Mauicetus

Mow-e-se-tus.
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Name

Mauicetus.

Phonetic

Mow-e-se-tus.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Cetacea,‭ ‬Mysticeti,‭ ‬Balaenopteridae‭?

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

M.‭ ‬parki‭

Size

Unavailable.

Known locations

New Zealand‭ ‬-‭ ‬Kokoamu Greensand Formation.

Time Period

Oligocene.

Fossil representation

Partial remains of a few individuals.

In Depth

       When Mauicetus was first named it was originally as Lophocephalus.‭ ‬However this name had already been used to name a genus of beetle.‭ ‬Under international rules governing the naming of animals,‭ ‬the first use has priority,‭ ‬so the fossils of this whale were renamed Mauicetus.‭ ‬Mauicetus lived in the waters around the Pacific during the Oligocene.‭ ‬A former species,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬waitakiensis,‭ ‬has now been re-assigned to Tohoraata,‭ ‬while another species,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬lophocephalus,‭ ‬has been moved to Tokarahia.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬On Lophocephalus,‭ ‬a new genus of zeuglodont Cetacea.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand‭ ‬67‭(‬1‭)‬:1-7.‭ ‬-‭ ‬W.‭ ‬B.‭ ‬Benham‭ ‬-‭ ‬1937. -‭ ‬Mauicetus:‭ ‬a Fossil Whale.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Nature‭ ‬143‭(‬3627‭)‬:765.‭ ‬-‭ ‬W.‭ ‬B.‭ ‬Benham‭ ‬-‭ ‬1939. -‭ ‬A new eomysticetid‭ (‬Mammalia:‭ ‬Cetacea‭) ‬from the Late Oligocene of New Zealand and re-evaluation of‭ ‘‬Mauicetus‭’ ‬waitakiensis.‭ ‬-‭ ‬R.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Boessenecker‭ & ‬R.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Fordyce‭ ‬-‭ ‬2014. -‭ ‬A new genus and species of eomysticetid‭ (‬Cetacea:‭ ‬Mysticeti‭) ‬and a reinterpretation of‭ ‘‬Mauicetus‭’ ‬lophocephalus Marples,‭ ‬1956:‭ ‬Transitional baleen whales from the upper Oligocene of New Zealand.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.‭ ‬-‭ ‬R.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Boessenecker‭ & ‬R.‭ ‬Ewan Fordyce‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

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