et al. 2015 |
| Species | |
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Description
Nanokogia is distinguished from other kogiids in lacking functional teeth in the upper jaw, antorbital notches forming a narrow slit, antorbital notches within the supracranial basin, and the left premaxilla excluded from the sagittal facial crest. The absence of functional teeth is also seen in modern pygmy sperm whales and the extinct genus Scaphokogia.[1]
Biology
Nanokogia relied on suction-feeding to capture squid and diel-migrating fishes, given the absence of functional teeth in the upper jaw.
References
- J. Velez-Juarbe, A. R. Wood, C. Gracia and A. J. W. Hendy. 2015. Evolutionary patterns among living and fossil kogiid sperm whales: Evidence from the Neogene of Central America. PLoS One 10(4):e0123909
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