Cerorhinca is a genus of auk containing the rhinoceros auklet and several fossil species.
Cerorhinca | |
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Rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Charadriiformes |
Family: | Alcidae |
Genus: | Cerorhinca Bonaparte, 1828 |
Species | |
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Evolutionary history
editThe genus Cerorhinca evolved in the North Pacific during the Miocene. Fossils have been found as far south as Baja California. While previously only known from the Pacific region, an unnamed species has been discovered from the Pliocene of North Carolina, suggesting the genus had a much wider distribution in the past.[1]
References
edit- ^ Smith, N.A.; Olson, S.L.; Clarke, J.A. (2007). "First Atlantic record of the puffin Cerorhinca (Aves, Alcidae) from the Pliocene of North Carolina" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 27 (4): 1039–1042. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[1039:farotp]2.0.co;2. S2CID 13622138.