Dhedacetus hyaeni is a protocetid cetacean from the middle Eocene (late Lutetian, 42 mya). It is the only species in the genus Dhedacetus.[1] The type specimen was recovered from the Indian Harudi Formation near the town of Dhedadi, Kutch.[2]
| Dhedacetus Temporal range: Middle Eocene,
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|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | †Protocetidae |
| Genus: | †Dhedacetus Bajpai and Thewissen, 2014 |
| Species: | †D. hyaeni
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| Binomial name | |
| †Dhedacetus hyaeni Bajpai and Thewissen, 2014
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Description
editOnly one skull and some vertebra are known.[3] D. hyaeni is the smallest protocetid from Kutch. Its premolars and molars are about the same size as in other protocetids such as Babiacetus, Rodhocetus and Maiacetus. It has a long, broad snout and high ocular orbits.[4][5]
The genus name comes from the town close by and the species name comes from a local hyena.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Sunil Bajpai; J.G.M. Thewissen (2014). "Protocetid cetaceans (Mammalia) from the Eocene of India". Palaeontologia Electronica. 17 (3, 34A): 19 p. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ "Dhedacetus hyaeni". Fossilworks. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ Thewissen, J. G. M. (2014-11-13). The Walking Whales: From Land to Water in Eight Million Years. Univ of California Press. p. 163. ISBN 9780520277069.
- ^ Berta, Annalisa (2017-10-29). The Rise of Marine Mammals: 50 Million Years of Evolution. JHU Press. p. 159. ISBN 9781421423265.
- ^ Marx, Felix G.; Lambert, Olivier; Uhen, Mark D. (2016-03-29). Cetacean Paleobiology. John Wiley & Sons. p. 100. ISBN 9781118561362.