New records of postglacial walrus and a review of Quaternary marine mammals in New Brunswick

Abstract

New records for postglacial walrus, Odobenus rosmarus, from New Brunswick raise the number of documented specimens in the province to nine. Walrus form part of a small Quaternary marine mammal fauna in New Brunswick. Three species of whale, beluga, narwhal and minke(?), as well as harp (?) seal and walrus, have been reported over the past century. However, only walrus and narwhal can be confirmed by existing specimens. Marine mammal fossils from Quaternary deposits in New Brunswick demonstrate environmental requirements compatible with summer sea-surface temperature postulated from earlier studies of littoral invertebrates. Radiocarbon dates associated with some of the marine mammals suggest they inhabited New Brunswick's coastal waters by at least 12 500yr BP. -Author