Orycterocetus

Orycteocetus is an extinct genus of sperm whale from the Miocene of the northern Atlantic Ocean.

Orycterocetus Temporal range: Miocene
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	Physeteridae
Genus:	†Orycterocetus Leidy, 1853
Species
O. quadratidens Leidy, 1853 (type species) O. crocodilinus Cope, 1868 O. cornutidens Leidy, 1856

Classification

Orycterocetus is a member of Physeteroidea closely related to crown-group sperm whales. The type species, O. quadratidens, was first named by Joseph Leidy on the basis of two teeth, two partial mandibular rami, and a rib from Neogene deposits of Virginia.^[1] Two more species were subsequently described, O. cornutidens Leidy 1856^[2] and O. crocodilinus Cope, 1868,^[3] the latter from the middle Miocene Calvert Formation.

References

1. J. Leidy. 1853. [Observations on extinct Cetacea]. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences 6:377-378
2. J. Leidy. 1856. Notice of remains of extinct vertebrated animals discovered by Professor E. Emmons. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 8:255-257
3. E. D. Cope. 1867. An addition to the vertebrate fauna of the Miocene period, with a synopsis of the extinct Cetacea of the United States. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 19(4):138-157

Sources

• Cenozoic Seas: The View From Eastern North America by Edward J. Petuch
• Marine Mammals: Evolutionary Biology by Annalisa Berta and James L. Sumich

• Paleontology portal