In Depth Babiacetus was a member of the Archaeoceti, a group of primitive whales that also includes genera such as Basilosaurus, Dorudon, Protocetus and Zygorhiza. Babiacetus seems to have lived more during the middle Eocene, though since the genus is currently only known for cranial remains, we do not know how well developed the actual … Read more
In Depth Though only known from a partial skull and jaws, Saghacetus is known to have been a dorudontine whale that was hunting in the waters of Egypt during the Eocene. Before being established as a distinct genus, fossils of Saghacetus had been described as species of Dorudon. The exact size of Saghacetus is uncertain, … Read more
In Depth A very primitive whale form, Remingtonocetus is noted as being smaller and significantly more gracile than most of its relative genera. This more generalised observation is combined with he fact that all four limbs of Remingtonocetus were still well enough adapted for walking on land while the tail seems to have served little … Read more
In Depth Makaracetus is a genus of protocetid whale that lived in Pakistan during the Eocene. The most notable feature of Makaracetus is the strange shaped snout which dips down, and may be a sign that Makaracetus had a proboscis, alternatively known as a trunk, that may have been similar to a tapirs. This was … Read more
In Depth Eocetus was first named by Eberhard Fraas in 1904, but at first as Mesocetus schweinfurthi. It soon came to the attention of Fraas however that the name Mesocetus was already in use, so he instead created the genus name Eocetus for his specimen. Known as a protocetid whale, and hence relative to genera … Read more
In Depth Ambulocetus is a very important transitional fossil as it displays the link between terrestrial mammals and the early whales. Ambulocetus acquired its name from the idea that it could both swim by undulating its back as well as leave the water and walk on land. However a 2016 study by Ando & Fujiwara … Read more
In Depth Cynthiacetus was very similar to the famous Basilosaurus, one of the largest and most famous of the primitive archaeocetid whales. In fact the skull of Cynthiacetus is very similar to the skull of Basilosaurus in both size and form, but Cynthiacetus is known to be different by the simple observation that the vertebrae … Read more
In Depth Natchitochia is a genus of protocetid whale that lived in waters around North America during the mid-Eocene. Though only known from a few vertebrae and partial ribs, it is known that Natchitochia would have been similar to genera such as Eocetus, Pappocetus and Protocetus. Comparison to the vertebrae of Eocetus and the ribs … Read more
In Depth Togocetus is a genus of primitive whale that was first discovered in a phosphate mine that is early Eocene in age. Togocetus is noted for being similar to genera such as Protocetus and Pappocetus. Further Reading - A new archaeocete and other marine mammals (Cetacea and Sirenia) from lower middle Eocene phosphate deposits … Read more
In Depth Although details are uncertain, Kutchicetus is noted as being a small remingtonocetid whale (relative of Remingtonocetus). The tail of Kutchicetus seems to have been quite well developed and may have played a more important role in swimming than other primitive whales, though there is no evidence that a tail fluke had been developed. … Read more