In Depth Pakicetus may well be the oldest known ancestor to modern whales, and along with other animals such as Ambulocetus, represent the group of terrestrial carnivores that began developing adaptations for a wholly aquatic lifestyle. Due to its transitional nature, it is hard to say with certainty how Pakicetus lived. Its ear structure is … Read more
In Depth The name Maiacetus means ‘good mother whale’ and this is a reference to the fact that the holotype of Maiacetus was composed of a skull with post cranial skeletal remains, and inside of the post cranial skeleton there appears to be the remains of a fossilised foetus. If this interpretation is correct then … Read more
In Depth Tokarahia is a genus of whale that lived in the waters around New Zealand during the Oligocene. Further Reading - A new genus and species of eomysticetid (Cetacea: Mysticeti) and a reinterpretation of ‘Mauicetus’ lophocephalus Marples, 1956: Transitional baleen whales from the upper Oligocene of New Zealand. - Zoological Journal of the Linnean … Read more
In Depth Stromerius is a genus of basilosaurid whale that has been discovered in the world famous fossil deposits of Egypt, some of which are well known for turning up the fossils of whales. Unfortunately the harsh environmental conditions there can quickly erode exposed fossils, and as for the case of Stromerius, only some of … Read more
In Depth Georgiacetus is one of the most primitive whale genera to be discovered in the United States, with the holotype fossils discovered in the state of Georgia during the construction of a nuclear power station. New fossil material discovered in 2008 resulted in confirmation that Georgiacetus did not have a fluked tail like modern … Read more
In Depth Willungacetus is both the oldest whale known from Australia, and the only member of the Aetiocetidae whale group. Willungacetus may have had teeth like other early whales, but other members of the group like Chonecetus had begun to develop baleen at roughly the same time that Willungacetus was swimming the oceans. Further fossil … Read more
In Depth At the time of the genus description Coronodon caused a lot of excitement, as this genus represent one of the oldest baleen whales in the fossil record. Baleen whales, also known as mystecetids, certainly had ancestors that were active predators of other sea creatures. The teeth of Coronodon are shaped in such a … Read more
In Depth Once described as a new species of Protocetus, the holotype remains were elevated to genus level in 1975. Although a different genus, Andrewsiphius would have still been a primitive toothed whale form similar to the more famous Protocetus. The rear limbs would still have been visible on the outside of the body, while … Read more
In Depth Agorophius seems to have been one of the early toothed whales of the Odontoceti, but unfortunately the holotype remains of this genus have now been lost. This makes further study of the genus with more modern methods and techniques impossible until either the holotypes are found or new fossils are recovered from the … Read more
In Depth A relative of other primitive whales such as Dorudon and Zygorhiza, Ancalecetus would have been a toothed predatory whale that hunted other marine organisms for food. In fact, Ancalecetus is seen to be very similar to Dorudon atrox with the exception of the fore limbs of Ancalecetus being much smaller and closer to … Read more