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Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies.
The prowfish is a species of scorpaeniform marine fish found in the northern Pacific Ocean. It is the only extant member of the family, Zaproridae. Another species, Araeosteus rothi, is known from Late Miocene marine strata in Southern California.
The Molidae comprise the family of the molas or ocean sunfishes, unusual fish whose bodies come to an end just behind the dorsal and anal fins, giving them a "half-fish" appearance. They are also the largest of the ray-finned bony fish, with the southern sunfish, Mola alexandrini, recorded at 4.6 m (15 ft) in length and 2,744 kg (6,049 lb) in weight.
The Gempylidae are a family of perciform fishes commonly known as snake mackerels or escolars. The family includes about 25 species.
The lingcod or ling cod, also known as the buffalo cod or cultus cod, is a fish of the greenling family Hexagrammidae. It is the only extant member of the genus Ophiodon. A slightly larger, extinct species, Ophiodon ozymandias, is known from fossils from the Late Miocene of Southern California.
Zaphlegulus venturaensis is an extinct, superficially mackerel-like, fish related to the cutlassfish and snake mackerels found off the coast of what is now California during the late Miocene. Z. venturaensis was shorter, but stouter than either of the other two better known genera of the extinct family Zaphlegidae, Thyrsocles and Euzaphleges, which also lived at the same time.
Phyllodus is an extinct genus of bony fish from the Maastrichtian to Middle Miocene. Fossils of the genus have been found in the Maastrichtian to Lancian Hell Creek Formation and the Eocene London Clay.
Euzaphlegidae is a family of extinct escolar-like fish closely related to the snake mackerels. Fossils of euzaphlegids are found from Paleocene to Late Miocene-aged marine strata of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains, India, Iran, Turkmenistan, Italy, and Southern California.
Euzaphleges longurio is an extinct, superficially mackerel-like fish related to the escolar and snake mackerels. Euzaphleges was found off the coast of what is now California during the late Miocene. It was smaller than the very similar Thyrsocles and longer and more slender than Zaphlegulus, which also lived at the same time. It was much longer than the poorly known Trossulus.
Laytonia is an extinct genus of prehistoric halosaur that lived in deep water off the North American Pacific Coast from the Zemorrian Epoch until during the Upper Miocene subepoch, when tectonic uplift effectively destroyed the genus' habitat by making the deep water too shallow.
Xyne is an extinct genus of prehistoric herring that lived during the Upper Miocene subepoch.
Bolbocara gyrinus is an extinct rattail that lived during the Upper Miocene subepoch of Southern California. It may be related to the extant genus Bathygadus.
Lompoquia retropes is an extinct genus of ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums. These fishes lived what is now Southern California during the Upper Miocene subepoch.
Ioscion morgani is an extinct prehistoric bony fish that lived during the Upper Miocene subepoch of what is now Southern California. It is primarily known from incomplete fossils, such as the holotype, which consists of a broken backbone. Although the head is unknown, enough of the animal's anatomy suggests a relationship with the jackfishes of Carangidae.
Lophar miocaenus is an extinct bony fish almost identical in form to the living bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix, differing in its dentition, which consisted of "thick, conical subequal teeth" instead of the sharp, slender teeth and canines seen in bluefish. L. miocaenus lived during the Upper Miocene subepoch of Southern California.
Absalomichthys velifer is an extinct, prehistoric manefish that lived during the Upper Miocene of what is now Southern California. Its dorsal fin was huge in comparison with living species.
Calotomus is a parrotfish genus from the Indo-Pacific, with a single species ranging into the warmer parts of the east Pacific. Compared to most of their relatives, their colours are relatively dull. Several species in this genus are associated with sea grass beds, but most can also be seen at reefs.
Tyarrpecinus rothi is an extinct thylacinid marsupial that lived during the late Miocene and has been found at the Alcoota scientific reserve in the Northern Territory. The specific name honors Karl Roth for his contributions to the natural history of central Australia.
The Sisquoc Formation is a sedimentary geologic unit widespread in Southern California, both on the coast and in mountains near the coast. Overlying the Monterey Formation, it is of upper Miocene and lower Pliocene age. The formation consists of claystone, mudstone, siltstone, shale, diatomite, and conglomerates, with considerable regional variation, and was deposited in a moderately deep marine environment at a depth of approximately 500–5,000 feet (150–1,520 m). Since some of its diatomites, along with those of the underlying Monterey Formation, are of unusual purity and extent, they can be mined as diatomaceous earth. France-based Imerys operates a mine in the Sisquoc and Monterey Formations in the hills south of Lompoc, California, the largest such operation in the world.
The Lompoc earthquake of 1927 occurred at 5:49 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST), on November 4 with an epicenter off the coast of Lompoc, Santa Barbara County in Southern California. It is one of the largest earthquakes to have occurred off the coast of California, measuring a surface-wave magnitude of 7.3. The earthquake may have originated along the Hosgri Fault, an entirely offshore structure. Shaking from the earthquake and an unusually large tsunami caused some damage to communities near the earthquake. Due to its location and the area being sparsely populated at the time, there were no human fatalities reported. It is the only California-generated tsunami recorded in Hawaii.
References
- ↑ David, Lore Rose (1943). Miocene Fishes of Southern California. p. 38.
- ↑ Jordan, David Starr, Gilbert, James Zaccheus. Fossil fishes of diatom beds of Lompoc, California 1920