Description
- Allodesmus kernensis
- Miocene Age
- Shark Tooth Hill
- Kern County, California
- Specimen measures approx. 4 1/8″ tall and will come in the 5.25″ x 6.25″ Riker Mount with Label as Shown
Allodesmus is an extinct genus of pinniped from the Miocene and related to the genus Desmatophoca. It measured about 8 feet (2.4 m) long and weighed 800 pounds (360 kg). Allodesmus had the specific anatomical features found in modern polygynous pinnipeds: sexual dimorphism, strong canines for fights between bulls and teeth with well-defined growth zones, a result from periodic fasting (in order to defend their harem, males would not take to the sea to feed during the breeding season).
Pinnipeds, commonly known as seals, are a widely distributed and diverse clade of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic marine mammals.
