Dear colleagues We are very pleased to announce a new paper - describing a Pliocene gray whale (*Eschrichtius*) from Beligum.
Tsai C.-H., Collareta A., and Bosselaers M. 2020. A Pliocene gray whale ( *Eschrichtius* sp.) from the Eastern North Atlantic. Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia (Research in Paleontology and Stratigraphy) 126: 189-196. Abstract The gray whale *Eschrichtius robustus*, the only living member of the eschrichtiid lineage, currently inhabits only the North Pacific. Interestingly, however, the holotypes of both *E. robustus* and the late Miocene *Archaeschrichtius ruggieroi *(the oldest known eschrichtiid species) come from the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, respectively. Here we describe a partial mysticete mandible from the Pliocene (3.71–2.76 Ma) of Belgium (Eastern North Atlantic). This new fossil displays a combination of morphological features that makes it nearly identical to modern *E. robustus*. Nevertheless, given its incomplete nature, the studied specimen is here identified in open nomenclature as belonging to *Eschrichtius* sp. The recognition of such an early record of *Eschrichtius* in the North Atlantic suggests that this genus developed a circum-Northern Hemisphere distribution not later than in Pliocene times, thus complicating our understanding of its origin, evolutionary history, and palaeobiogeographic patterns. The paper is freely accessible: https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/RIPS/article/view/13040 Alternatively, please feel free to email me or Alberto for a pdf copy further discussion: Tsai: [email protected]; [email protected] Alberto: [email protected] Regards and all the best, Tsai 蔡政修（Cheng-Hsiu Tsai さい まさのぶ) Lab of evolution and diversity of fossil vertebrates（古脊椎動物演化及多樣性實驗室） Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University（台灣大學生命科學系） No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, 106-17, Taiwan（台灣 106-17 台北市羅斯福路 4 段 1 號） Email: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/NTUWhaleTsai/?modal=admin_todo_tour
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