Name:
Agorophius.
Phonetic: A-gor-ro-phy-us.
Named By: Edward Drinker Cope - 1895.
Synonyms: Basilosaurus pygmaeus, Doryodon
pygmaeus, Phocodon holmesii, Pontogeneus priscus, Squalodon
pygmaeus, Zeuglodon pygmaeus.
Classification: Chordata, Mammalia, Cetacea,
Odontoceti.
Species: A. pygmaeus (type).
Diet: Carnivore/Piscivore.
Size: Unknown.
Known locations: USA, South Carolina - Ashley
Formation.
Time period: Rupelian of the Oligocene.
Fossil representation: Partial skull and tooth.
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 field.
Further reading
- Fourth contribution to the marine fauna of the Miocene period of
the United States, Edward Drinker Cope - 1895.
- Systematics of the odontocete whale Agorophius pygmaeus
and the
Family Agorophiidae (Mammalia: Cetacea), R. E. Fordyce -
1981.