Note on the first fossil remains of a whale from Northern Bosnia

Abstract

Herein, the first find of a fossil whale Cethotherium aff. rathkei is reported from the Middle Miocene sediments (Badenian) of the West Paratethys (the Štrbci village, east of Banja Luka and Prnjavor, northern Bosnia). Although mostly represented by vertebra, the well preserved remains of the single individual consist also of humeri, tympanicum, and some isolated fragments of the skull. The find is discussed in its paleogeographical context, and the importance of the discovery in an international context is shown.