Valenictus
Extinct genus of carnivores
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Valenictus is an extinct genus of Odobenidae from the Pliocene of California.
| Valenictus Temporal range: Pliocene | |
|---|---|
| |
| Underside of skull | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Parvorder: | Pinnipedia |
| Family: | Odobenidae |
| Subfamily: | Odobeninae |
| Genus: | †Valenictus Mitchell, 1961 |
| Species | |
|
†V. chulavistensis | |
Discovery and naming
Valenictus sheperdi was discovered in 2024 from the Purisima Formation in Santa Cruz, California.[1] The fossil was discovered by thirteen-year old, amateur paleontologist Forrest Sheperd, from whom the specific name is derived.[2]
