Paleontology of the Late Oligocene Ashley and Chandler Bridge Formations of South Carolina, 1: Paleogene Pinniped Remains; the Oldest Known Seal (Carnivora: Phocidae)

Abstract

The proximal halves of two femora from the Chandler Bridge and Ashley Formations (early Chattian, late Oligocene) near Charleston, South Carolina, provide the earliest evidence to date of true seals. They are clearly referable to the Phocidae and furnish information regarding osteological and myological features that had evolved in early phocids by early Chattian time. Although not determinate to the generic level, these specimens represent a taxon closely comparable to the most specialized phocid, the modem genus Cystophora.