A MIDDLE MIOCENE BALEEN WHALE FROM BELE VODE IN BELGRADE, SERBIA

There was a fauna of baleen whales (Cetacea: Mysticeti) in the Central Paratethys, a Miocene water body which covered the area of present-day Central Europe. Most of the fossil baleen whales from the Central Paratethys have been found in strata assigned to the regional Badenian age and comprise endemic forms, known only from this region. Here a new description is provided for a fragmentary skeleton of a whale found in Belgrade, Serbia, and its age context and biological aspects are discussed. This specimen, consisting of a fragmentary horizontal ramus of the mandible and eight caudal vertebrae, is tentatively identified as ?Parietobalaena sp., a globally known Miocene taxon, with related forms having been recorded earlier from the Eastern Paratethys. An early Sarmatian age (i.e., about 12.7-12.4 Ma) is proposed for the specimen. Based on epiphyseal fusion of caudal vertebrae, the specimen’s age is identified as a subadult, with a body length of around 2.5 m and an estimated adult body length around 3-3.5 m, which is extremely small for baleen whales. This find represents one of the latest records of baleen whales in the Central Paratethys and one of the latest published records of Parietobalaena-like taxa in the world

Case of Cephalic Presentation of a Foetus in a Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena (Cetacea, Phocoenidae), with Notes on Other Aquatic Mammals

A stranded harbour porpoise pregnant with a near-term foetus in cephalic (head) presentation was found. It is the first time when cephalic presentation, now recorded in three odontocete families, is reported for phocoenids. It proved to occur rarely, yet to be more widespread for aquatic mammals than could be expected.Обнаружена выброшенная на берег морская свинья, беременная предродовым плодом в головном предлежании. Головное предлежание впервые отмечено у морских свиней и теперь известно у представителей трех семейств зубатых китов. Это явление редко встречается у водных млекопитающих, однако распространено шире, чем предполагалось

Miocene Toothed Whales (Cetacea, Odontoceti) from the Dniester Valley: The First Record of Miocene Sperm Whales (Physeteroidea) from the Eastern Europe

Isolated odontocete teeth were found in two Miocene sites in the Dniester River valley. Cetaceans from the both sites possibly represent unknown taxa. One of them is a stem physeteroid, the most similar to Scaldicetus caretti and Early Miocene taxa; another one can be a stem physeteroid or a large stem delphinoid.В двух миоценовых местонахождениях в долине Днестра обнаружены отдельные зубы китообразных. Киты из обоих местонахождений, возможно, относятся к неизвестным науке таксонам. Один из них — примитивный кашалот, наиболее схожий с Scaldicetus caretti и раннемиоценовыми формами; другой, — вероятно, примитивный кашалот или крупный дельфин

Density and abundance estimates of cetaceans in the Black Sea through aerial surveys (ASI/CeNoBS)

IntroductionPopulation abundance is amongst the most basic and crucial parameters for the assessment of conservation status of any species. Three species of odontocetes, all represented by local subspecies, inhabit the Black Sea: the Black Sea common dolphin Delphinus delphis ponticus, the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus ponticus, and the Black Sea harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena relicta. Their populations are threatened by multiple factors, including overfishing of their prey, bycatch, pollution and epizootics. Despite this, there are no basinwide estimates for any cetacean species in the Black Sea.MethodsIn 2019, a systematic study was carried out under the EU CeNoBS project. Six strata were designed in the waters of Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Türkiye and Ukraine, covering most of territorial and offshore waters, which were surveyed between June 19 and July 4. A line transect distance sampling approach was used, following predefined transects within each stratum, achieving a 5% coverage of the surveyed area. A total of 7,344 kilometres of transects were surveyed recording a total of 1,744 cetacean sightings. Design-based abundance estimates were obtained using a Multiple Covariate Distance Sampling (MCDS) approach. Model-based abundance estimates were also derived using a Generalized Additive Models (GAM) approach, linking species sightings with a number of environmental covariates (e.g., bathymetric features, sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a) over a grid of 10x10 km.Results and discussionThe uncorrected (for perception and availability bias) estimates obtained through the model-based analysis were 108,283 (CV=0.07) common dolphins, 22,720 (CV=0.15) bottlenose dolphins and 93,808 (CV=0.06) harbour porpoises. These aerial surveys yielded the first insights on overall abundance, density and distribution, providing current regional baseline values and density maps for all three cetacean species of the Black Sea during the summer months, to be used for the elaboration of effective conservation measures and to address national and international requirements

Palaeogenomic analysis of black rat (Rattus rattus) reveals multiple European introductions associated with human economic history

The distribution of the black rat (Rattus rattus) has been heavily influenced by its association with humans. The dispersal history of this non-native commensal rodent across Europe, however, remains poorly understood, and different introductions may have occurred during the Roman and medieval periods. Here, in order to reconstruct the population history of European black rats, we generated a de novo genome assembly of the black rat, 67 ancient black rat mitogenomes and 36 ancient nuclear genomes from sites spanning the 1st-17th centuries CE in Europe and North Africa. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA confirm that black rats were introduced into the Mediterranean and Europe from Southwest Asia. Genomic analyses of the ancient rats reveal a population turnover in temperate Europe between the 6th and 10th centuries CE, coincident with an archaeologically attested decline in the black rat population. The near disappearance and re-emergence of black rats in Europe may have been the result of the breakdown of the Roman Empire, the First Plague Pandemic, and/or post-Roman climatic cooling.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.- Results and Discussion -- The demographic history of Rattus rattus and its closely related species -- A global phylogeography of the black rat based on mitochondrial DNA -- Ancient genomes reveal the relationships of European black rats over space and time - Discussion - Method