Livyatan melvillei is an extinct species of sperm whale that lived about
9.9 to 8.9 million years ago, during the Miocene epoch. The name was
inspired by the biblical sea monster Leviathan, and Herman Melville, the
author of Moby-Dick. It was probably an apex predator, preying on whales
and seals. The teeth, found in the Pisco Formation of Peru, measured
36.2 cm (14.3 in), the longest of any known animal, excluding tusks.
The whale's length has been estimated at 13.5 to 17.5 m (44 to 57 ft),
making it one of the largest predators ever. It is distinguished from
the other raptorial sperm whales by the basin on the skull, and how it
spans the entire length of the snout. The spermaceti organ, contained in
the skull basin, is thought to have been used in echolocation and
communication, or for ramming prey and other sperm whales. The whale may
have competed with the giant extinct shark megalodon. Livyatan's
extinction was probably caused by a cooling event at the end of the
Miocene which resulted in a drop in food populations.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livyatan>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1795:
As a result of the Third Partition of Poland, the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ceased to exist as an independent
state, with its territory divided between Austria, Prussia, and Russia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_Commonwealth>
1889:
Sir Henry Parkes, Premier of the Colony of New South Wales,
gave a speech in which he called for the federation of the six
Australian colonies.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterfield_Oration>
1931:
The George Washington Bridge, connecting New York City to Fort
Lee, New Jersey, and today the world's busiest motor-vehicle bridge, was
dedicated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge>
1964:
A military court acquitted generals Dương Văn Đức and
Lâm Văn Phát of leading a coup attempt against South Vietnamese
leader Nguyễn Khánh.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A2m_V%C4%83n_Ph%C3%A1t>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
coin of the realm:
1. (law, dated) The legal money of a country.
2. (figuratively) Something that is valued like money within a
particular context.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coin_of_the_realm>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Values are social norms — they're personal, emotional,
subjective, and arguable. All of us have values. Even criminals have
values. The question you must ask yourself is, Are your values based
upon principles? In the last analysis, principles are natural laws —
they're impersonal, factual, objective and self-evident. Consequences
are governed by principles and behavior is governed by values;
therefore, value principles!
--Stephen Covey
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stephen_Covey>