''Kekenodon'' is an extinct
kekenodontid early whale from the Late Oligocene (
Chattian) of New Zealand. Measuring long, it was a large raptorial whale which hunted marine mammals and penguins.
Although at times classified as a basilosaurid, mysticete, or odontocete, recent work suggests that it represents a phylogenetic intermediate form between Basilosauridae and Neoceti.
Classification
''Kekenodon'' was considered a member of the basilosaurid subfamily
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''
*** ''Chrysocetu ...
in the classic monograph on Archaeoceti by Kellogg (1936).
''"Squalodon" gambierensis'' from Australia is a close relative of ''Kekenodon''.
[R. E. Fordyce. 2006. A southern perspective on Cetacean Evolution and Zoogeoraphy. Evolution and Biogeography of Australasian Vertebrates 755-782]
Phylogenetic analysis suggests that ''Kekenodon'' is the "latest-surviving archaeocete, sister-taxon to the Neoceti."
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References
Archaeoceti
Fossil taxa described in 1881
Prehistoric cetacean genera
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