Agorophius

Name: Agorophius.
Phonetic: A-gor-ro-phy-us.
Named By: Edward Drinker Cope‭ ‬-‭ ‬1895.
Synonyms: Basilosaurus pygmaeus,‭ ‬Doryodon pygmaeus,‭ ‬Phocodon holmesii,‭ ‬Pontogeneus priscus,‭ ‬Squalodon pygmaeus,‭ ‬Zeuglodon pygmaeus.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Cetacea,‭ ‬Odontoceti.
Species: A.‭ ‬pygmaeus‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore/Piscivore.
Size: Unknown.
Known locations: USA,‭ ‬South Carolina‭ ‬-‭ ‬Ashley Formation.
Time period: Rupelian of the Oligocene.
Fossil representation: Partial skull and tooth.

       Agorophius seems to have been one of the early toothed whales of the Odontoceti,‭ ‬but unfortunately the holotype remains of this genus have now been lost.‭ ‬This makes further‭ ‬study of the genus with more modern methods and techniques impossible until either the holotypes are found or new fossils are recovered from the field.

Further reading
-‭ ‬Fourth contribution to the marine fauna of the Miocene period of the United States,‭ ‬Edward Drinker Cope‭ ‬-‭ ‬1895.
-‭ ‬Systematics of the odontocete whale Agorophius pygmaeus and the Family Agorophiidae‭ (‬Mammalia:‭ ‬Cetacea‭)‬,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Fordyce‭ ‬-‭ ‬1981.
A new specimen of Agorophius pygmaeus (Agorophiidae, Odontoceti, Cetacea) from the early Oligocene Ashley Formation of South Carolina, USA. - Journal of Paleontology 90(1):154-169. - S. Godfrey, M. D. Uhen, J. E. Osborne & L. E. Edwards - 2016.

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