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Abdullah Gohar

@gohar.bsky.social
128 followers 110 following 6 posts

Egyptian Paleobiologist 🐋🐬🦭

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Reposted by Abdullah Gohar
Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 17/07/2026
How did seals evolve to hear on land and underwater? This #ProcB study found a specialised ear tissue enables amphibious hearing in pinnipeds, revealing this unique adaptation evolved more than 26 million years ago. doi.org/10.1098/rspb... | #Evolution #Palaeontology
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travis-park.bsky.social @travis-park.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
If you want an up-to-date summary of whale and dolphin evolution, have a read of my new review paper in @natrevbiodiv.nature.com! I’ve tried to cover as much research as possible in this, so apologies if I’ve missed you! doi.org/10.1038/s443...
doi.org
The evolution and diversification of Cetacea - Nature Reviews Biodiversity
Cetaceans are a highly diverse and enigmatic group of animals with a well-documented evolutionary history. This Review describes the macroevolutionary and palaeobiological history of Cetacea, from the...
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Jeanne Timmons @mostlymammoths.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Rise of modern marine #fishes captured in an early Paleocene Lagerstätte @sanaaelsayed.bsky.social @friedmanlab.bsky.social @belals.bsky.social @gohar.bsky.social @hesham-sallam.bsky.social et al www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
From paper: "Fig. 3. Percomorphs from Qreiya 3.
(A to C) Syngnathiformes. (A) Syngnathidae (pipefishes) undet., articulated skeleton missing caudal region (MUVP 698). (B) Aulostomoidea undet., skeleton missing caudal region (MUVP 705). (C) Aulostomoidea undet., skull (MUVP 706). (D and E) Scombriformes. (D) Scombridae (†Eocoeolopomini) (mackerel, tuna, and kin) undet., articulated skeleton missing the neurocranium and the caudal fin (MUVP 708). (E) Trichiuroidea undet. (MUVP 829). (F and G) Carangiformes. (F) Menidae (moonfish) (Mene sp.), complete skeleton (MUVP 804). (G) Carangidae (jacks) undet., complete skeleton (MUVP 805). (H and I) Distinct percomorph morphotypes. (H) Percomorpha undet. Morphotype I, skull and anterior region of the body (MUVP 709). (I) Percomorpha undet. Morphotype II, skull and the anterior abdominal region (MUVP 812)."
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Reposted by Abdullah Gohar
Science Magazine @science.org · 06/04/2026
A newly discovered fossil ape suggests the closest ancestors to modern apes may have emerged in northern Africa, outside the traditionally studied regions of East Africa. Learn more in Science: scim.ag/4uSvmLJ
The map highlights Wadi Moghra, Egypt (star), which is the discovery site of Masripithecus—the first definitive North African ape—alongside key Miocene hominoid localities (see table S1) across Afro-Arabia and Eurasia. Arrows indicate inferred dispersal routes based on the phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses presented here. The inset phylogeny places Masripithecus as the closest sampled sister taxon of crown Hominoidea. At lower left, a life reconstruction of Masripithecus based on the Masripithecus mandible combined with the facial morphology of the middle Miocene hominoid Pierolapithecus. [Illustration: M. Antón]
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Matt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
This major fossil discovery is also an important milestone for home-grown Egyptian paleontology. Congrats to the Mansoura University team, including UMMP's Sanaa El-Sayed! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
An Early Miocene ape from the biogeographic crossroads of African and Eurasian Hominoidea
The Early Miocene fossil record documenting hominoid evolution has long been restricted primarily to sites in East Africa, whereas contemporaneous North African sites have only yielded remains of cerc...
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Julia Arias-Martorell @julsam.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
There's also a Perspective on it, by Dr David M. Alba and I, check it out here👇👇 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Masripithecus was very interesting to learn and think about!
science.org
The dawn of modern apes
An Egyptian fossil places the origin of modern apes in northeastern Afro-Arabia
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Reposted by Abdullah Gohar
Julia Arias-Martorell @julsam.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Check out this new Early Miocene ape, Masripithecus, from Egypt! 👀 Paper by Al-Ashqar et al.👇https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz4102
science.org
An Early Miocene ape from the biogeographic crossroads of African and Eurasian Hominoidea
The Early Miocene fossil record documenting hominoid evolution has long been restricted primarily to sites in East Africa, whereas contemporaneous North African sites have only yielded remains of cerc...
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Abdullah Gohar @gohar.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Very happy to share that our paper on Masripithecus is now published in @science.org A new Early Miocene ape from Egypt that helps fill an important gap in ape evolution. Proud to be part of the Sallam Lab team, MUVP, and the Egyptian team behind this discovery.
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Abdullah Gohar @gohar.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
An Early Miocene ape from the biogeographic crossroads of African and Eurasian Hominoidea
The Early Miocene fossil record documenting hominoid evolution has long been restricted primarily to sites in East Africa, whereas contemporaneous North African sites have only yielded remains of cerc...
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Reposted by Abdullah Gohar
muvp-eg.bsky.social @muvp-eg.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
#سلام_لاب #SallamLab #MUVP
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Holly Woodward @histo-holly.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Great work by my graduate student Abdullah Gohar on bear femur and rib histology published today in the Journal of Anatomy! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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Abdullah Gohar @gohar.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
New Publication Alert! Our new paper on black bear bone histology is out today in the Journal of Anatomy! Read the paper here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Bone histology reveals life history and regional remodeling in black bears
American black bears employ a dual skeletal strategy during hibernation: ribs remodel extensively, while femora maintain cortical strength to preserve locomotor capacity. This is the first comparativ...
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Robert Boessenecker, Dr. of Whaleontology ™️ @coastalpaleo.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Read our paper here: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org
A new protocetid whale offers clues to biogeography and feeding ecology in early cetacean evolution | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Over about 10 million years, the ancestors of whales transformed from herbivorous, deer-like, terrestrial mammals into carnivorous and fully aquatic cetaceans. Protocetids are Eocene whales that repre...
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Robert Boessenecker, Dr. of Whaleontology ™️ @coastalpaleo.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Phiomicetus anubis turns 4 today! So proud of the little guy 🥹P. anubis is a 42-43 million year old "walking whale" from the Fayum desert of Egypt. #whaleontology 🧪🦖
Life restoration of Phiomicetus anubis, a walking whale, going after a sawfish.The original skull, mandible, and skeleton of Phiomicetus anubis, a walking whale from the Eocene of Egypt.
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Robert Boessenecker, Dr. of Whaleontology ™️ @coastalpaleo.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
#whalewednesday Endocranial anatomy of the OG protocetid whale, Protocetus atavus - protocetids had surprisingly large brains, indicating brain expansion occurred early in cetacean evolution; also retained well-developed olfactory bulbs (and smell). 🐬🧪🦖Read here: academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
Scientific figure showing the skull of the protocetid whale Protocetus atavus and the newly published endocranial cast; the endocast is shaped like a flattened Hershey's kiss, with a long olfactory tract and well-developed olfactory bulbs.Life restoration of Protocetus atavus with the skull and endocast shown. Illustration by Tyler Stone.
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Eli Amson @eliamson.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
It was for me a first opportunity to work with @muvp-eg.bsky.social , i.e., @hesham-sallam.bsky.social and @gohar.bsky.social , which was a blast! Thank you as well to @gsferreira.bsky.social and all other co-authors not on Bluesky.
gsferreira.bsky.social
Gabriel S. Ferreira (he/his) (@gsferreira.bsky.social)
🇧🇷 in 🇩🇪, 🐢 virtual paleo, functional morph -researcher at Senckenberg HEP | sci. coordinator of 3D Imaging Lab of the Uni. Tübingen gabrielsferreira.com
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Eli Amson @eliamson.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
…and the accompanying models on MorphoMuseuM here: morphomuseum.com/articles/vie...
morphomuseum.com
MorphoMuseuM - Articles
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Eli Amson @eliamson.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
You can find the paper here: academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
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Eli Amson @eliamson.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Regarding the sense of smell, we basically found that no part of the olfactory apparatus was significantly reduced, indicating that these amphibious cetaceans most likely had a good nose (likely much better than ours), and that the reduction of this sense most likely came later in their evolution.
media.tenor.com
patrick star from spongebob squarepants smells real good up hea
ALT: patrick star from spongebob squarepants smells real good up hea
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Eli Amson @eliamson.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Comparing the relative volume of the brain endocast, we found that this early whale was quite brainy, which is a surprise, as the first cetaceans with big brains were so far understood to be the fully aquatic basilosaurids.
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Eli Amson @eliamson.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
We addressed two aspects of cetacean evolution: their acquisition of a relatively big brain and the evolution of their sense of smell. As other mammals secondarily adapted to the aquatic environment, cetaceans have been assumed to reduce their sense of smell (which is air-born in this group).
media.tenor.com
a cartoon of homer simpson sniffing something with his mouth open
ALT: a cartoon of homer simpson sniffing something with his mouth open
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Eli Amson @eliamson.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
We ct-scanned the skull of Protocetus atavus, an amphibious cetacean coming from the Mokattam Formation in Egypt. The inner anatomy of the skull was reconstructed, and we were able to reconstruct the brain imprint (endocast) as well as the different components of the nasal cavity.
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Eli Amson @eliamson.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Fossil brain 🧠🧟 of a 45-million-year-old cetacean! We are proud to publish‪ @journal-evo.bsky.social l the result of Elena Berger’s Bachelor’s thesis @smnstuttgart.bsky.social. Thread 👇 ‬
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Hesham Sallam @hesham-sallam.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
Named after the cat-headed goddess Bastet, Bastetodon is symbolically linked to Sekhmetops, inspired by the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet. Mythology meets science in this incredible find! #SallamLab #MUVP
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Hesham Sallam @hesham-sallam.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
Our new discovery, led by @shorouqalashqar.bsky.social , has unveiled a new 30-million-year-old species of apex predator, #Bastetodon, in Egypt’s Fayum Desert! Check out the study in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. @matt-borths.bsky.social @erikseiffert.bsky.social #SallamLab #MUVP
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Lene Liebe Delsett @leneliebedelsett.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Thank you @gohar.bsky.social for a very nice invited talk on whale evolution for our group in Oslo yesterday!🐳🐋🐬
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Abdullah Gohar @gohar.bsky.social · 28/12/2024
As usual, one of the best reconstructions of a protocetid early whale!
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Professor John R. Hutchinson @johnrhutchinson.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
Oh groovy, our paper on the hindlimb biomechanics of the Triassic dinosauriform Lagosuchus is out! A quick thread for now. We uCT-scanned most of the existing skeletal material for this important outgroup to Dinosauria. We sorted through the elements and chose the best ones to make a 3D model from.
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Paleo Nerds Podcast @paleonerdspod.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Dave traveled ✈️ to Egypt to interview Dr. Hesham Sallam, Egypt's first paleontologist and founder of the country's first Vertebrate Paleontology Center. NEW! Episode #80: Walking 🦶 Egyptian Whales 🐋 from the Sahara with Dr. Hesham Sallam. 🔊 www.paleonerds.com/podcast/heshamsallam
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Tyler Stone @tylerstoneart.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
#FossilFriday with its bizarre skull, the protocetid whale Makaracetus has become my beloved nemesis. It’s extremely hard to reconstruct, but @gohar.bsky.social recently told me that my illustration of it is the most accurate he’s seen, so I must be on the right track. #paleoart #sciart #whale
My initial sketches, transferring the anatomy of different modern animals onto the skull to see what felt plausible.The reconstruction I settled on, taking cues from moose and camels along with my own previous drawings of other protocetids.Some sketches exploring the reconstruction I’ve settled on. You know you love an animal when you’re willing to absolutely roast it.Full painting of Makaracetus based on my earlier research and design work. This actually started as a screenshot of a swimming moose from Planet Zoo, which I warped and painted over in Procreate.
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Jenny Rae Rappaport @jennyrae.bsky.social · 10/07/2024
I was searching for information about odontolite, which I did not find, but this fascinating article about early whales popped up instead. And now I need you all to learn about Tutcetus rayanensis and the Valley of the Whales. 🐳 (gift link) www.nytimes.com/2023/09/25/s...
nytimes.com
An Ancient Whale Named for King Tut, but Moby-Dinky in Size
Paleontologists in Egypt announced the discovery of Tutcetus rayanensis, an eight-foot-long leviathan that lived 41 million years ago.
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Michael Tripoli @triloboii.bsky.social · 22/01/2024
Described only a week after the most massive basilosaurid, Tutcetus is not only one of the very smallest, with an estimated body length of only about 2.5m, but one of the earliest, coexisting with protocetes in the shallow coasts of Egypt during the early middle Eocene.
Holotype skull of Tutcetus rayanensis, taken from Antar et al 2023Phylogenetic tree of cetaceans, including Tutcetus, taken from Antar et al 2023
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Michael Tripoli @triloboii.bsky.social · 22/01/2024
Cenozoic Paleo 2023 day 21: Meet Tutcetus rayanensis! #paleoart #paleontology #sciart
Vector illustration of Tutcetus rayanensis, a small basilosaurid from Eocene Egypt. Text reads: Tutcetus rayanensis. Mohammed Antar, Abdullah Gohar, Heba El-Desouky et al. Diminutive new basilosaurid whale reveals the trajectory of the cetacean life histories during the Eocene. Commun. Biol. 6(1):707 Aug 10 2023
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Robert Boessenecker, Dr. of Whaleontology ™️ @coastalpaleo.bsky.social · 31/12/2023
2023 in review: this year's advances in marine mammal paleontology! Here is my 11th annual [comprehensive] roundup of every peer-reviewed article that came out in our field this year. Check it out here: coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2023/12/2023...
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Tyler Stone @tylerstoneart.bsky.social · 01/01/2024
More work from 2023: Tutcetus on its own, a T. rex sketch, and two versions of the Van Meter Visitor.
The small early whale Tutcetus.T. rex sketch.Van Meter Visitor as a monstrous “pterodactyl.”Van Meter Visitor as a giant bat.
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Jeanne Timmons @mostlymammoths.bsky.social · 10/08/2023
A diminutive new basilosaurid whale reveals the trajectory of the cetacean life histories during the Eocene; by Mohammed Antar, Abdullah Gohar, Heba El-Desouky, Erik Seiffert, Sanaa El-Sayed, Alexander Claxton, Hesham Sallam www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-…
Fig. 1: Tutcetus rayanensis (MUVP 501, holotype).
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Jen Connic @jenconnic.bsky.social · 10/08/2023
Important whale news! A new research paper reports a new species of basilosaurid. This whale is believed to be the smallest known basilosaurid and has been named Tutcetus rayanensis after the ancient Egyptian Pharoah, Tutankhamun. Paper here: www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-…
Life reconstruction of the extinct basilosaurid whale Tutcetus rayanensis swimming in the Tethys Ocean of present-day Egypt, 41 million years ago.The fossil of the new species of basilosaurid and a corresponding drawing to explain the fossil
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leo @feiklozada.bsky.social · 10/08/2023
Tutcetus rayanensis, New genus and species of ancient basilosaurid whales just discovered! It's 41 million years old and comes from Egypt! #paleo #paleontology #science #whale #basilosaurid
Illustration by Ahmed Morsi and Hesham Sallam
Paleontologists Abdullah Gohar, Mohamed Sameh, and Hesham Sallam (from left)
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News Feed @news-feed.bsky.social · 11/08/2023
@AFP: Egypt dig unearths whale that lived 41 million years ago when the species was just completing their move from land to sea. The team has dubbed the species "Tutcetus rayanensis" after the Egyptian boy king Tutankhamun and the Wadi El-Rayan Protected Area t.co/s88Z33TUtD
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Tomb Svalborg @tombs.bsky.social · 11/08/2023
They really looked at the newly discovered mini whale and decided “I’m gonna render it as the happiest whale ever.” www.theguardian.com/science/2023/au…
A  visualisation of how the extinct basilosaurid whale, Tutcetus rayanensis, might have looked 41m years ago on a good joyful day. Mouth open. Smiling.
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joeymaier 🌊 @joeymaier.bsky.social · 12/08/2023
#marine life🦑 Meet Tutcetus rayanensis, a fossil whale discovered in a middle Eocene (41 mya) formation in Egypt. "This new whale is the smallest basilosaurid whale known to date...of that family from Africa." phys.org/news/2023-08-unveiling-tal…
phys.org
Unveiling the tale of Tutcetus, the 'pharaoh' of whales who died young 41 million years ago
An international team of scientists, led by Egyptian researchers, has made a groundbreaking discovery of a new species of extinct whale, Tutcetus rayanensis, that inhabited the ancient sea covering pr...
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SynapsidGirl @synapsidgirl.bsky.social · 13/08/2023
The newly described Tutcetus. In stark contrast to the *also* newly described Perucetus, this guy has the distinction of being the smallest basilosaurid ever discovered. It's a good time to be an ancient whale enjoyer. #sciart #paleoart #art
Digital painting of Tutcetus near the surface of the water. It's shown from the side, facing right, and positioned diagonally, with the tail higher than the head. It has two pairs of flippers: the back ones are tiny, and the front ones look more like those of manatees than those of the modern whales. The whale also has a tiny, barely there dorsal fin. There are light shafts piercing the water, some behind and others in front of the whale.
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Joschua Knüppe @joschuaknuppe.bsky.social · 22/08/2023
Another #paleostream sketch The new tiny basilosaurid Tutcetus cruising through some mangroves, Protosiren in the background.
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joeymaier 🌊 @joeymaier.bsky.social · 21/09/2023
#marinelife🦑 Tutcetus rayanensis, a newly described fossil whale, was found in Eocene rocks in Egypt. "With an estimated length of 2.5 meters and a body mass of approximately 187 kilograms, Tutcetus is the smallest known basilosaurid to date."
scitechdaily.com
The Pharaoh of Whales: Remarkable New Species of Extinct Whale Discovered – Lived in Egypt 41 Mill...
Scientists discovered a new species of extinct whale that lived in the ancient sea that once covered present-day Egypt around 41 million years ago. An international team of scientists, led by Egyptian...
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Dynamognathus @dynamoterror.bsky.social · 23/09/2023
Starting off, here’s a sketch I made of Tutcetus rayanensis, a middle Eocene Basilosaurid whale from Egypt, shortly after its description. I’ve depicted a mother and two calves swimming through a deep channel in an estuary, passing by a floating Paratomistoma courti.
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joeymaier 🌊 @joeymaier.bsky.social · 09/11/2023
🦑 Basilosaurids ranged from the dolphin sized Tutcetus to Perucetus whose size resembled the modern blue whale
smithsonianmag.com
Ancient Whales Were the Biggest and Smallest of Their Kind to Ever Roam the Oceans
New discoveries show how whale diversity exploded after the dinosaurs disappeared
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Grymmlee (그림리) @grymmlee.bsky.social · 10/12/2023
“The Lonely Kings” Under the moonlight, a Tutcetus rayanensis swims along the surface. His friend, a Perucetus colossus, sleepily watches, content in having a friend in the lonely sea.
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