Evolution of dental wear and diet during the origin of whales

Abstract

Dental morphology changes dramatically across the artiodactyl-cetacean transition, and it is generally assumed that this reflects the evolutionary change from herbivory and omnivory to carnivory. To test hypotheses regarding tooth function and diet, we studied size and position of wear facets on the lower molars and the stable isotopes of enamel samples. We found that nearly all investigated Eocene cetaceans had dental wear different from typical wear in ungulates and isotope values indicating that they hunted similar prey and processed it similarly. The only exception is the protocetid Babiacetus, which probably ate larger prey with harder skeletons. The closest relative of cetaceans, the raoellid artiodactyl Indohyus, had wear facets that resemble those of Eocene cetaceans more than they do facets of basal artiodactyls. This is in spite of Indohyus's tooth crown morphology, which is unlike that of cetaceans, and its herbivorous diet, as indicated by stable isotopes. This implies that the evolution of masticatory function preceded that of crown morphology and diet at the origin of cetaceans.