Casatia

Casatia is an extinct genus of cetacean in the family Monodontidae, known from the Early Pliocene, approximately between 5.1 to 4.5 million years ago. The type species, C. thermophila, was described in 2019 from a partial skull found in Italy, representing the only known fossils of a monodontid from the Mediterranean Basin. Its closest living relatives are the narwhal and beluga, though the remains were found farther south than these species, supporting the hypothesis that monodontids evolved in warmer regions before adapting to cold water.^[1] Other partial indeterminate remains are known from the Kattendijk Formation of Belgium.^[2]

Palaeoecology

Fossils of C. thermophila were also found near fossils of the modern bull and tiger sharks as well as many extinct marine mammals, such as the sirenian Metaxytherium subapenninum.^[1]

A partial skeleton of an indeterminate species of Casatia from the Kattendijk Formation of Belgium shows evidence of bite marks belonging to the lamnid shark Carcharodon plicatilis. The marks suggest an attempt by the predator to sever the head from the rest of the body, pointing to the forehead region as the main targeted area.^[2]

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Bianucci, Giovanni; Pesci, Fabio; Collareta, Alberto; Tinelli, Chiara (22 August 2019). "A new Monodontidae (Cetacea, Delphinoidea) from the lower Pliocene of Italy supports a warm-water origin for narwhals and white whales". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 39 (3). doi:10.1080/02724634.2019.1645148. Bibcode: 2019JVPal..39E5148B. https://figshare.com/articles/A_new_Monodontidae_Cetacea_Delphinoidea_from_the_lower_Pliocene_of_Italy_supports_a_warm-water_origin_for_narwhals_and_white_whales/9722102.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Lambert, Olivier; Stewart, John R.; Louwye, Stephen; Coninck, Luc De; Bosselaers, Mark; Crété, Lucile; Goolaerts, Stijn; Mallet, Christophe et al. (2026-03-18). "Evidence for different shark species feeding on a diminutive right whale and a relative of the beluga in the Early Pliocene of the southern North Sea". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 71 (1): 69–84. doi:10.4202/app.01297.2025. https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app012972025.html. This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Wikidata ☰ Q66826886 entry

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[:1-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Bianucci, Giovanni; Pesci, Fabio; Collareta, Alberto; Tinelli, Chiara (22 August 2019). "A new Monodontidae (Cetacea, Delphinoidea) from the lower Pliocene of Italy supports a warm-water origin for narwhals and white whales". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 39 (3). doi:10.1080/02724634.2019.1645148. Bibcode: 2019JVPal..39E5148B. https://figshare.com/articles/A_new_Monodontidae_Cetacea_Delphinoidea_from_the_lower_Pliocene_of_Italy_supports_a_warm-water_origin_for_narwhals_and_white_whales/9722102.

[:0-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Lambert, Olivier; Stewart, John R.; Louwye, Stephen; Coninck, Luc De; Bosselaers, Mark; Crété, Lucile; Goolaerts, Stijn; Mallet, Christophe et al. (2026-03-18). "Evidence for different shark species feeding on a diminutive right whale and a relative of the beluga in the Early Pliocene of the southern North Sea". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 71 (1): 69–84. doi:10.4202/app.01297.2025. https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app012972025.html. This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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Casatia

Topic: Biology

Palaeoecology

References