The Miocene seal <i>Monachopsis pontica</i> : isolated in a shrinking sea and adapting to its changing conditions
Journal: Royal Society Open Science
Year: 2025

More than 170 years have passed since the description of the dwarf Miocene seal <i>Monachopsis pontica</i>. However, its cranial materials were rarely found and described. This paper re-describes <i>M. pontica</i> and discusses its ecological adaptations. <i>M. pontica</i> is among the latest seals that survived in the epicontinental sea Eastern Paratethys during the Khersonian biotic crisis. Newly examined materials from Ukraine, being exceptional in their completeness, show previously unknown