Otekaikea

O-tek-ay-ke-ah.
Published on

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

Otekaikea.

Phonetic

O-tek-ay-ke-ah.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Cetacea,‭ ‬Odontoceti.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

O.‭ ‬marplesi‭

Size

Unavailable.

Known locations

New Zealand.

Time Period

Chattian of the Oligocene.

Fossil representation

Partial skulls.

In Depth

       With the type species originally described as a species of Prosqualodon,‭ ‬Otekaikea became a recognised genus of toothed whale in‭ ‬2015.‭ ‬Otekaikea is considered to be very similar to the genus Waipatia.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Fossil dolphin Otekaikea marplesi‭ (‬Latest Oligocene,‭ ‬New Zealand‭) ‬expands the morphological and taxonomic diversity of Oligocene cetaceans.‭ ‬-‭ ‬PLoS One‭ ‬9‭(‬9‭)‬:e107972.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Y.‭ ‬Tanaka‭ & ‬R.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Fordyce‭ ‬-‭ ‬2014. – A new Oligo-Miocene dolphin from New Zealand: Otekaikea huata expands diversity of the early Platanistoidea. Palaeontologia Electronica 18.2.23A: – Yoshihiro Tanaka & R. Ewan Fordyce – 2015.

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