In Depth Gaviacetus is usually interpreted as a protocetid, a very primitive kind of whale that would have still possessed legs for terrestrial locomotion, though in the past Gaviacetus has also been considered to be a possible basilosaurid. However, at the time of writing there is little evidence to conclusively prove that Gaviacetus was a … Read more
In Depth Titanocetus is a genus of baleen whale that lived in waters around Europe during the Miocene. As a member of the Cetotheriidae whales, Titanocetus would have been related to genera such as Cetotherium. There is a popular misconception that the name Titanocetus means ‘Titan whale’ in reference to a large size, and indeed … Read more
In Depth Although the name Prosqualodon references a shark, this creature was actually one of the first members of the Odontoceti, better known as the modern toothed whales. Prosqualodon actually looked like a cross between a modern dolphin and an ichthyosaur from the Mesozoic. Prosqualodon has the typical cetacean body with a horizontally aligned tail … Read more
In Depth Plesiobalaenoptera is a genus of rorqual baleen whale that lived in the seas of Europe during the Miocene. Further Reading - A new balaenopterid whale from the late Miocene of the Stirone River, Northern Italy (Mammalia, Cetacea, Mysticeti). - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(3):943-958. - M. Bisconti - 2010.
In Depth Squalodon is the type genus of the Squalodontidae, a group of prehistoric whales that in evolutionary terms of are intermediary between the older Archaeoceti whales like Basilosaurus and Zygorhiza, and the later whales of the Odontoceti which includes modern toothed cetaceans like the killer whale (Orcinus orca). Exactly how Squalodon and the other … Read more
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 Diunatans is a genus of rorqual whale that would have been swimming around in what is now the North Sea during the early Pliocene. Further Reading - A new fossil rorqual (Mammalia, Cetacea, Balaenopteridae) from the Early Pliocene of the North Sea, with a review of the rorqual species described by Owen and … Read more
In Depth Diorocetus was first named from fossils recovered from the United States by R. Kellog in 1968, establishing the type species Diorocetus hiatus. Then in 2003 and 2008 respectively two new species, Diorocetus chichibuensis and Diorocetus shobarensis were named from fossils discovered in Japan. Out of these D. shobarensis seems to be the earliest … Read more
In Depth Llanocetus is by far one of the most primitive baleen whales so far discovered, so primitive it was that Llanocetus didn’t actually have baleen. Granted this sounds like a paradox, but Llanocetus has been identified as a baleen whale upon the basis of the shape and form the skull. But the teeth to … Read more
In Depth Waharoa is a genus of whale known to have lived in the waters around new Zealand during the Oligocene. Further Reading - Anatomy, feeding ecology, and ontogeny of a transitional baleen whale: a new genus and species of Eomysticetidae (Mammalia: Cetacea) from the Oligocene of New Zealand. - PeerJ 3:e1129. - R. W. … Read more