Dhedacetus
Genus of mammals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dhedacetus hyaeni is a protocetid cetacean from the middle Eocene (late Lutetian, 42 mya). It is the only species in the genus Dhedacetus.[1] The type specimen was recovered from the Indian Harudi Formation near the town of Dhedadi, Kutch.[2]
| Dhedacetus Temporal range: Middle Eocene, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | †Protocetidae |
| Genus: | †Dhedacetus Bajpai and Thewissen, 2014 |
| Species: | †D. hyaeni |
| Binomial name | |
| †Dhedacetus hyaeni Bajpai and Thewissen, 2014 | |
Description
Only one skull and some vertebra are known.[3] D. hyaeni is the smallest protocetid from Kutch. Its premolars and molars are about the same size as in other protocetids such as Babiacetus, Rodhocetus and Maiacetus. It has a long, broad snout and high ocular orbits.[4][5]
The genus name comes from the town close by and the species name comes from a local hyena.[1]