Pavel Gol'din

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• Full Professor
• Leading Researcher at National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Background Family Cetotheriidae sensu stricto and several closely related taxa comprise the Cetotherioidea and represent a lineage of Neogene baleen whales that includes the smallest edentulous baleen whales in Earth history. Most of known cetotheriids came from the Late Miocene to Quaternary, and the earliest records from the latest Middle Miocene...

Miocene baleen whales were highly diverse and included tens of genera. However, their taxonomy and phylogeny, as well as relationships with living whales, are still a subject of controversy. Here, “Mesocetus” argillarius, a poorly known specimen from Denmark, is redescribed with a focus on the cranial anatomy. It was found to represent not only a n...

Skulls of many living and extinct beaked whales (Ziphiidae) contain various bizarre bone and tooth structures. Many of them show sexual dimorphism in their skull anatomy: males have bizarre skull structures, whereas females do not. Opinions differ as to what the function of these structures might be. Some believe that these are weapons; others, tha...

The skulls of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) are distinguished by incomplete ossification of cranial sutures during their lifetime. We suggested suture ossification may correlate with the evolution of rarely reported accessory bones and examine the evolutionary patterns of cranial suture ossification and the presence of accessory elemen...

Cetaceans have evolved unique limb structures, such as flippers, due to genetic changes during their transition to aquatic life. However, the full understanding of the genetic and evolutionary mechanisms behind these changes is still developing. By examining 25 limb-related protein-coding genes across various mammalian species, we compared genetic...

True seals rapidly evolved in many forms in the epicontinental basin of Paratethys during the Miocene. However, most of their nominal taxa so far were proposed based on isolated limb bones, and their taxonomy has long been under discussion. Here we describe a new articulated skeleton MCFFM V-150 of a medium-sized seal with pachyosteosclerotic postc...

Mammalian humerus shape is mostly predicted by loading. This constraint is lifted for cetaceans and, therefore, can reflect other, specific evolutionary trends. To test this hypothesis, the three-dimensional shape of the humerus for 36 taxa of extinct and extant cetaceans was analyzed. The shape variance concurs with the evolution of diverging bale...

More than 170 years have passed since the description of the dwarf Miocene seal Monachopsis pontica. However, its cranial materials were rarely found and described. This paper re-describes M. pontica and discusses its ecological adaptations. M. pontica is among the latest seals that survived in the epicontinental sea Eastern Paratethys during the K...

The hydrological connectivity of semi-isolated basins with the global ocean drives remarkable ecosystem turnover and regional climate shifts, making palaeoenvironmental and palaeohydrological studies of the epicontinental basins of high relevance. During the late Middle–Late Miocene, the Paratethys Sea, which occupied vast areas of the West Eurasia...

The Black Sea is a semi‐enclosed inland sea with an unevenly distributed extensive coastal shelf area and anoxic deep waters. It is inhabited by common and bottlenose dolphins, as well as harbour porpoises, all represented by local subspecies. Between September 2020 and October 2022, 19 F‐PODs deployed by research teams from Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma...

The baculum (penis bone) of bats is an evolutionary structure which has some functional significance changing across lineages and species. Also, its shape apparently shows taxon-specific traits that may be among important diagnostic anatomical structures for closely related taxa or cryptic species. It is tempting to use a little constrained, highly...

There are a few mammalian lineages secondarily adapted to life in water throughout their evolutionary history. Of them, only sirenians and cetaceans evolved as fully aquatic organisms. This transition was accompanied by changes in swimming mode, from foot paddling to tail-powered propulsion, with the forelimbs acting as efficient hydrofoils and the...

This overview provides information about cats in Kievan Rus based on archaeological and historical data. Today's domestic cat (Felis catus) is not a descendant of the European forest cat (Felis silvestris). It is genetically related to the Asian steppe cat (Felis lybica) and began its journey to human homes somewhere within the Fertile Crescent. In...

Introduction Population abundance is amongst the most basic and crucial parameters for the assessment of conservation status of any species. Three species of odontocetes, all represented by local subspecies, inhabit the Black Sea: the Black Sea common dolphin Delphinus delphis ponticus, the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus ponticus,...

The timing of the Holocene transition of the Black Sea from a brackish lake to a marine sea has long been debated. Here, we report on the earliest records of cetaceans in the Black Sea region as a proxy for the connection with the Mediterranean and the transition from a brackish to marine environment. We base our analysis on cetacean skeletal finds...

Mammalian humerus shape is strongly predicted by loading and other functional factors. This constraint is lifted for cetaceans and, therefore, it could reflect other, specific evolutionary trends. For testing this hypothesis, the three-dimensional shape of the humerus for 32 taxa of extinct and extant cetaceans was analyzed. The shape variance was...

Cetotheriidae sensu stricto is a monophyletic group of baleen whales known from Neogene deposits of Paratethys, as well as from Atlantic and Pacific. Length of cetotheriids did not exceed 6-7 m. Some of them could be even shorter than 3 m long but they are mostly known only from fragmentary records. Among well-preserved skeletons of cetotheriids, C...

New Sirenia remains were discovered in early Oligocene (Mezhyhiria Formation, Rupelian) deposits in Ukraine. Fossil specimens include pachyosteosclerotic rib fragments, caudal vertebra, and parts of a neural arch. The sirenian (sea cow) was about 3 meters long, and is morphologically similar to the geologically contemporary genus Kaupitherium (Sire...

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Symposium 17-19 July 2023, Istanbul https://eebst.ekoevo.org/

The recent exploitation of marine species is relatively well documented and understood in terms of impacts on species abundance, distribution, and resource use. In contrast, ancient exploitation of marine mammals remains poorly documented; in part, because a detailed meta-analysis of their presence in the zooarchaeological record is lacking. This i...

Transition of cetaceans from a semi-aquatic to a fully aquatic lifestyle during the Eocene involved numerous transformations of their anatomy, including reduction of the hind limbs. The earliest fully aquatic cetaceans retained externally protruding, possibly functional hind limbs. Being extremely rare, every find of archaeocete hind limb elements...

Basilosauridae, fully aquatic archaeocetes from the Eocene, had osteosclerotic or pachyosteosclerotic structure of ribs and, sometimes, other bones. Such a structure is far different from osteoporotic-like bones of modern cetaceans. A microanatomical and histological study was conducted on axial and limb skeleton of several basilosaurid specimens a...

Mammalian humerus shape is strongly predicted by loading and other functional factors. This constraint is lifted for cetaceans; therefore, it could reflect other specific evolutionary trends. For testing this hypothesis we analyzed 3D shape by methods of geometric morphometry (using 499 semilandmarks) for 32 cetacean taxa which included Protocetida...

Incidental catch in fishing gear (often known as bycatch) is a major mortality factor for the Black Sea harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena relicta), an endemic subspecies listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List. The primary gear, responsible for porpoise bycatch in the Black Sea are bottom gillnets and trammel nets targeting turbot (Scophthalmus...

Whilst genetic studies can address a large number of issues related to cetaceans, the primary focus of these Best practices is on matters related to understanding population structure, abundance and movements in order for ACCOBAMS to meet its conservation and management objectives.

The distribution of the black rat (Rattus rattus) has been heavily influenced by its association with humans. The dispersal history of this non-native commensal rodent across Europe, however, remains poorly understood, and different introductions may have occurred during the Roman and medieval periods. Here, in order to reconstruct the population h...

Report presenting results of conducted cetaceans' bycatch monitoring and estimation of bycatch levels in the Black Sea

Report on abundance and density of cetaceans in the Black Sea otained from aerial survey in summer 2019.

Pachyosteosclerosis—a condition that creates dense, bulky bones—often characterizes the early evolution of secondarily aquatic tetrapods like whales and dolphins1, 2, 3 but then usually fades away as swimming efficiency increases.⁴ Here, we document a remarkable reversal of this pattern, namely the convergent re-emergence of bone densification in M...

Палеогенові морські ссавці з території сучасної Східної Європи представлені китоподібними і сиреновими і відомі з кінця середнього еоцену (бартонський вік) [1, 2], тоді як у Центральній Європі сиренові зустрічаються ще з лютецького віку [3, 4]. Оскільки між цими регіонами протягом еоцену не було географічних бар’єрів, можна припустити, що у східних...

Перехід напівводних китоподібних (Protocetidae) до повністю водного способу життя відбувся у середньому еоцені. При цьому переході змінився тип їхньої локомоції від греблі за допомогою кінцівок до дорзовентральної ундуляції хребта. Їхній криж, який складався з чотирьох хребців, втратив зв’язок з тазовими кінцівками та згодом трансформувався. Зокрем...

The distribution of the black rat ( Rattus rattus ) has been heavily influenced by its association with humans. The dispersal history of this non-native commensal rodent across Europe, however, remains poorly understood, and different introductions may have occurred during the Roman and medieval periods. Here, in order to reconstruct the population...

Cetacean fossils have been recorded from middle and late Eocene deposits on Seymour Island since the beginning of the twentieth century and include fully aquatic Basilosauridae and stem Neoceti. Here, we report a small cetacean vertebra tentatively referred to as Neoceti from the late Eocene of Seymour Island. It shows a mosaic of traits, some of w...

The earliest fully aquatic cetaceans arose during the Middle Eocene; however, the earliest stage of their divergence is obscure. Here, we provide a detailed redescription of an unusual early cetacean, “Platyosphys einori”, from the Late Eocene of Ukraine (37.8–35.8 million years ago), with new data on its body size, skeletal microanatomy and sugges...

A rare live record of the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) is reported from the Dzharylgach Gulf in the north-western Black Sea. This is the first record from Ukrainian waters since 1962 and the northernmost record of the species in the Black Sea. The loggerhead sea turtles of the east Mediterranean origin are increasingly oft...

Growth plate and articular cartilage constitute a single anatomical entity early in development but later separate into two distinct structures by the secondary ossification center (SOC). The reason for such separation remains unknown. We found that evolutionarily SOC appears in animals conquering the land - amniotes. Analysis of the ossification p...

Growth plate and articular cartilage constitute a single anatomical entity early in development but later separate into two distinct structures by the secondary ossification center (SOC). The reason for such separation remains unknown. We found that evolutionarily SOC appears in animals conquering the land - amniotes. Analysis of the ossification p...

Growth plate and articular cartilage constitute a single anatomical entity early in development, but later separate into two distinct structures by the secondary ossification center (SOC). The reason for such separation remains unknown. We found that evolutionarily SOC appears in animals conquering the land - amniotes. Analysis of ossification patt...

The late Middle Miocene of South-Eastern Europe was the time of major basin-wide physical and biogeographic transformations of marine environments with mass extinction and faunal replacement. We examined new material comprising marine fishes and mammals, re-examined earlier finds, and analysed previously published data on the marine vertebrate asse...

Видання вміщує описи 147 територій, які пропонуються до включення у мережу Емеральд (Смарагдову мережу) України. Обгрунтування протягом 2019 року підготували 79 професійних біологів та експертів. Кожен з описів є самостійною роботою і має свій колектив авторів. Описи є оригінальною працею авторів та створені шляхом опрацювання власних даних і залуч...

Natural elements of anomalous white hair or skin coloration are observed in many animals. These elements can be either small patches lacking pigmentation (piebaldism) or fully depigmented body surface. Such cases are relatively rare among cetaceans. Here we present the first report on one fully white and several piebald bottlenose dolphins Tursiops...

Absence of genetic differentiation is usually taken as an evidence of panmixia, but can also reflect other situations, including even nearly complete demographic independence among large-sized populations. Deciphering which situation applies has major practical implications (e.g., in conservation biology). The endangered harbor porpoises in the Bla...

Isolated from North Atlantic populations, the Black Sea harbor porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena relicta ) is listed as Endangered due to the massive population decline triggered by historical hunting, and subsequently through fisheries bycatch, and other human activities. Of paramount importance for its conservation, is the characterization of the popu...

Книга містить описи 74 територій, що пропонуються до включення у мережу Емеральд (Смарагдову мережу) України. Обґрунтування щодо включення цих nериторій до мережі Емеральд підготовлені протягом 2018-2019 років колективом авторів(41 професійний біолог). Описи є оригінальною працею авторів і створені шляхом опрацювання власних даних та залучених джер...

The Amazon region is known by its rich Cenozoic mammalian diversity; however, fully aquatic mammals (cetaceans and sirenians) have been appearing in its fossil record only since the Miocene, and solely as freshwater forms (Antoine et al., 2017). Meanwhile, during the Eocene there were marine basins deeply intruding into the South American continent...

The growth of long bones occurs in narrow discs of cartilage, called growth plates that provide a continuous supply of chondrocytes subsequently replaced by newly formed bone tissue. These growth plates are sandwiched between the bone shaft and a more distal bone structure called the secondary ossification center (SOC). We have recently shown that...

As bats are long-lived mammals, insight into the age of individuals is important for studies relating to population ecology and conservation biology, as well as longevity. Thus, there is a need to develop methods to estimate the age of bats, and teeth are excellent means to do so. The work detailed here involves an assessment of age-related changes...

Звіт охоплює період 2013–2017 рр. Крім цього, в звіті розглянуто важливі події та заходи, які мали місце у 2018 р. та є суттєвими для імплементації Конвенції про збереження різноманіття, виконання Стратегічного плану в області збереження біорізноманіття на 2011–2020 рр. і виконання цільових завдань Айті. Звіт підготовлено в рамках виконання науково...

This report covers the 2013–2017 period. In addition, the events and measures taken during 2018 were included if they were particularly important for the implementation of the CBD and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity for the 2011–2020 period, including Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The report is prepared as a part of the research project “Scienti...

Sirenians have been extensively recorded from the Mediterranean and west European localities but there are only few finds to the east of it, from the area covered by the Paratethys. For the early Oligocene, to our knowledge, there are no published records of sirenians from inner seas of the Old World. Here we report a specimen of Dugongidae indet.,...

The Black Sea subspecies of the bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ponticus ) is threatened and has a small range. Its population structure is little known: it possibly includes a few local coastal populations. We assessed connectivity between coastal groupings in six localities along 800 km of the coastline based on records of photo-identifie...

There was a fauna of baleen whales (Cetacea: Mysticeti) in the Central Paratethys, a Miocene water body which covered the area of present-day Central Europe. Most of the fossil baleen whales from the Central Paratethys have been found in strata assigned to the regional Badenian age and comprise endemic forms, known only from this region. Here a new...

There was a fauna of baleen whales (Cetacea: Mysticeti) in the Central Paratethys, a Miocene water body which covered the area of present-day Central Europe. Most of the fossil baleen whales from the Central Paratethys have been found in strata assigned to the regional Badenian age and comprise endemic forms, known only from this region. Here a new...

The first assessment of cetacean density and abundance by linear transect survey was conducted in 2016 and 2017 in the shallowest coastal area of the Ukrainian sector of the north-western Black Sea, in the Dzharylgach Gulf and the northern Karkinit Gulf, total area up to 259 km2. Three cetacean species were found present in the area in summer, and...

Information is provided on 374 species of rare and endangered animals in the Donetsk region (among which 189 species are included in the Red Data Book of Ukraine, and 185 are subject to special protection within the Region). Taxonomic affi liation, nature onservation status, distribution range and distribution in the country and the region, the nu...

В українських водах зараз мешкають лише три види китоподібних – два види дельфінів та морська свиня, яка є найдрібнішим китом сучасності. Проте у викопних відкладах на території багатьох регіонів України трапляються рештки десятків видів китів, що належать до різних груп та епох, починаючи з еоцену. Саме з України, колишнього дна океану Тетіс, опис...

Nine taxa of Miocene baleen whales were described from the Black Sea region under the name Cetotherium before 1951, and a further four closely related species representing three genera have been added in recent years. This rich diversity requires taxonomic revision and ordering. Here, a new genus, Mithridatocetus, is described from the Tortonian of...

Morphological differentiation in skull shape in small toothed whales is sometimes explained as driven by differences in ontogeny or adaptation to a benthic or pelagic habitat. To test these hypotheses, the comparison was made, using two-dimensional geometric morphometry, between neighbouring populations of harbour porpoises from the north-eastern B...

This dataset contains data on cetacean strandings collected from 1999 to 2014 on the coastal areas of the Black sea and the Sea of Azov. Observations were conducted by Pavel Gol'din and Karina Vishnyakova, with the help provided by D. Markov, E. Gladilina, E. Gol'din, V. Sokhin, E. Kushnir, V. Serbin, Yu. Lyashenko, L. Godlevska, A. Nadolny, M. Kov...

The first assessment of abundance of a local population of bottlenose dolphins in the Black Sea (near the Sudak coast) in 2011–2012 has been conducted: the results of a mark-recapture study of photo identified animals were complemented by a vessel line transect survey. The overall abundance of a population was estimated at between 621 ± 198 and 715...

The wildcat became extinct in Crimea. The specimen reported here, a sub-complete skeleton, was collected in 2013 on the archaeological site of Neyzats (Neusatz) and dated to ca. 1600 years BP. It differs from domestic cats with its large body and skull size, nasal and orbit anatomy, and therefore is identified as a wildcat. In the skull size and pr...

Th ere are two porpoise stocks in the northern Black Sea: the north-western (Odessa Gulf) and northeastern (Crimean and Caucasian waters); in addition, another stock is in the Sea of Azov. The Azov porpoises are distinct in their body size and biology. Th is research was conducted on the skulls of stranded sexually mature porpoises from the north-e...

Demographic history analyses are generally based on modern DNA. However such material may not be appropriate for demographic investigation as modern DNA would generally reveal the background of the most recent demographic changes, masking previous events. Ancient DNA could help to counteract this problem and give information on relatively old demog...

We provide first data on the life span, growth and seasonal aspects of the life history of Black Sea bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in the wild and compare these with historical data and conspecific populations in other geographical regions. Average life span is 20 to 32 yr; the oldest record is 41 yr. The reproductive season lasts at least...

The dynamics of the endangered population of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the Azov Sea is currently unknown. It can be, however, estimated by stranding analysis. In 1999–2014, the porpoise stranding rates were regularly monitored at the southern coast of the Azov Sea, particularly at the uninhabited abraded coast of the Tarkhan Cape....

We re-describe Cetotherium riabinini, a little known baleen whale from the Late Miocene of the Eastern Paratethys. C. riabinini is represented by an exceptionally well-preserved skull and partial skeleton, and is shown to be closely related to C. rathkii, the only other member of the genus. Cetotheriids from the Eastern Paratethys are remarkable fo...

We analysed the sex and age composition of a large colony of Nyctalus noctula (605 specimens), wintering in Kyiv, Ukraine. Age was identified in 113 individuals using the method of counting growth layer groups in dentine. Males contained ca. 70 % both in the colony and in the sample of animals with the estimated ages. Males and females of all ages...

In this study, we analyse seasonal aspects of harbour porpoise strandings in the Sea of Azov and discuss factors affecting the stranding rate. Data on 633 strandings were obtained from monitoring of a 35-km long area of the south coast of the Sea of Azov in 1999–2013. A distinct peak of strandings fell in July and August: it depended on the bycatch...

Cetaceans have highly transformed pelvic and hindlimb bones as a secondary adaptation to an aquatic lifestyle. Paleontological records of these bones are very scarce, which hampers interpretations of their homology and evolution. Newly found innominates, femora and tibia of Miocene baleen whales of family Cetotheriidae have primitive structure, whi...

We report 7 new prey fi shes in diet of the Black Sea bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821) and the fi rst records of 9 prey items from their stomach contents: herring (Alosa sp.), sand smelt (Atherina sp.), horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus), picarel (Spicara fl exuosa), Mediterranean sand eel (Gymnammodytes cicerellus),...

A new specimen of early basilosaurid, now identified as Basilotritus sp., comes from the late Middle Eocene of Ukraine. It has basilosaurid-type cheek teeth with cinguli, similar to those of Zygorhiza , and roots resembling those of Georgiacetus vogtlensis and early Neoceti; an unusual feature of these teeth is the presence of accessory denticles o...

A new cetotheriid baleen whale, Brandtocetus chongulek, gen. et sp. nov., is described from the late Miocene of Crimea, Ukraine. The type series is represented by three partial skulls with periotic bones and tympanic bullae, one of the three belonging to a juvenile. Brandtocetus chongulek has transversely expanded squamosals, ‘S’-shaped nuchal cres...

Regional resource limitation in the eastern Levantine Basin was predicted to protract the growth of members of the Israeli sub-population of the common bottlenose dolphin (CBD), compared to CBD sub-populations of similar adult size. Growth curves were fitted to length-at-age data available for 24 male and 26 female CBD stranded or incidentally caug...

Isolated odontocete teeth were found in two Miocene sites in the Dniester River valley. Cetaceans from the both sites possibly represent unknown taxa. One of them is a stem physeteroid, the most similar to Scaldicetus caretti and Early Miocene taxa; another one can be a stem physeteroid or a large stem delphinoid. В двух миоиеновьіх местонахожлення...

We report two partial skulls of fossil beaked whales (Odontoceti, Ziphiidae) of uncertain age trawled from the sea floor of the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean (58 to 60 degrees S), representing the southernmost record of the family. The skulls possess diagnostic features of the genus Africanacetus, several specimens of which have been recovered from th...

A grey seal (Halichoerus grypus), representative of the North Atlantic species, has been recorded in the north-east Black Sea. It is the first documented case of successful long-term survival of an exotic pinniped. We have been receiving data about regular sightings of the seal identified as the observed individual since 2001. It is a 160–170 cm lo...

A new basal basilosaurid cetacean, Basilotritus uheni n. gen. n. sp., comes from the late middle Eocene (Bartonian) of Ukraine. It is the earliest dated record of a cetacean from Eastern Europe. The tympanic bulla of Basilotritus uheni shares basilosaurid synapomorphies but possesses unusual traits inherited from protocetids. Cetaceans related to B...

We report the results of vessel and coastal observations conducted from December 2012 to February 2013 in the Black Sea and adjoining areas. Common dolphins formed a single stock in open sea, which was distributed as groups up to 15 animals in each. Harbour porpoises formed small groups in some coastal areas and also were recorded in open sea. Bott...

The phenomenon of Levantine nanism in the Mediterranean Sea has so far been described in invertebrates and fish. We explored the possibility that it would also apply to marine mammals. To that end, we compared total body length (TBL) and skull condylobasal length (CBL) of adult common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus collected along the Israe...

All extant porpoise species show paedomorphic skeletal traits. These traits are hypothesized to be connected with rapid growth to reproductive size and could thus show geographic variation according to ecological circumstances. To investigate this, skeletal ontogeny was compared among harbour porpoises from California, West Greenland, the inner Dan...

Case of Cephalic Presentation of Foetus in a Harbour Porpoise Phocoena Phocoena (Cetacea, Phocoenidae), with Notes on Other Aquatic Mammals A stranded harbour porpoise pregnant with a near-term foetus in cephalic (head) presentation was found. It is the first time when cephalic presentation, now recorded in three odontocete families, is reported fo...

The ecological and conservation status of the geographically isolated Black Sea harbour porpoise is currently unknown. Although it has been suggested that Black Sea harbour porpoises are distinct from other populations, the implementation of specific conservation plans has been hindered by the absence of a genetic and morphological study with large...

Skulls of 153 porpoises from the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea were studied. Thirty-seven skull measurements were examined. Skull growth in porpoises can be divided into five periods. The greatest changes in growth patterns occur after the first weeks of life. A ‘relay effect’ in growth of some structures (e.g. rostrum) was observed. Individual var...