Waipatiidae
Extinct family of mammals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Waipatiidae is an extinct family of odontocetes currently known from the Oligocene of the Pacific Ocean and possibly Europe and the Caucasus.
| Waipatiids Temporal range: Oligocene | |
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| Reconstructed skull of the waipatiid Otekaikea marplesi | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Parvorder: | Odontoceti |
| Family: | †Waipatiidae Fordyce, 1994 |
| Genera | |
Taxonomy
Waipatiidae was coined by Fordyce (1994) to include his new taxon Waipatia, and he also considered the genera Microcetus, Sachalinocetus, and Sulakocetus to be possible waipatiids.[1] The taxon "Prosqualodon" marplesi was recognized in the 2010s as being a member of Waipatiidae and given its own genus, Otekaikea.[2][3][4]
