Cetotherium

Cetotherium
Temporal range: Miocene–Pliocene
Restoration of Cetotherium furlongi
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Artiodactyla
Suborder:
Whippomorpha
Infraorder:
Cetacea
Parvorder:
Mysticeti
Family:
Cetotheriidae
Subfamily:
†Cetotheriinae
Genus:
†Cetotherium

Brandt, 1843

Cetotherium (meaning "whale beast") was a genus of baleen whale from the family Cetotheriidae. It lived during the Miocene and Pliocene.

Description

Cetotherium riabini possibly followed a generalized feeding strategy combining continuous suction feeding with intermittent suction feeding.

Taxonomy

The Cetotheriidae and this genus have been used as wastebasket taxa for all baleen whale types. This family was thought to have been long gone during the Pliocene, up until 2012, where scientists recovered the pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata) as the only survivor.

Formerly assigned species

This is a list of species that have probably got moved to another genus or removed from Cetotherium:

Evolution

Mounted skeleton of Cetotherium riabinini

During the Oligocene period, the cetotheres started to emerge. From an evolutionary perspective, they share some characteristics of the Balaenopteridae and Eschrichtiidae.

References

  1. ↑ "Mysticetes, Evolution" (PDF). Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals.
  2. ↑ "The Anatomy of the Late Miocene Baleen Whale Cetotherium riabinini from Ukraine". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.
  3. ↑ "A new cetothere (Cetacea: Mysticeti) from the early Miocene of Japan". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Other websites

Media related to Cetotherium at Wikimedia Commons