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.
