Dear colleagues, please find below the abstract and link to our recently published, open access paper on a quantitative comparison of the Oligocene baleen whale assemblages from Australasia, and a discussion of the global Early Miocene gap in the mysticete fossil record. Marx F G, Fitzgerald E M G, and Fordyce R E. 2019. Like phoenix from the ashes: how modern baleen whales arose from a fossil ‘dark age’. Acta Palaeontol Pol, 64: published online. Link: https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app005752018.html Abstract: The evolution of baleen whales (Mysticeti), the largest animals on Earth, was punctuated by a pivotal turnover event. Following their emergence around 36 million years (Ma), mysticetes diversified into a disparate range of toothed and toothless species until 23 Ma, but then nearly vanished from the global fossil record for the next five million years. Following this early Miocene “dark age”, toothless mysticetes spectacularly reappeared around 18–17 Ma, whereas toothed mysticetes had gone entirely extinct. Here, we suggest that this turnover event reflects a change in mysticete habitat occupancy. Using the well-sampled record of Australasia as a case study, we show that Oligocene pre-“dark age” mysticetes formed distinct coastal and offshore assemblages, dominated by small (2–4 m), ecologically disparate toothed species, and larger (5–6 m) toothless filter feeders, respectively. Environmental change around the Oligocene–Miocene boundary led to the decline of the endemic coastal assemblages, leaving nearshore deposits virtually devoid of mysticetes. Filter feeders persisted offshore and subsequently re-invaded coastal habitats during the mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum, thus establishing the modern, cosmopolitan mysticete fauna. Kind regards, Felix Marx _____________________________ *Felix G. Marx* PhD | FNRS Postdoctoral Fellow *University of Liège, Belgium *Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium *Monash University, Melbourne, Australia *Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Australia Address: Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique D.O. Terre et Histoire de la Vie, Evolution de la Paléobiosphère 29 rue Vautier, 1000 Brussels, Belgium Phone: +32 (0)488 897314 <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> Virus-free. www.avg.com <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>