Fordycetus
Extinct dolphin genus
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Fordycetus is an extinct genus of squalodelphinid dolphin, known from the Early Miocene (Aquitanian–Burdigalian ages) Mount Harris Formation of North Otago, New Zealand. The genus contains a single species, Fordycetus taitonga, described in 2026 based on a partial skull and cervical (neck) vertebra. It is the first squalodelphinid to be discovered in New Zealand and the southwest Pacific region.[1]
| Fordycetus Temporal range: Early Miocene, ~ | |
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| Holotype skull seen from above | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | †Squalodelphinidae |
| Genus: | †Fordycetus Tanaka et al., 2026 |
| Type species | |
| Fordycetus taitonga Tanaka et al., 2026 | |
The holotype specimen of F. taitonga is estimated to belong to an individual with at 2.7 metres (8.9 feet) total body length. The closest living relatives of Fordycetus are the river dolphins in the family Platanistidae.[1]
Classification
As Fordycetus is a squalodelphinid, its closest extant relatives are the Ganges and Indus river dolphins, the only living species of the river dolphin family Platanistidae, native to the Indian subcontinent. A simplified version of the phylogenetic analysis done by Tanaka et al. (2026) is shown in the cladogram below:[1]
| Platanistoidea |
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