Acrophyseter Deinodon

***Acrophyseter*** is a genus of extinct sperm whales that lived in the Late Miocene off the coast of Peru comprising two species: *A. deinodon* and *A. robustus (this page is about Deinodon)*. It is part of a group of macroraptorial sperm whales which all shared several features for the purpose of hunting large prey, such as deeply-rooted and thick teeth. *Acrophyseter* measured 4–4.5 metres (13–15 ft), making it the smallest raptorial sperm whale. Because of its short pointed snout, and its strong curved front teeth, it probably fed on the large marine vertebrates of its time, such as seals and other whales.

The body length range of *Acrophyseter* lies within 4–4.5 metres (13–15 ft). *A. deinodon* was estimated to be 4–4.3 metres (13–14 ft) using the distance between the cheek bones in comparison to the dimensions of *Zygophyseter*, which is relatively small, being the smallest of the raptorial sperm whales.

Unlike the modern sperm whales, *A. deinodon* had teeth on both its upper and lower jaws. The teeth were robust and deeply set into the roots, particularly the front teeth, the tooth roots were comparatively thick with the thin tooth crown. The front teeth were more conical than the back teeth. The lower back teeth were close together, and the space between the teeth increased from front to back, suggesting they were used for shearing, unlike the suction-feeding modern-day sperm whales which lack teeth in their upper jaws. The front teeth were more worn on the sides, whereas the bottom teeth were more worn along the middle. It had 12 teeth in the upper jaw and 13 teeth in the bottom jaw, and like other raptorials, it had tooth enamel. The premaxillae bore three teeth, and the maxillae had nine teeth. The last bottom teeth may have contacted the roof of the mouth. Discovered along the teeth sockets was buccal exostoses, bony growths, which may have developed during biting to strengthen the teeth, acting as buttresses. The back teeth had larger buccal exostoses as they experienced more pressure during biting. The tooth count of *A. robustus* is unknown though thought to be similar or the same. Cementum was continually added to the teeth as they were growing, as in killer whales (*Orcinus orca*).

Like other sperm whales, *Acrophyseter* had a deep basin on the top of its skull, the supracranial basin. This basin in *Acrophyseter* overhung the orbit around the eye, but did not extend onto the snout, unlike in other raptorials. Unlike later species of sperm whales, *Acrophyseter* had two nostrils. The temporal fossae on the sides of the skull were as high as they were long, unlike in *Zygophyseter* and *Brygmophyseter*, which displaced the brow ridge. The area between the condyloid process, which connects the jaw with the skull, and the teeth was probably where the masseter muscles were. The brow ridge slopes down at an angle of around 55°. The nuchal crest on the back side of the skull had overhung the supracranial basin. The cheekbones were thin plates which limited the ear canals. The snout was short and, unlike in other sperm whales, had a distinct upward curve. Unlike other sperm whales, the top of the premaxillae near the vomer lacked a deep groove. The left nostril was five times bigger than the right nostril, measuring 30 and 7.2 millimetres (1.18 and 0.28 in) across respectively.