Allodesmus

Allodesmus Temporal range: Miocene PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N

Allodesmus sp. skull
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Superfamily:	Pinnipedia
Family:	Desmatophocidae
Genus:	Allodesmus Kellogg, 1922
Species
A. gracilis Barnes and Hirota, 1995 A. kelloggi Mitchell, 1966 A. kernensis Kellogg, 1922 A. naorai Kohno, 1996 A. packardi Barnes, 1972 A. sadoensis Barnes and Hirota, 1995 A. sinanoenis (Nagao, 1941)

Skeleton of Allodesmus sp. at the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan.

Allodesmus is an extinct genus of pinniped from the Miocene and related to the genus Desmatophoca. It measured about 8 feet (2.4 m) long and weighed 800 pounds (360 kg). Allodesmus had the specific anatomical features found in modern polygynous pinnipeds: sexual dimorphism, strong canines for fights between bulls and teeth with well-defined growth zones, a result from periodic fasting (in order to defend their harem, males would not take to the sea to feed during the breeding season).^[1]

Allodesmus sinanoensis and A. packardi have been assigned to separate genera, Megagomphos and Brachyallodesmus, respectively, although this generic distinction has been questioned by recent authors. Atopotarus, referred to Allodesmus, might be a distinct genus, although more material is necessary.^[2]^[3]

References

↑ Bonner, Nigel (1982). Seals And Man - A Study Of Interactions. USA: University of Washington. p. 11. ISBN 0-295-95890-1.
↑ L. G. Barnes and K. Hirota. 1995. Miocene pinnipeds of the otariid subfamily Allodesminae in the North Pacific Ocean: Systematics and relationships. The Island Arc 3:329-360
↑ http://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-best-known-fossil-pinniped-part-2.html

After the Dinosaurs: The Age of Mammals (Life of the Past) by Donald R. Prothero
Vertebrate Palaeontology by Michael J. Benton
Functional Morphology in Vertebrate Paleontology by Jeffrey J. Thomason
Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, ed. William F. Perrin, Bernd Würsig, J.G.M. Thewissen

External links

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