Supplementary material from "Clawed forelimbs allow northern seals to eat like their ancient ancestors"
Posted on 2018-03-28 - 18:17
Streamlined flippers are often considered the defining feature of seals and sea lions, whose very name ‘pinniped’ comes from the Latin pinna and pedis, meaning ‘fin-footed’. Yet not all pinniped limbs are alike. Whereas otariids (fur seals and sea lions) possess stiff streamlined forelimb flippers, phocine seals (northern true seals) have retained a webbed yet mobile paw bearing sharp claws. Here, we show that captive and wild phocines routinely use these claws to secure prey during processing, enabling seals to tear large fish by stretching them between their teeth and forelimbs. ‘Hold and tear’ processing relies on the primitive forelimb anatomy displayed by phocines, which is also found in the earliest fossil pinniped Enaliarctos. Phocine forelimb anatomy and behaviour therefore provides a glimpse into how the earliest seals likely fed, and indicate what behaviours may have assisted pinnipeds along their journey from terrestrial to aquatic feeding.
CITE THIS COLLECTION
DataCite
3 Biotech
3D Printing in Medicine
3D Research
3D-Printed Materials and Systems
4OR
AAPG Bulletin
AAPS Open
AAPS PharmSciTech
Abhandlungen aus dem Mathematischen Seminar der Universität Hamburg
ABI Technik (German)
Academic Medicine
Academic Pediatrics
Academic Psychiatry
Academic Questions
Academy of Management Discoveries
Academy of Management Journal
Academy of Management Learning and Education
Academy of Management Perspectives
Academy of Management Proceedings
Academy of Management Review
P. Hocking, David; Marx, Felix G.; Sattler, Renae; Harris, Robert N.; Pollock, Tahlia I.; Sorrell, Karina J.; et al. (2018). Supplementary material from "Clawed forelimbs allow northern seals to eat like their ancient ancestors". The Royal Society. Collection. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4050767.v1
or
Select your citation style and then place your mouse over the citation text to select it.
SHARE
Usage metrics
Read the peer-reviewed publication
AUTHORS (9)
DP
David P. Hocking
FM
Felix G. Marx
RS
Renae Sattler
RH
Robert N. Harris
TP
Tahlia I. Pollock
KS
Karina J. Sorrell
EM
Erich M. G. Fitzgerald
MR
Matthew R. McCurry
AR
Alistair R. Evans