Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Boessenecker RW
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4360102 | biostudies-other | 2015 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
The poorly known fossil record of fur seals and sea lions (Otariidae) does not reflect their current diversity and widespread abundance. This limited fossil record contrasts with the more complete fossil records of other pinnipeds such as walruses (Odobenidae). The oldest known otariids appear 5-6 Ma after the earliest odobenids, and the remarkably derived craniodental morphology of otariids offers few clues to their early evolutionary history and phylogenetic affinities among pinnipeds. We repo ...[more]