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Bite marks on early Holocene Tursiops truncatus fossils from the North Sea indicate scavenging by rays (Chondrichthyes, Rajidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2014

H.H. van Netten  and
J.W.F. Reumer
H.H. van Netten
Affiliation:
Utrecht University, Faculty of Geosciences, Budapestlaan 4, P.O. Box 80021, 3508 TA Utrecht, the Netherlands
J.W.F. Reumer*
Affiliation:
Utrecht University, Faculty of Geosciences, Budapestlaan 4, P.O. Box 80021, 3508 TA Utrecht, the Netherlands Natural History Museum Rotterdam, Westzeedijk 345, P.O. Box 23452, 3001 KL Rotterdam, the Netherlands
*
*Email: reumer@nmr.nl

Abstract

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A number of Tursiops truncatus mandibles in the collection of fossil marine mammals in the Rotterdam Natural History Museum have marks consisting of several parallel linear grooves. These marks are also found on four atlas complexes, a scapula and on one vertebra. The hypothesis that they are bite marks and were caused by scavenging rays (Rajidae, Chondrichthyes) was tested with a real-life experiment using different shark and ray species, allowing them to scavenge on cow ribs as proxies for the dolphin bones. The bite marks of these animals were compared with the fossil marks and show that the fossil marks are most likely caused by scavenging rays.

Keywords

taphonomybite marksraysbottlenose dolphin
Type
Geo(Im)pulse
Information
Netherlands Journal of Geosciences , Volume 88 , Issue 3 , November 2009 , pp. 169 - 175
Copyright
Copyright © Stichting Netherlands Journal of Geosciences 2009

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