台灣鯨豚化石研究回顧與現況

A Review and Status of Fossil Cetacean Research in Taiwan

此研究回顧先前台灣已知的鯨豚化石，並整理了台灣已發表及此研究在野外、博物館及私人收藏中所調查發現的鯨豚化石產地。共有15個地點有鯨魚化石的紀錄，年代涵蓋了中新世晚期（約540萬年前）到更新世晚期（約1萬多年前），包含了海豚科、鬚鯨科、露脊鯨科及灰鯨科的化石。從此研究可以看出台灣的鯨豚化石產地及數量在目前可能都被低估了，原因可能包含了缺乏系統性的研究，而一部分的化石材料也在野外沒有被適當的挖掘而造成不可彌補的損失。此外，本研究所紀錄在第四紀時期的鯨豚化石對於解釋台灣現生鯨豚的多樣性提供了根本的資訊。

This study reviews the status of known fossil cetaceans and reported fossil cetacean-bearing localities in Taiwan, including published and formerly un-reported specimens and localities from field investigations, national and private collections. There are 15 known localities of cetacean fossils, spanning Late Pleistocene (~0.01 Ma) to Late Miocene (~5.4 Ma), and four cetacean families are recognized: Delphinidae, Balaenopteridae, Balaenidae, and Eschrichtiidae. The occurrences indicate the potential to discover more cetacean-bearing localities and specimens in Taiwan. In particular, the cetacean fossils of Quaternary age can provide valuable information on the origins of the modern cetacean fauna around Taiwan.