Family 18. ZIPHIIDÆ.
Ziphiina, Gray, Cat. S. & W. pp. 327, 348.
Ziphiidæ, Gray, Synops. Whales & Dolph. p. 10.
Skull beaked. Maxillaries not dilated above. Intermaxillaries linear, rather swollen on the sides of the nostrils. Teeth on the sides of the lower jaw compressed. Cervical vertebræ more or less united into a consolidated mass.
* Symphysis of the lower jaw produced behind the teeth.
1. BERARDIUS.
Berardius, Gray, l. c. pp. 327, 348; Synops. Whales. & Dolph. p. 10.
Teeth 2·2, in the front of the sides of the lower jaw, conical, compressed. Lower jaw gradually tapering in front. Symphysis moderately long, as far from the hinder tooth as from the tip.
1. Berardius arnuxi.
Berardius arnuxi, Gray, l. c. p. 348, fig. 70; Synops. Whales & Dolph. p. 10; Gervais, Ostéog. Cét. t. 23 (skull).
Inhab. New Zealand.
“Skull and lower jaw, a cervical vertebra, scapula, hyoid, paddles, and pelvic bones of one individual.
“Single tooth of another individual, weight 206 grains.
| in. | |
|---|---|
| “Length of head | 23½ |
| Length of nose | 17 |
| Length of dental groove | 7 |
| Length of lower jaw | 19 |
| Width at notch | 5½ |
| Width at orbits | 9½ |
| Width of intermaxillary at blow-holes | 4½ |
| Width of nose | 2 |
| Height of occiput | 9½ |
“One small tooth imbedded close to the tip of lower jaw on left side, 1 inch high, weight 38⅘ grains, irregular triangular shape.
“This is the skull of a young animal. A groove containing a strong ligament connecting the muscle of the forehead with the snout is deeply imbedded in the intermaxillary groove. The snout is described as long and flexible. Atlas and axis anchylosed. Length of cervical vertebræ 3⁷⁄₁₀ inches. Scapula, longitudinal diameter 10 inches, transverse diameter 6 inches. Paddles, length 14 inches, width 3½ inches. Hyoid arch 5½ × 4 inches high. Pelvic bones 2½ inches.
“The specimen was cast on the beach on the west coast, and prepared by Dr. Knox.”—Hector.
“Your Berardius proves to be quite different from the first one we got, both in the dentition and form of the skull. We have had several good papers on it from Dr. Knox. He has made a beautiful preparation, showing that the tooth does not pass through the gum.”—Dr. Hector, letter dated 30th October, 1870.
“A fine specimen of Berardius arnuxi has been cast ashore on the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand. It was made into a skeleton, which is now in the museum at Canterbury. The skeleton is complete, only wanting one of the pelvic bones. It was 30 feet long, and a young animal; not a single epiphysis is anchylosed. The cervical vertebræ, which, in the old animal evidently form a compact mass, are still partly free; the first three vertebræ (including the atlas) anchylosed, and of these the first two completely, and of the second and third the neural arches are as yet not completely united into one bone. It has ten ribs.”—Julius Haast.
The animal was 30 feet 6 inches long.
Deep velvet-black, belly greyish, tail with two falcate lobes 6½ feet broad. The pectoral fins are little above the middle of the body, 17 inches broad and 19 inches long, of a triangular form. Dorsal fin small, falcate, not very far from the chin (?). “The animal has the power of protruding the four teeth at will.” They live on cephalopods. The stomach contained about a half-bushel of the horny beaks of the Octopus, which were nearly all the same size. It was evidently a young animal, as all the disk-like epiphyses of the vertebræ are still separate, as was the case with the limb-bones.
The seven cervical vertebræ were beginning to coalesce; the first three are already anchylosed, the first two completely, and the second and third only partially, as the neural arches and transverse processes are not yet united in one bone. It has ten dorsal vertebræ; the lumbar and caudal vertebræ were not observed. (Dr. Haast, Annals & Mag. Nat. Hist., Oct. 1870.)
** Symphysis of the lower jaw to or nearly to the teeth.
2. ZIPHIUS.
Ziphius, Gray, l. c. pp. 327, 348; Synops. Whales & Dolph. p. 10.
Micropteron, Flower, l. c. p. 328.
Teeth 2, in the middle of the sides of the lower jaw. Teeth of the male large, short, compressed, truncated at the end; of female small, curved. Lower jaw often with sundry rudimentary teeth, gradually tapering in front; symphysis elongate, and reaching to the middle of the teeth in the male, and beyond it in the female. Cervical vertebræ free. Scapula with large coracoid and acromion processes.
Vertebræ 46:—C. 7. D. 10. L. 10. C. 19.
“Micropteron: cervical vertebræ all united in one solid mass.”—Flower, l. c. p. 328.
1. Ziphius Sowerbiensis.
B.M.
Ziphius Sowerbiensis, Gray, l. c. p. 350, fig. 71; Synops. Whales & Dolph. p. 10, tab. 5. f. 3, 4 (skull).
Mesoplodon Sowerbiensis, Gervais, Ostéog. Cét. t. 22 & 23 (skull and ear-bone); Van Beneden, Mém. de l’Acad. Brux. vol. x. t. 3.
Dioplodon Sowerbiensis, Gervais, Zool. et Paléont. Française, t. 30. f. 1.
Inhab. British Channel. Irish Sea.
3. DOLICHODON.
Dolichodon, Gray, l. c. p. 353; Synops. Whales & Dolph. p. 10.
Teeth 2, in the middle of the sides of the lower jaw. Teeth (of male) very long, strap-shaped, produced, arched obliquely, truncated at the end, with a conical process on the front of the terminal edge. Lower jaw weak, very slender in front. Symphysis elongate.
1. Dolichodon Layardii.
B.M.
Ziphius Layardii, Gray, l. c. p. 353, fig. 72.
Dolichodon Layardii, Gray, Synops. Whales & Dolph. p. 10.
Inhab. Cape of Good Hope (H. Layard).
4. NEOZIPHIUS.
Teeth 2, in the front of the lower jaw, with a compressed, short, triangular crown. Lower jaw strong, rather narrow in the middle, and suddenly tapering in front of the tooth. Symphysis to the back edge of the teeth.
1. Neoziphius europæus.
Dioplodon europæus, Gervais, Ostéog. Cét. t. 24 (skull).
Inhab. Mediterranean.
5. DIOPLODON.
Dioplodon, Gray, l. c. pp. 327, 355; Synops. Whales & Dolph. p. 10.
Teeth 2 or 4, conical, in the middle of the sides of the lower jaw. Lower jaw broad behind, suddenly contracted in front. Symphysis moderate, not reaching halfway to the teeth.
1. Dioplodon sechellensis.
Ziphius sechellensis, Gray, Synops. Whales & Dolph. t. 6. f. 1, 2 (skull).
Dioplodon sechellensis, Gray, Cat. S. & W. p. 355; Synops. Whales & Dolph. p. 10, t. 5. f. 4; Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1870, vi. p. 343, fig. (skeleton); Gervais, Ostéog. Cét. t. 25 (skull).
Dioplodon densirostris, Gervais, Zool. Paléont. Franç. t. 43. f. 3-6.
Fig. 11.
Dioplodon sechellensis.
Inhab. Seychelles. Mus. Paris. Lord Howe’s Island (Krefft).
The form of the lower jaw gives a very peculiar appearance to the skeleton. The cervical vertebræ are united together by their bodies and large dorsal spines, the latter forming a thick conical process. The bodies of the dorsal vertebræ are very small, enlarging in size towards the tail; they are thirty-six in number. The four terminal caudal ones are very small, forming a kind of cylindrical process. There are eight chevron bones. The thoracic cavity is small. There are twelve ribs on each side. The dorsal processes of the first eighteen vertebræ have an anterior basal process, which becomes gradually smaller.
Upper arm-bone very slender, slightly curved; the lower arm-bones moderate, straight, parallel to each other, and rather longer than the upper arm-bone. The ribs very broad at the upper end, and gradually tapering towards the chest, where they are nearly cylindrical.
“The total length of the skeleton, without cartilage, is 14 feet 8 inches; the head measures 2 feet 5½ inches in length, and the lower jaw 2 feet 3 inches in length. The first three cervical vertebræ are anchylosed; the next one is more or less free; and the remaining three are anchylosed again. The dorsals are ten in number, the last bearing a short rib 8 inches in length. Five of these ribs are jointed direct to the sternum; the following two meet the cartilage of the fifth rib.
“The sternum is composed of four pieces, 20 inches long, with a width of between 5 and 7 inches. It is not yet sufficiently cleaned to enable me to have it photographed; this, however, will be done as soon as possible, and copies forwarded to the Society. The lumbars number twenty, the last nine having V-bones attached. The fifth lumbar is 17½ inches high, 4 inches wide at the top, and 11¾ inches at the base, including the side processes. The eleventh lumbar is the widest, being 4¾ inches at the top. The caudals probably amounted to 13; but five of these are missing; the basal one is very small, about the size of a pea; and as it was firmly attached to the second last, there can be no mistake about it.
“The head is 2 feet 5½ inches long and 14 inches across at the widest part; the lower jaw 2 feet 3 inches long and 6¼ inches high behind the tooth. The left tooth measures 6 inches in length, 3⅜ inches in width, and is 1¾ inch thick [not well represented in the figure]. The space between the teeth measures 7¼ inches. The limbs are very imperfect; all the smaller bones are missing; and there is only a part of one scapula. I did not find the pelvic bones.
“This animal was captured about a year ago, near Lord Howe’s Island.”—Krefft, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 426.
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