Morawanocetus

Mor-ah-wan-o-see-tuss.
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Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Morawanocetus ‭(‬Morawan whale‭ ‬-‭ ‬after the Morawan Formation‭)‬.

Phonetic

Mor-ah-wan-o-see-tuss.

Named By

L.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Barnes,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Kimura,‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Furusawa‭ & ‬H.‭ ‬Sawamura‭ ‬-‭ ‬1995.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Cetacea,‭ ‬Aetiocetidae.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

M.‭ ‬yabukii‭

Size

Uncertain.

Known locations

Japan‭ ‬-‭ ‬Morawan Formation.‭ ‬USA,‭ ‬California.

Time Period

Chattian of the Oligocene.

Fossil representation

Partial skull,‭ ‬dentary,‭ ‬as well as some partial post cranial remains of several individuals.

In Depth

       Morawanocetus is a‭ ‬genus of whale that is known to have lived‭ ‬in the waters around what is now Japan as well as California in the USA during the Oligocene.‭ ‬These discoveries indicate that Morawanocetus was widespread across the Pacific Ocean.‭ ‬As a member of the Aetiocetidae,‭ ‬Morawanocetus,‭ ‬would have been a relative of such genera as,‭ ‬Aetiocetus,‭ ‬Willungacetus,‭ ‬Chonecetus and Ashorocetus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬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.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT