Chonecetus

Chon-e-see-tus.
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Emerson Winslow

Paleoichthyologist

Emerson Winslow delves into the underwater world of prehistoric fish, uncovering the mysteries of early marine life. His discoveries have enhanced understanding of vertebrate evolution in aquatic environments.

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Name

Chonecetus ‭(‬Funnel whale‭)‬.

Phonetic

Chon-e-see-tus.

Named By

L.‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Russel‭ ‬-‭ ‬1968.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Cetacea,‭ ‬Aetiocetidae.

Diet

Uncertain.

Species

C.‭ ‬sookensis‭

Size

Skull about‭ ‬40‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

Canada,‭ ‬British Columbia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Sooke Formation,‭ ‬and the USA,‭ ‬Washington‭ ‬-‭ ‬Pysht Formation.

Time Period

Chattian of the Oligocene.

Fossil representation

Almost complete skulls and partial post cranial remains.

In Depth

       Chonecetus is a whale genus that is usually attributed to the Aetiocetidae a group of primitive ancestors of Baleen whales.‭ ‬There has however been speculation that Chonecetus might be a member of the Archaeoceti,‭ ‬a more ancient group of toothed predatory whales that included genera such as Dorudon and Basilosaurus.‭ ‬If the latter interpretation turns out to be correct,‭ ‬then Chonecetus would actually be a very late surviving member of this group.

       A former species of Chonecetues, C. goedertorum, has now been moved into the Fucaia genus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new cetacean from the Oligocene Sooke Formation of Vancouver Island,‭ ‬British Colombia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Canadian Journal of Earth Science‭ ‬5:929-933‭ ‬-‭ ‬L.‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Russel‭ ‬-‭ ‬1968. -‭ ‬Classification and distribution of Oligocene Aetiocetidae‭ (‬Mammalia‭; ‬Cetacea‭; ‬Mysticeti‭) ‬from western North America and Japan‭ ‬-‭ ‬The Island Arc‭ ‬3‭(‬4‭)‬:392-431‭ ‬-‭ ‬L.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Barnes,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Kimura,‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Furusawa‭ & ‬H.‭ ‬Sawamura‭ ‬-‭ ‬1995.

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