Natchitochia

Nat-che-to-che-ah.
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Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Natchitochia ‭(‬named after the city of Natchitoches‭)‬.

Phonetic

Nat-che-to-che-ah.

Named By

M.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Uhen‭ ‬-‭ ‬1998.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Cetacea,‭ ‬Archaeoceti,‭ ‬Protocetidae.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

N.‭ ‬jonesi‭

Size

Unknown due to lack of remains.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Louisiana‭ ‬-‭ ‬Cook Mountain Formation.

Time Period

Bartonian of the Eocene.

Fossil representation

Partial ribs and vertebrae.

In Depth

       Natchitochia is a genus of protocetid whale that lived in waters around North America during the mid-Eocene.‭ ‬Though only known from a few vertebrae and partial ribs,‭ ‬it is known that Natchitochia would have been similar to genera such as Eocetus,‭ ‬Pappocetus and Protocetus.‭ ‬Comparison to the vertebrae of Eocetus and the ribs of Pappocetus indicate that the holotype individual of Natchitochia would have been smaller than these genera

Further Reading

-‭ ‬New protocetid‭ (‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Cetacea‭) ‬from the late middle Eocene Cook Mountain Formation of Louisiana.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬18‭(‬3‭)‬:664-668.‭ ‬-‭ ‬M.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Uhen‭ ‬-‭ ‬1998.

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