Family KOGIIDAE Gill, 1871

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Introduction

The short-headed sperm whales of the genus Kogia (Gray, 1846) have usually been placed within the Physeteridae, but recently most authors place them in the family Kogiidae. Two subfamilies were recognised by Muizon (1988): Scaphokogiinae for Scaphokogia, a Miocene fossil genus, and Kogiinae for the two extant species of Kogia.

Living kogiids are small (2-3 m in length), with a short head (14-16% of total length) by cetacean standards, and a small spermaceti organ. Unlike physeterids, the blowhole is situated on top of the head and the dorsal fin is well developed and falcate. The rostrum of the skull is very short, the jugal fuses with adjacent bones and the left naris is much larger than the right. The cup-shaped maxillae cover the entire dorsal surface of the cranium. The mandibles are thin and fragile posteriorly, the mandibular symphysis is short, and the teeth are thin and curved. All cervical vertebrae fuse together.

General References

Gill, T. 1871. The sperm whales, giant and pygmy. American Naturalist 4: 725-743

Gray, J.E. 1846. On the cetaceous animals. pp. 13-53 in Richardson, J. & Gray, J.E. (eds). The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Erebus and Terror under the Command of Captain Sir James Clark Ross, R.N., F.R.S., during the years 1839 to 1843. Vol. 1 Mammalia, Birds 37 pls. London : E.W. Janson.

Muizon, C. de 1988. Les vertébrés fossiles de la Formation Pisco (Pérou) II. Les odontocètes (Cetacea, Mammalia). Comptes Rendus (Hebdomadaires) des Séances de l'Academie des Sciences. Série D. Sciences Naturelles 301(Séries II, no 5): 359-362

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