In Depth When Mauicetus was first named it was originally as Lophocephalus. However this name had already been used to name a genus of beetle. Under international rules governing the naming of animals, the first use has priority, so the fossils of this whale were renamed Mauicetus. Mauicetus lived in the waters around the Pacific … 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 Unfortunately still only known from very incomplete remains, Ashorocetus was an early baleen whale. Relatives of Ashorocetus include Aetiocetus and Willungacetus. Further Reading - Classification and distribution of Oligocene Aetiocetidae (Mammalia; Cetacea; Mysticeti) from western North America and Japan - L. G. Barnes, M. Kimura, H. Furusawa & H. Sawamura - 1995.