MSGID: 1:317/3 64acdae2   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Evolutionary origins of the pygmy right whale    
      
     Date:   
         July 10, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Otago   
     Summary:   
         Researchers have finally settled a decades-long dispute about the   
         evolutionary origins of the pygmy right whale.   
      
      
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   Researchers have finally settled a decades-long dispute about the   
   evolutionary origins of the pygmy right whale.   
      
   The smallest of the living baleen whales, it's tank-like skeleton is   
   unique, and its ecology and behaviour remain virtually unknown.   
      
   Because it is so unusual, the evolutionary relationships of the pygmy   
   right whale (Caperea marginata) have long been a bone of contention.   
      
   In a study that solves the debate, just published in Marine Mammal   
   Science, an international group of researchers sequenced the complete   
   genome of Caperea, combining their findings with morphology and   
   palaeontology.   
      
   Co-author Dr Felix Marx, curator of marine mammals at the Museum of New   
   Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa explains the skull shape of the pygmy right   
   whale seems to be adapted for skim-feeding, where a whale will swim at   
   the water's surface with its mouth open to food.   
      
   "This is very similar to the larger true right whale, leading some   
   scientists to believe the two whales are closely related, hence their   
   similar names.   
      
   However, others believe the pygmy right whale is more closely related   
   to species like the blue whale, which take big gulps of water to collect   
   food instead of skimming," he says.   
      
   He was pleased to be able to exploit the power of genomics to elucidate   
   the history of life.   
      
   "After 150 years of anatomical orthodoxy and decades of dispute, genomics   
   now shows beyond reasonable doubt that Caperea is a distinct lineage   
   and not related to right whales.   
      
   "Like river dolphins and sperm whales, Caperea is the sole guardian of a   
   unique piece of evolutionary heritage. It's not just another weird right   
   whale -- it truly is the last survivor of an otherwise lost family that   
   once played a much bigger role in Earth's history," he says.   
      
   Co-lead author Dr Kieren Mitchell, of Manaaki Whenua -- Landcare Research,   
   says new genetic information often prompts scientists to reconsider why   
   different animals appear more similar or different to each other.   
      
   "When DNA and anatomy seem to be at odds about the relationship between   
   species, usually that means there's an even deeper and more interesting   
   story to be discovered about their evolution," he says.   
      
   Co-author Dr Nic Rawlence, Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory Director,   
   describes Caperea as a "wonderful case of convergent evolution," which   
   occurs when two unrelated species end up appearing more and more alike   
   as they adapt to similar selective pressures.   
      
   "Caperea has historically been aligned with right whales because they   
   look the same due to similar feeding strategies, when, in fact, it's   
   probable that Caperea is the last surviving member of an ancient group   
   of whales called cetotheres," he says.   
      
   Co-lead author Dr Ludo Dutoit, of Otago's Department of Zoology,   
   says now its position in the family tree of whales has been confirmed,   
   researchers can start to explore what the Caperea lineage looks like,   
   and what kind of past events were significant in driving its evolution.   
      
   Dr Marx agrees, adding that Caperea may be another example of how being   
   'unusual' helped save a lineage from extinction.   
      
   "River dolphins likely survived the demise of their marine relatives   
   because they invaded freshwater habitats; sperm whales persisted when   
   their toothed relatives disappeared because they were deep-diving suction   
   specialists; and Caperea survived because it adapted to be a skim filter   
   feeder, when most of its relatives presumably didn't."   
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   Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Otago. Note: Content   
   may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Ludovic Dutoit, Kieren J. Mitchell, Nicolas Dussex, Catherine   
      M. Kemper,   
         Petter Larsson, Love Dale'n, Nicolas J. Rawlence, Felix G. Marx.   
      
         Convergent evolution of skim feeding in baleen whales. Marine   
         Mammal Science, 2023; DOI: 10.1111/mms.13047   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230710180527.htm   
      
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