Denebola brachycephala

Denebola brachycephala is an extinct whale belonging to the family Monodontidae. It is the earliest known ancestor of the beluga, Delphinapterus leucas, and dates from the Upper Miocene period.[2] A fossil was found in the Baja California peninsula, indicating that the family once existed in warmer waters.[3]

Denebola brachycephala
Temporal range: Late Miocene
D. brachycephala and Praekogia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Family: Monodontidae
Genus: Denebola
Species:
D. brachycephala
Binomial name
Denebola brachycephala
Barnes, 1984[1]

References

  1. Barnes, Lawrence G. (1984). "Fossil odontocetes (Mammalia: Cetacea) from the Almejas Formation, Isla Cedros, Mexico". PaleoBios. 42: 13–17.
  2. ZipcodeZoo.com. "Denebola brachycephala". Archived from the original on 2012-08-20. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
  3. William F. Perrin; Bernd G. Würsig; J. G. M. Thewissen (2009). Encyclopedia of marine mammals (2 ed.). Academic Press. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-12-373553-9.
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