Chonecetus
Extinct genus of mammals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chonecetus is an extinct genus of primitive baleen whale of the family Aetiocetidae[1] that lived in the Oligocene period.[2] Its fossils have been found in Canada,[3] in the northeast Pacific.[4] It was first named by L.S. Russell in 1968, and contains one species, C. sookensis.
| Chonecetus Temporal range: Oligocene | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | †Aetiocetidae |
| Genus: | †Chonecetus Russell (1968) |
| Type species | |
| †Chonecetus sookensis | |
| Species | |
| |
Like Aetiocetus, Chonecetus possessed both multicusped teeth and the nutrient foramina required for baleen.[5] Chonecetus closely resembled a modern Mysticeti, with an elongate, streamlined body supporting a pair of paddle-shaped forelimbs, and a horizontal tail fluke strengthened by fibrous cartilage.[1]
