![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Squalodon_bariensis.jpg/640px-Squalodon_bariensis.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Squalodon
Extinct genus of mammals / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Squalodon?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Squalodon is an extinct genus of whales of the Oligocene and Miocene epochs, belonging to the family Squalodontidae. Named by Jean-Pierre Sylvestre de Grateloup in 1840,[1] it was originally believed to be an iguanodontid dinosaur but has since been reclassified. The name Squalodon comes from Squalus, a genus of shark. As a result, its name means "shark tooth". Its closest modern relative is the South Asian river dolphin (with its two subspecies the Ganges river dolphin and Indus river dolphin).[2]
Squalodon | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Skull of S. bariensis in Brussels | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Infraorder: | Cetacea |
Superfamily: | Platanistoidea |
Family: | †Squalodontidae Brandt, 1873 |
Genus: | †Squalodon Grateloup, 1840 |
Species | |
†S. grateloupii von Meyer, 1843 |