Peregocetus Temporal range:
Middle Eocene
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Size silhouette of Peregocetus compared to a human. | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Infraorder: | Cetacea |
Family: | † Protocetidae |
Subfamily: | † Protocetinae |
Genus: | †
Peregocetus Lambert et al., 2019 |
Species | |
|
Peregocetus is a genus of early whale that lived in what is now Peru during the Middle Eocene epoch. [1] [2] Its fossil was uncovered in 2011 in the Yumaque Member ( Paracas Formation) of the Pisco Basin at Playa Media Luna by a team consisting of members from Belgium, Peru, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. [3] [4] Parts recovered include the jaw, front and hind legs, bits of spine, and tail. Olivier Lambert, a scientist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and lead author of the study, noted that Peregocetus "fills in a crucial [knowledge] gap" about the evolution of whales and their spread. [3]
Peregocetus is the first recorded quadrupedal whale from the Pacific Ocean and the Southern Hemisphere. The discovery reveals that protocetids reached the Pacific Ocean and attained a near circumequatorial distribution while retaining functional weight-bearing limbs. [1]
Peregocetus was essentially a four-legged whale: however, it had webbed feet with small hooves on the tips of its toes, making it more capable of moving on land than modern seals. It featured sharp teeth and a long snout which suggests it fed on fish and/or crustaceans. [3] [4] From its caudal vertebrae, it has been suggested that it might have possessed a flattened tail similar to a beaver. [1]
Peregocetus Temporal range:
Middle Eocene
~ | |
---|---|
Size silhouette of Peregocetus compared to a human. | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Infraorder: | Cetacea |
Family: | † Protocetidae |
Subfamily: | † Protocetinae |
Genus: | †
Peregocetus Lambert et al., 2019 |
Species | |
|
Peregocetus is a genus of early whale that lived in what is now Peru during the Middle Eocene epoch. [1] [2] Its fossil was uncovered in 2011 in the Yumaque Member ( Paracas Formation) of the Pisco Basin at Playa Media Luna by a team consisting of members from Belgium, Peru, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. [3] [4] Parts recovered include the jaw, front and hind legs, bits of spine, and tail. Olivier Lambert, a scientist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and lead author of the study, noted that Peregocetus "fills in a crucial [knowledge] gap" about the evolution of whales and their spread. [3]
Peregocetus is the first recorded quadrupedal whale from the Pacific Ocean and the Southern Hemisphere. The discovery reveals that protocetids reached the Pacific Ocean and attained a near circumequatorial distribution while retaining functional weight-bearing limbs. [1]
Peregocetus was essentially a four-legged whale: however, it had webbed feet with small hooves on the tips of its toes, making it more capable of moving on land than modern seals. It featured sharp teeth and a long snout which suggests it fed on fish and/or crustaceans. [3] [4] From its caudal vertebrae, it has been suggested that it might have possessed a flattened tail similar to a beaver. [1]