Ancalecetus

Name: Ancalecetus ‭(‬bent arm whale‭)‬.
Phonetic: An-kal-e-see-tus.
Named By: P.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Gingerich‭ & ‬M.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Uhen‭ ‬-‭ ‬1996.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Cetacea,‭ ‬Archaeoceti,‭ ‬Basilosauridae,‭ ‬Dorudontinae.
Species: A.‭ ‬simonsi‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore/Piscivore.
Size: Roughly estimated to be around‭ ‬5‭ ‬meters long.
Known locations: Egypt‭ ‬-‭ ‬Birket Qarun Formation.
Time period: Priabonian of the Eocene.
Fossil representation: Partial remains of the skull,‭ ‬mandible and post cranial skeleton.

       A relative of other primitive whales such as Dorudon and Zygorhiza,‭ ‬Ancalecetus would have been a toothed predatory whale that hunted other marine organisms for food.‭ ‬In fact,‭ ‬Ancalecetus is seen to be very similar to Dorudon atrox with the exception of the fore limbs of Ancalecetus being much smaller and closer to the body.‭ ‬This means that Ancalecetus would have had a reduced steering ability when compared to Dorudon,‭ ‬so it may have been a more specialised,‭ ‬perhaps slower predator.

Further reading
-‭ ‬Ancalecetus simonsi,‭ ‬a new dorudontine archaeocete‭ (‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Cetacea‭) ‬from the early late Eocene of Wadi Hitan,‭ ‬Egypt,‭ ‬P.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Gingerich‭ & ‬M.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Uhen‭ ‬-‭ ‬1996.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Random favourites