Evolution and
Systematics
Convergence,
Divergence and Parallel Evolution
Distantly
related taxa can come to resemble one another through the process of convergence
Closely
related taxa may quickly develop very different morpholgies through divergence
Species may
have diverged in the distant past can maintain similar morphologies through parallel
evolution
Adaptations
An adaptation
is a character or suite of characters that helps an organism cope with its
environment
A preadaptation
(or exaptation) is an adaptation that performs a function other than
previously held
e.g. the
lower jaw of odontocetes is used to transmit high frequency sounds underwater
but first
evolved to
transmit low frequency sounds from the ground
Adaptive
Radiation
Rapid
diversification of a lineage into many forms
Can obscure
relationships due to rapid evolutionary change if in distant past
If recent,
may be hard to detect differences: what is a species??
Biological
Species Concept
Inability to
interbreed
Studying
evolutionary relationships
Systematics
the study of defining evolutionary relationships among organisms both extinct
and extant
A phylogeny
is a hypothesis about evolutionary relationships
Often shown
on a tree
Can never be
proven only strongly supported!!!
Phylogenetic
Trees(Cladograms)
Tree
representing best estimate of phylogenetic lineages
Lines are clades
or lineages (groups of related taxa from a common ancestor)
Nodes =
branch points = speciation events
Cladistics
Organisms can
be deemed related based on shared derived characters (synapomorphies)
Characters
any feature
useful in phylogenetic analysis
May be
ancestral (primitive) or derived (apomorphy)
Characters
may be primitive or derived but taxa are not
Taxa are all
endpoints of evolution
Character
State
Condition of
the character
Homology and
Analogy
Cladistics
relies on finding synapomorphies
Homology
Characters
that arise from similar ancestry
Bats wing
bones and human fingers
Analogy
Similar
characters that do not share evolutionary history
Bird wing and
bat wing
Do analogies
help in resolving evolutionary relationships?
Determining
Character States
It is
critical to determine which character states are ancestral and which derived
Can use outgroups
or closely related lineages; often use sister group the most
closely related
lineage
Character
states shared with outgroup likely are ancestral
Types of
groups on cladograms
Monoplyletic
includes
hypothetical ancestor and all descendents
Paraphyletic
does not
include all descendants of an ancestor
Polyphyletic
Collection of
descendants from >1 ancestor not including all ancestors
Types of
characters
Behavioral
Physiological
Mophological
Molecular
Molecular vs
Morphological Characters
Molecular
Huge number
of possible characters (down to each nucleotide)
Can find
parts of genome not under environmental selection
Long time
periods can obscure due to saturation (problems with parallel evolution)
Time to
saturation depends on rate of evolution at each locus
Morphological
Evolve more
slowly (little saturation)
Can include
extinct taxa
Can have
problems with convergence
Defining
characters can be difficult
Use of both
types of data best!
Fossil Taxa
Contribute
most when they help plug holes in long divergent lineages
Can complete
morphological series, help determine homologies
Can help
determine earliest occurences
Cant Use
many characters results in poloytomy (unresolved nodes)
Constructing
a Cladogram
Select group,
define all taxa
Select and
define characters and character states
Create data
matrix
Use outgroup
comparison to determine ancestral and derived states
Construct all
possible cladograms
Select best
cladogram using parsimony
Principle of
Parsimony the best cladogram is the one involving the fewest evolutionary
transitions
(steps)
Uses of
phylogenies
Character
mapping
Pinniped
Evolution and Systematics
The pinnipeds
Monophyletic
group with 3 monphyletic families
18 phocids,
14 otariids, walrus
Diversity was
once much greater (13 species of walrus are extinct)
First
pinnipeds arose in Oligocene (27-25mya)
Much
speciation in last 2-5 million years
Poor fossil
record generally
Major
pinniped synapomorphies
Large
infraorbital foramen (hole below eye to allow vessel and nerve passage) (1)
Short, robust
humerous (6)
Digit I on
hand emphasized (7)
Digit I and V
on foot emphasized (8)
Mono or
diphyly?
Evidence for
diphyly
Biogeorgaphy
and morphology
Otarrids and
odobenids close to bears; phocids close to mustelids
Evidence for
monophyly: the best explanation
Molecular,
karyological, morphology
All support
close ties to ursids, mustelids, otters (sister group unclear)
Diving
behavior and breeding patterns suggest eared seals evolved first (Costa 1993)
Phocids are
most aquatically adapted (diving, breeding, body plan)
Early
Pinnipeds
Find describe
in 2009 sheds new light on early evolution
Pujila
darmwini was walking seal ~24 mya
Otter-like
body, webbed feet, lived in freshwater lakes of Canadian Arctic
Suggests
pinnipeds went through a freshwater phase
High
productivity associated with cold water upwelling probably supported prey base
early pinnipeds
exploited
First found
from cool waters and rocky coasts of eastern N. Pacific during late Oligocene
Pinnipedimorpha
clade
Show
ancestral, heterodont, dentition
Many
similarities to archaic bears
Later forms
show derived homodont dentition
Early
Pinnipeds
Pinnipedimorpha clade
Lateral and
vertical movement of vertebral column possible
Both sets
of flippers modified for aquatic locomotion
Still very
capable on land, probably spent more time there than modern forms
Modern
Pinnipeds: Otariidae
Seal lions
and fur seals
Shallow
divers often targeting fast-swimming fish
Monophyletic group first appeared late Miocene (11 mya) but all modern forms in
last 2-3 my
Two
subfamilies
Otariinae
(seal lions)
Arctocephalinae (fur seals)
Some Otariid
synapomorphies
Frontals
extend anterior between nasals (9)
Uniformly
spaced pelage units
Trachea
subdivides close to voicebox (13)
Secondary
spine on scapula (11)
External
ear flaps pinnae
Can turn
hindflippers forward; use to walk
Otariid
systematics
Otariinae
(sea lions) monophyletic, not Arctocephalinae (fur seals) which are still
poorly resolved
Hybridization
and Introgression may cause problems
aggressive
sexual behavior of male sea lions directed at other species
Modern
Pinnipeds: Odobenidae
Current 2
subspecies relicts of once diverse group
Modern
walrus large-bodied, shallow diving mollusk feeder
Monophyletic family, origin middle Miocene (16-9 mya) eastern North Pacific
Odobenid
synapomorphies
Five
synapomorphies
Modern
walrus distinguished by squirt-suction feeding
TUSKS
ARE NOT A SYNAPOMORPHY
They
evolved in only one lineage leading to modern walrus
Many
ancient odobenids did not have tusks
Where do the
odobenids fit?
Molecular
evidence points to otariids, but morphological data suggests a close
association with phocids
Middle
earbone enlarged
No pinnae
Well-developed thick subcutaneous fat
Abdominal
testes
Similarities in hair and venous system
What gives?
Still
unclear where walrus fit in pinniped clade
Odobenids
probably branched off from basal pinnipeds very early leading to a long branch
Subsequent
long-branch attraction causes molecular similarities
Odobenid
movements
Origin in
eastern North Pacific
Invaded
Atlantic through Carribean
600,000 ya
modern walrus reinvades Pacific through Arctic and diverge into subspecies
Middle
earbone enlarged
No pinnae
Well-developed thick subcutaneous fat
Abdominal
testes
Similarities in hair and venous system
What gives?
Still
unclear where walrus fit in pinniped clade
Modern
Pinnipeds: Phocidae
True
seals, lack ear flaps
Generally
larger than otariids
Some
fantastic divers
Weddell and
elephant seals over 1000m
Late
Oligocene origin (29-23mya) in N. Atlantic
Monphyletic
family with two subgroups
monoachines
and phocines
Some phocid
synapomorphies
Unable to
turn hindflippers forward
Inflated
entotympanic bone (21)
No
supraorbital process (10)
Subspecies,
hybridization and a misplaced genus
Five
subspecies of harbor seal recognized based on morphological, molecular,
behavioral differences
Eastern and
western sides of Atlantic and Pacific, lakes of northern Quebec
Harp seal Phagophilus
groenlandicus x hooded seal Cystophora cristanta hybird what does
this mean
for
biological species concept
What is the
status of the gray seal genus?
Phocid
systematics
Are
traditional subgroups monophyletic?
Monk seals Monachus
often considered most basal of phocids due to ancestral characters (some
moreso
than fossil
taxa)
Pinniped
Evolution: Summary
Morphologic
and molecular data support monophyly
Derived
from arctoid carnivores, probably close relatives of bears
Earliest
appear 27-25mya in north Pacific
Modern
lineages diverged quickly
Position of
the walrus unclear
Cetacean
Evolution and Systematics
Cetaceans
Monophyletic group with 3 suborders
Archaeoceti
(extinct)
Odontoceti
(~76 species)
Mysticeti
(11 species)
Earliest
marine mammals (with sireneans) 53-54 mya
Cetacean
Origins
Currently
some questions about origins: several competing hypotheses
Evolved
from small primitive ungulate group
Could be
from mesonychid condylarths
Could share
common ancestor with hippos
Could be
sister group of other artiodactyls (even-toed; hippos, camels, antelope, pigs,
giraffes, etc)
Could be
another ancestor not closely related to moder artiodactyls
Cetacean
Origins: The old favorite
1.
Decendent of Order Condylartha, Family Mesonychidae
Wolf-like
with digitigrade stance (walk on toes), possibly hoofed
Massive
crushing dentition; early skulls suggest similarity
Cetacean
Origins: close to hippos?
2. Some
molecular data points to close affinity with hippos; recent skull finds
disagree more like
mesonychids
Cetacean
Origins
3. Sister
group to clade including hippos and artiodatyls; not particularly close to
mesonychids
Works well
with #2 if hippo ancestors were very different morphologically
Probably
all derived from mouse-deer like ancestor
Cetacean
Origins: Indohyus brings us closer to an answer
4. Sister
group to cetaceans more primitive than other artiodactlys
Recent
finds in India suggest cetaceans closest ancestor is an ancient artiodactyl
group (raoellids)
Similarity
to cetaceans based on morphology of inner ear, the arrangement of incisors, and
morphology of
premolars
Indohyus
was an aquatic wader based on bone density and oxygen isotopes
Carbon
isotopes suggest feeding on terrestrial vegetation or omnivores on land but
escaped to water
when in
danger like modern African mouse deer
Adaptation
to aquatic habitats did not occur first in early cetaceans, but more basal
species
cetacean
branch probably driven by switching to aquatic prey (unique dentition and oral
skeleton)
Early
cetacean ancestors went through a hippo-like stage
Study
published in 2009 suggests that hippos are, in fact, closest living relatives
of cetaceans.
Archaeocete
cetaceans
Paraphyletic group of ancient whales that gave rise to modern whales
lack
telescoped bones of the skull
Elongate
snout
Narrow braincase
Large
temporal fossa
Well
defined sagital and lambdoidal crests
Earliest
from Early Eocene (>50 mya)
Extinct by
end of Eocene
Pakecetoids
are most ancient group (50 my)
Pakecetus
earliest whale; India and Pakistan
Ear
morphology gives them away as cetaceans
Lived in an
arid environment with ephemeral streams and floodplains
Always
found in river deposits
At best
site, 60% of mammal remains are pakicetids!
Quadropedal
and probably mainly terrestrial but not swift runners (dense bones that may
have
been for
ballast)
Long thin
legs and short hands and feet suggest they were poor swimmers (quadropedal
paddling) and
many deposits were rivers that were too shallow for swimming
Teeth vary
greatly some hyena-like
may have been
scavengers or predators
Probably
ate freshwater aquatic organisms and land animals near water
Ambulocetids
Found in
middle Eocene rocks of India and Pakistan
Most basal
amphibious marine cetaceans
Nearshore
marine (estuaries and bays) but tied to freshwater for drinking
Abulocetus
natans and others close to size of male sea lion
Show first
signs of hearing adaptations
Eyes above
profile of skull
Ambulocetids
Likely slow
on land
Elongated
hind feet and tail that would aid in locomotion
Probably
swam like modern otter swinging tail and feet
Probably
ambush hunter like modern crocodiles
Remingtonocetidae
Short-lived
group from Middle Eocene of India and Pakistan
Nearshore
tidal environments, but more aquatic than ambulocetids
Long narrow
jaws
Probably
swam with tail like Amazonian giant otter
Captured
fast-swimming aquatic prey
Protocetids
Globally
distributed during the middle Eocene
First group
to leave South Asia
Expanding
niches inhabited including deep offshore waters but probably restricted to
tropics
Nasal
openings more caudal than earlier species
Could
breath with much of head underwater
No fluke
Lifestyle
probably very similar to modern pinnipeds
Hindlimbs
may not have been able to support weight in some species
Basilosaurids
Middle to
late Eocene/early Oligocene
large-bodied family with elongated vertebral bodies (Basilosaurinae)
Very
reduced hind limbs fully aquatic
Basilosaurus
grew to 25m
Throughout
the tropics and subtropics
Had fluke,
but back undulations rather than the fluke provided propulsion
Piscivorous
Dorudontids
Related to
basilosaurids, sometimes put in the same family
smaller-bodied with non-elongated vertebral bodies
Throughout
tropics and subtropics, often in deposits with basilosaurids
Dolphin-like and more diverse than basilosaurids
Had a fluke
and swam like a modern cetacean
Likely
ancestors of odontocetes and mysticetes
Archaeocete
trends
Rapid
evolution (few million years) from
Quadropedal
to flukes (hindlimb reduction)
Freshwater
dringing to seawater drinking
Land animal
to not able to move on land and giving birth in water
Movement of
nostrils to the top of the head
Extinction
probably tied to changes in food supply driven by oceanographic change
Modern
Cetaceans
Diverged
from Archaeocetes about 37 mya
Monophyletic clade derived from dorudontids
Split
between mysticetes and odontocetes probably 35 mya
Synapomorphies
Telescoping
of skull: movement of blowholes to the top of skull
Migration
of premaxillary and maxillary bones forms a rostrum (beak)
Fixed elbow
joint not present in archaeocetes
Mysticetes
(Baleen whales)
Modern
forms distinguished by baleen plates, but early mysticetes had teeth
Origin
probably tied to Oligocene development of Circum-Antarctic current and
generation of nutrientrich
upwelling
that led to huge zooplankton shoals
Early
mysticetes were small 4-5 m
Major
evolutionary transition is from raptorial predation (single prey item at a
time) with teeth to batch
or filter
feeding with no teeth (baleen present by Oligocene, but decomposes so record
poor)
Other
trends include increased body and head size, shortening of the neck
Mysticete Synapomorphies
Maxilla
extends posteriorly to form infraorbital process
Mandibular
symphysis (lower jaw connection) unfused
Modern
Mysticete Relationships
Four extant
families?
Balaenopteridae,
Balaenidae
Eschrichtiidae
Neobalaenidae
Taxonomy
not well-resolved
Cytochrome
b suggests that Eschrichtiidae is not valid
Mysticetes:
in order of divergence
Balaenidae
Right
whales and Bowhead
First
appear in early Miocene (23 mya)
Heavy body,
cavernous mouth, no throat grooves
Head 1/3 of
length
Long baleen
plates
Only
mysticetes with 5 digits on forelimb
Monopyletic
Support for
two separate genera poor
Neoalaenidae
Anatomical
data places as separate family outside Balaenidae
More
anteriorally thrust occipital shield
Shorter,
wider mouth for shorter baleen
Separate
from balaenids due to presence of dorsal fin, throat furrows, different type of
baleen,
relatively
smaller heard, four digits on hand, shorter humerous
Eschrichtiidae
Current
species has 100,000 year fossil record (only one for family)
North
Atlantic population extinct in 17th or 18th century
Probably
falls within the Balaenopterids, but further work needed
No dorsal
fin
2-4 throat
grooves
Baleen is
thicker, fewer in # and whiter than rorquals
Unique
paired occipital tuberosities on skull for neck muscles
Balaenopteridae
Fossil
record extends 10-12 mya from Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia
Hybrids
occur
Dorsal fin
14-22
(humpback) to 56-100 (fin) throat grooves extend beyond gular region
Short
baleen
Odontocetes
Diverse
array of toothed forms from freshwater rivers to deep-diving in pelagic
habitats
First
appear in fossil record 28-29 mya
Major
Miocene radiation of pelagic forms appears to be linked to changes in currents
and thermal
gradients
Monophyly
well supported despite well-publicized argument against with early genetic data
Are
odontocetes monophyletic?
Most
morphological characters argue that they are, but one of the supposed synapomorphies
has come
been
disputed: presence of a single blowhole
Odontocete
facial structure serves a number of functions
Respiration
cause of much skull rearrangement
Sound
production (echolocation) and detection another major force
Buoyancy
control, at least in sperm whales
Some of the
20 Synapomorphies
Concave
facial plane
Asymmetric
cranial vertex
Premaxillary foramen present
Maxilla
overlays supraorbital process (frontal bone)
Antorbital
notch present
Asymmetric
skulls (except possibly most primitive)
Asymmetric
soft tissues in modern forms due to enlargement on right side
Fatty melon
in front of nasal passages for echolocation
Ziphiidae
More than
20 species in 5-6 genera extant
Found in
Mocene and Pliocene, including one freshwater form; extant species mainly
pelagic
Trend
towards loss of teeth with exception of 1-2 pairs anteriorly which become
enlarged (only
Shepards
beaked whale has full functional dentition)
Possible
sexual display/weapons
Pair of
throat grooves that converge anteriorly
Phylogeny
unclear; no rigorous cladistic review
Physeteridae
Long fossil
record (29-21 mya), once diverse but only one extant species
Loss of one
or both nasal bones
Deepest
known divers
Have
spermaceti organ
not
homologus to melon; junk below organ probably melon homolog
in
supracranial basin
may occupy
30% of length and 20% of weight
May control
buoyancy but still unclear
Kogiidae
Linked into
a superfamily with sperm whales because of supercranial basin and spermaceti
organ
Lack both
nasal bones
Have short
rostrum and are much smaller than sperm whales (<4m; <2.7m)
Oldest
known from late Miocene (8.8 mya)
River
Dolphins
Once put
into a single family, but similarities (reduced eyes, elongated snouts) are due
to convergent
evolution
freshwater/estuaries have been invaded at least 4 times
Platanistidae
Asiatic
river dolphins
Ganges and
Indus Rivers
Reduced
eyes in Ganges form
Long narrow
beak with numerous narrow pointed teeth
Broad
paddle-like flippers
No known
fossil record, time of freshwater invasion unknown
Bony facial
crest
Pontoporiidae
Fransiscana
Coastal
waters of western S. Atlantic
Long rostra,
tiny teeth
Close
relative of Iniidae
Iniidae
Amazon
river (botu)
Reduced
eyes
Extremely
elongated rostrum and mandible
Conical
front teeth, molariform rear teeth
Greatly
reduced orbital region
Maxilla
forms crest
Fossils
from late Miocene originated in Amazonian basin
Lipotidae
Yangtze
Tiver (baiji)
Narrow,
upturned beak
Triangular
dorsal fin
Broad round
flippers
Reduced
eyes
One fossil,
one extant species from China
One fossil,
one extant species from China
Delphinidae
Most
diverse cetacean family 36 sp, 17 gen
Open ocean
to some into freshwater (Orcella brevirostris, Sotalia fluvatilis)
Most small
to medium 1.5-4.5m, killer whale to 9.5m
Loss of
posterior sac of nasal passage
Reduction
of posterior end of left premaxilla: does not contact the nasal
Oldest from
late Miocene (11 Ma)
Systematics
are still a mess
Some genera
are not monophyletic
Diversity
likely to increase (e.g. Tursiops)
Stenella
is polyphyletic
Phocenidae
Six small
extant species
Synapomorphies
Raised
rounded protuberances on premaxillae
Premaxillae
do not extend beyond anterior half of nares
Spatualte
(not conical) teeth
Sister taxa
of delphinids
First
appeared in late Miocene, eastern Pacific
Monodontidae
Delphinoids
with flat or convex facial planes in profile
Extant
species in Arcitc
Miocene/Pliocene some species found in E. Pacific to Baja California
Sirenians,
Sea otters, Polar Bears, and other marine mammals: Evolution
Sirenians
Monophyletic
group with two extant familes
Trichechidae (manatees)
Dugongidae
(dugongs)
Unique in
strictly herbivorous diet
First
appear in early Eocene (50 mya)
Sirenian
Origins
Monophyly
strongly supported
Syapomorphies
External
nares retracted and enlarged reaching beyond the level of the anterior margin
of the orbit
Premaxilla
contacts frontal
Lacks
sagital crest
Bones dense
and compact (for buoyancy regulation)
Closest
living relatives are proboscideans (elephants)
Teeth and
skull morphology unite the groups
Extinct
Desmostylians form clade with sirenians and elephants (monophyletic Tethytheria)
First arose
in Old World, but quickly spread to New World 50 mya
Ancient
Sirenians
Prorastomus
(50mya) first (Jamaica)
Had
functional hindlimbs
Dense
bones, swollen ribs and presence in marine deposits suggest partially aquatic;
riverine and
estuarine
selective browser
Protosiren
(middle Eocene) (Egypt)
Functional
terrestrial locomotion but auditory, olfactory, and visual systems appear
modified for
aquatic
lifestyles
Much of the
spread of sirenians tied to the spread of seagrasses in the temperate Pacific
Modern
Sirenians: Trichechidae
Appear to
be derived in late Eocene/early Oligocene, possibly from dugongids
Monophyletic, united by features of the skull and reduction of neural spines on
vertebrae
Mainly
freshwater/estuarine
Ability to
produce new teeth as old ones are worn down
3 modern
species
West Indian
manatee (Trichechus manatus)
2
subspecies: Antillean (T.m. manatus); Florida (T.m. latirostris)
Amazon
manatee (Trichechus inunguis); freshwater only
West
African manatee (Trichechus senegalensus)
Modern
Sirenians: Dugongidae
Paraphyletic family with Caribbean/W. Atlantic origins spreading to Pacific
More marine
than manatees
Two extinct
subfamilies and one extant
Hydrodamalinae
(includes Stellers sea cow) appears to have split from Dugonginae (dugong)
in
late Eocene
Includes
Stellars sea cow (extant into historical times)
Some
temperate species
Large body
size
Loss of
tusks
May have
fed on kelp high in the water column
Stellers sea
cow
Named after
Georg Steller
7.6m long,
4-10 tons
Lacked
teeth, had bark-like skin
Cold waters
near islands of the Bering Sea
Prehistorically from Japan to Baja California (to Montery 19,000 years ago)
Extinct by
1768 (27 years after discovery)
Mainly
Russian hunting, but possibly exacerbated by aboriginal hunting
Dugonginae
Currently
one species, but once many genera
Tropical
and subtropical
Once
widespread; 15 mya from North and South America, Caribbean, Mediterranean,
Indian Ocean,
North Pacific
Some
extinct species used tusks to dig up seagrasses
Modern
dugongs use tusks socially, not for feeding
Sirenian
evolution in the Caribbean (Domning 2001)
From
Oligocene onwards, there was a great diversity of sirenians in the Caribbean,
especially dugongids
Seagrass
communities were similar to extant ones but were more diverse
Habitat
could be partitioned along several axes
Rhizome
size
Location of
feeding in water column
Morphology
of sirenians reflects partitioning of seagrass resources
Body size
differences lead to differences in access to shallow waters and ability to
consume more
fibrous seagrasses
(bigger are better)
Rostral
deflection influences ability to feed on the bottom or on midwater or surface
plants and
ability to
dig
Tusk size
influences ability to dig out largest rhizomes
Interaction
of tusk size and defection can be complex
Why so few
species today?
Close of
Central American Seaway about 3 mya led to major shifts in habitats
Dugongids
died out along with large rhizome seagrasses
Manatees
were able to disperse into open marine habitats to move into North America and
to West
Africa
Desmostylia:
Sirenian Relatives
Only
extinct Order of marine mammals
Confined to
North Pacific (Japan through N. America)
Late
Oligocene to Middle Miocene (33-10mya)
Hippo-like
amphibious quadropeds
More
closely related to elephants than sirenians
Probably
fed on algae and seagrasses in subtropical and cool-temperate waters
Locomotion
probably like polar bears
Thalassocnus
Aquatic
ground sloth!
Pliocene
marine rocks of Peru
Medium to
giant sized herbivores
Aquatic or
semi-aquatic grazer on seagrasses or seaweeds (well developed lip for grazing)
Probably
swam with tail
Kolponomos
Bear-like
carnivore (early Miocene)
Massive
skull, down-turned snout, broad crushing teeth
Coastal habitat
feeding on marine invertebrates on rocks and crushed their shells
Sea otter
only marine mammal that may be similar in habitat
Relationships problematic
Appears to
be closely related to basal ursids and forms leading to pinnipedimorphs
Sea otter Enhydra
lutris
Smallest
marine mammal but largest mustelids
Three
subspecies across northern Pacific
E.
lutris arose in North Pacific early Pleistocene (1-3mya)
Several
extinct species from Africa, Europe, and Eastern United States that appear to
have
consumed
extremely hard prey items like modern otters
Polar Bear Ursus
maritimus
Most
recently derived marine mammals
Descended
from lineage of brown bears during middle Pleistocene (300,000-400,000 ya)
Brown bears
of southeast Alaskan islands closest relatives