Records of beaked whales Ziphirostrum and Aporotus (Odontoceti, Ziphiidae) from the Miocene of The Netherlands

Beaked whales (Ziphiidae) are a diverse family of odontocetes (toothed whales) adapted to life in the open ocean. Their deep diving behavior and apparent low abundance make extant Ziphiidae hard to study resulting in a relatively poor understanding of their biology. Fossil data aid a better understanding of their evolution and lifestyle. The Miocene of the southern North Sea Basin is a rich source of fairly well preserved fossil ziphiid taxa. Here, we describe new ziphiid fossils from the Dutch part of the Westerschelde estuary: a well-preserved cranium of Ziphirostrum marginatum du Bus, 1868 and some peculiar rostral fossils that represent the first Dutch record of Aporotus recurvirostris du Bus, 1868.