Izikoziphius
Extinct genus of beaked whale
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Izikoziphius is an extinct genus of beaked whale.[1][4] It contains two species: Izikoziphius rossi, and Izikoziphius angustus.
| Izikoziphius | |
|---|---|
| |
| Fossilized skull of I. rossi | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | Ziphiidae |
| Subfamily: | Ziphiinae |
| Genus: | †Izikoziphius Bianucci et al., 2007[1] |
| Type species | |
| Izikoziphius rossi Bianucci et al., 2007[2] | |
| Species | |
| |
Etymology
The genus is named after the Iziko South African Museum. Its grammatical gender (in Latin) is masculine.[4] Izikoziphius rossi is named after Dr. Graham James Berry Ross from the Port Elizabeth Museum in South Africa.[4][5]
Description
Izikoziphius is different from the other genus in the subfamily Ziphiinae in that it has a longer rostrum, and lacks a prenarial basin. Izikoziphius rossi has a rostrum length of 490-530 millimeters, and a width and height of 94-155 and 84-100 millimeters, respectively. It differs from I. angustus in having a rostrum with a mid-length width more than that of its mid-length height. The base of its rostrum is also wider.[4]
Distribution
Fossils of this species were found off the coast of South Africa.[4]
