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A list of fossil cetaceans in Japan
Author(s) -
Oishi Masayuki,
Hasegawa Yoshikazu
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
island arc
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.554
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1440-1738
pISSN - 1038-4871
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1738.1994.tb00128.x
Subject(s) - cetacea , extant taxon , paleontology , taxon , archipelago , geology , holocene , geography , archaeology , zoology , oceanography , biology , evolutionary biology
Fossil cetacea of Japan are abundant and diverse. Despite several summary articles, all the known taxa have not previously been compiled in one place. Here we present a list of the published fossil cetacean records from the Japanese archipelago. The record extends from Middle or Late Oligocene to the Holocene, and includes representatives of both the suborders Odontoceti and Mysticeti. No Eocene Cetacea or Archaeoceti are recorded from Japan. As is typical of the eastern North Pacific and the South Pacific, the Oligocene and Early Miocene assemblages are comprised of archaic and usually extinct families, and the younger assemblages are represented by modern groups comprised of extant genera and families.