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Basilosaurids
Basilosauridae is a family of extinct cetaceans. They lived during the middle to the early late Eocene and are known from all continents, including Antarctica. They were probably the first fully aquatic cetaceans.Buono M, Fordyce R.E., Marx F.G., Fernández M.S. & Reguero M. (2019). "Eocene Antarctica: a window into the earliest history of modern whales". ''Advances in Polar Science'' 30(3): p. 293-302. doi10.13679/j.advps.2019.0005/ref> The group is noted to be a paraphyletic assemblage of stem group whales from which the monophyletic Neoceti are derived. Characteristics Basilosaurids ranged in size from and were fairly similar to modern cetaceans in overall body form and function. Some genera tend to show signs of convergent evolution with mosasaurs by having long serpentine body shape, which suggests that this body plan seems to have been rather successful. Basilosaurid forelimbs have broad and fan-shaped scapulae attached to a humerus, radius, and ulna which are fl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basilosaurus
''Basilosaurus'' (meaning "king lizard") is a genus of large, predatory, prehistoric archaeocete whale from the late Eocene, approximately 41.3 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). First described in 1834, it was the first archaeocete and prehistoric whale known to science. Fossils attributed to the type species ''B. cetoides'' were discovered in the United States. They were originally thought to be of a giant reptile, hence the suffix "-saurus", Ancient Greek for "lizard". The animal was later found to be an early marine mammal, which prompted attempts at renaming the creature, which failed as the rules of zoological nomenclature dictate using the original name given. Fossils were later found of the second species, ''B. isis'', in 1904 in Egypt, Western Sahara, Morocco, Jordan, Tunisia, and Pakistan. Fossils have also been unearthed in the southeastern United States and Peru. ''Basilosaurus'' is considered to have been common in the Tethys Ocean. It was one of the largest, if not t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basilosaurinae
Basilosaurinae is a subfamily of cetaceans archaeocetes containing two genera: ''Basilosaurus'' and ''Basiloterus''.. Retrieved July 2013. They were characterized by elongated distal thoracic vertebrae, lumbar, and proximal sacrococcygeal. All known members of the subfamily are larger than their relatives of the Dorudontinae subfamily except ''Cynthiacetus''. Classification * Subfamily Basilosaurinae ** Genus ''Basilosaurus'' *** ''Basilosaurus cetoides'' *** ''Basilosaurus isis'' ** Genus ''Basiloterus ''Basiloterus'' is an extinct genus of late-Eocene primitive whale from the Drazinda Formation, Pakistan and possibly also the Barton Group (originally Barton Beds) of England.Gingerich ''et al.'', 1997 ''Basiloterus husseini'' is the closest k ...'' *** ''Basiloterus hussaini'' Notes References * * Basilosauridae Eocene first appearances Eocene extinctions {{paleo-whale-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saghacetus
''Saghacetus'' is an extinct genus of basilosaurid early whale, fossils of which have been found in the Upper Eocene (middle Priabonian, ) Qasr el Sagha Formation, Egypt (, paleocoordinates ). In 1879, German botanist Georg August Schweinfurth spent many years exploring Africa and eventually discovered the first archaeocete whale in Egypt. He visited Qasr el Sagha in 1884 and 1886 and missed the now famous " Zeuglodon Valley" with a few kilometres. German palaeontologist Wilhelm Barnim Dames described the material, including a well-preserved dentary which is the type specimen of ''Zeuglodon osiris''. The generic name ''Saghacetus'' was established by to group the ancient species ''Dorudon osiris'', ''D. zitteli'', ''D. sensitivius'' and ''D. elliotsmithii'' on a single species, ''Saghacetus osiris''. This species is distinguished from other members of the subfamily Dorudontinae by its smaller size and the slightly elongated proximal lumbar and caudal vertebrae. ''Saghacet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Georgiacetus
''Georgiacetus'' is an extinct genus of ancient whale known from the Eocene period of the United States. Fossils are known from Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi and protocetid fossils from the right time frame, but not yet confirmed as ''Georgiacetus'', have been found in Texas () and South Carolina (). created a new clade, Pelagiceti, for the common ancestor of Basilosauridae and all of its descendants, including Neoceti, the living cetaceans. He placed ''Georgiacetus'' near the base of this clade together with ''Eocetus'' and perhaps ''Babiacetus'' because of the assumed presence of a fluke and very compressed posterior caudal vertebrae in these genera. ''Georgiacetus'' is an extinct protocetid (early whale) which lived about and hunted the rich, Suwannee Current powered coastal sea which once covered the Southeastern United States. This was during the earliest Bartonian Stage of the Eocene Epoch (). Current research puts ''Georgiacetus'' as the link between the protoce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cynthiacetus
''Cynthiacetus'' is an extinct genus of basilosaurid early whale that lived during the Late Eocene (Bartonian-Priabonian, .) Specimens have been found in the southeastern United States and Peru ( Otuma Formation). Description ''Cynthiacetus'' was named after the town of Cynthia, Mississippi, close to where the type specimen for the species ''C. maxwelli'' was discovered. The skull of ''C. maxwelli'' was similar in size and morphology to that of ''Basilosaurus cetoides'', but ''Cynthiacetus'' lacked the elongated vertebrae of ''Basilosaurus''. erected the genus to avoid the ''nomen dubium'' ''Pontogeneus'' (which was based on poorly described and now vanished specimens). ''Cynthiacetus'' was smaller than ''Masracetus ''Masracetus'' (from Arabic ''Masr'', "Egypt", and Greek ''ketos'', "whale") is an extinct genus of basilosaurid ancient whale known from the Late Eocene (Priabonian, ) of Egypt. ''Masracetus'' was briefly described in an addendum by and is k ...''. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zygorhiza Kochii (early Whale)
''Zygorhiza'' ("Yoke-Root") is an extinct genus of basilosaurid early whale known from the Late Eocene (Priabonian, 38–34 Ma) of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, United States, and the Bartonian (43–37 Ma on the New Zealand geologic time scale) to the late Eocene of New Zealand (). Specimens reported from Europe are considered Dorudontinae ''incertae sedis''. ''Zygorhiza kochii'', along with ''Basilosaurus'' under the designation "prehistoric whales", is the state fossil of Mississippi. Taxonomic history Reichenbach (1847) erected ''Basilosaurus kochii'' for the posterior skull fragment MB Ma.43248, found in the Late Eocene (middle-late Priabonian) Ocala Limestone of Clarksville, Louisiana. Meanwhile, Muller (1851) erected a new subspecies of ''Zeuglodon brachyspondylus'', ''Z. brachyspondylus minor'', for not only MB Ma.43248 but also MB Ma.43247, TM 8501 (holotype of ''Zeuglodon hydrarchus'' Carus, 1849), and several vertebrae. In the late 19th century there was a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basiloterus
''Basiloterus'' is an extinct genus of late-Eocene primitive whale from the Drazinda Formation, Pakistan and possibly also the Barton Group (originally Barton Beds) of England.Gingerich ''et al.'', 1997 ''Basiloterus husseini'' is the closest known relative of ''Basilosaurus'', but was not as large or elongated. The holotype is known from partial post cranial remains including two lumbar vertebrae. See also * Evolution of cetaceans The evolution of cetaceans is thought to have begun in the Indian subcontinent from even-toed ungulates 50 million years ago (mya) and to have proceeded over a period of at least 15 million years. Cetaceans are fully aquatic marine mammals bel ... References Bibliography * Basilosauridae Prehistoric cetacean genera Bartonian genera Eocene mammals of Asia Fossils of Pakistan Eocene mammals of Europe Fossils of England Fossil taxa described in 1997 {{paleo-whale-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dorudontinae
Dorudontinae are a group of extinct cetaceans that are related to ''Basilosaurus''.. Retrieved July 2013. Classification * Subfamily Dorudontinae ** Genus ''Ancalecetus'' *** ''Ancalecetus simonsi'' ** Genus ''Chrysocetus'' *** ''Chrysocetus fouadassii'' *** ''Chrysocetus healyorum'' ** Genus ''Cynthiacetus'' *** ''Cynthiacetus maxwelli'' *** ''Cynthiacetus peruvianus'' ** Genus ''Dorudon'' *** ''Dorudon atrox'' *** ''Dorudon serratus'' ** Genus ''Masracetus'' *** ''Masracetus markgrafi'' ** Genus ''Saghacetus'' *** ''Saghacetus osiris'' ** Genus ''Stromerius'' *** ''Stromerius nidensis'' ** Genus ''Zygorhiza ''Zygorhiza'' ("Yoke-Root") is an extinct genus of basilosaurid early whale known from the Late Eocene (Priabonian, 38–34 Ma) of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, United States, and the Bartonian (43–37 Ma on the New Zealand geologic time ...'' *** ''Zygorhiza kochii'' Notes References * Basilosauridae {{paleo-whale-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eocetus
''Eocetus'' is an extinct protocetid early whale known from the early late Eocene (Bartonian, ) Giushi Formation in Gebel Mokattam, (, paleocoordinates ) outside Cairo, Egypt. The specimen was first named by Fraas as ''Mesocetus schweinfurthi''. However, the name ''Mesocetus'' was previously used causing a change to the species name to ''Eocetus schweinfurthi''. Since the genus was first described in the early 20th century, several other specimens, mostly isolated vertebrae, have been attributed to ''Eocetus'', but the taxonomic status of these widely distributed specimens remain disputed. Discovery and taxonomy described "''Mesocetus schweinfurthi''" based on a dorsoventrally compressed skull with only I2 ''in situ'', a specimen supposedly originating from a 40 Ma Tethyan deposit at Mokattam. Fraas also referred two isolated teeth, P4 and M1, to the skull and the most important of his specimens is not the deformed skull, but the upper molar which retains three roots and a w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basilotritus
''Basilotritus'' is a genus of basilosaurid early whale known from the early late Middle Eocene (late Lutetian to Bartonian, ) Kiev Formation of the Ukraine, Stockletten Formation of Germany, Tongeren Formation of the Netherlands, Giushi Formation of Egypt and the United States ( Castle Hayne Formation, North Carolina and Piney Point Formation, Virginia). ''Basilotritus uheni'' ''Basilotritus uheni'' has been found in the late Middle Eocene (Bartonian) Kiev Formation at Beloskelevatoye, Ukraine, making it the oldest fossil cetacean from Eastern Europe. Its holotype, NMNH-P OF-2096, consists of a partial skeleton. ''Basilotritus wardi'' ''Basilotritus wardi'' is known from a partial skeleton collected in the late Lutetian (~42 Ma) of North Carolina. It was originally described as a species of the protocetid ''Eocetus ''Eocetus'' is an extinct protocetid early whale known from the early late Eocene (Bartonian, ) Giushi Formation in Gebel Mokattam, (, paleocoordi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoological names with "-inae". See also * International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants * International Code of Zoological Nomenclature * Rank (botany) * Rank (zoology) In biological classification, taxonomic rank is the relative level of a group of organisms (a taxon) in an ancestral or hereditary hierarchy. A common system consists of species, genus, family, order, class, phylum, kingdom, domain. While ... Sources {{biology-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Platyosphys
''Platyosphys'' is a genus of basilosaurid from Middle Eocene (Bartonian) of the eastern United States and Ukraine. Taxonomy The type species, ''Platyosphys paulsoni'', was originally described as '' Zeuglodon paulsoni'' in 1873 on the basis of several vertebrae from a Bartonian-age horizon in southern Ukraine. In his 1936 monograph regarding Archaeoceti, Remington Kellogg recognized the distinct nature of the taxon and coined the new genus ''Platyosphys'' for ''Z. paulsoni''. Another new species of ''Platyosphys'', ''P. einori'', was coined for vertebrae, a scapula, and rib fragments in 2001. In the original description of ''Basilotritus ''Basilotritus'' is a genus of basilosaurid early whale known from the early late Middle Eocene (late Lutetian to Bartonian, ) Kiev Formation of the Ukraine, Stockletten Formation of Germany, Tongeren Formation of the Netherlands, Giushi F ...'', ''Platyosphys'' and its constituent species were considered ''nomina dubia'' because th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.JPEG/1200px-Zeuglodon_osiris_dentary_(Dames1894).JPEG "Click for more on -> Saghacetus")
