Dilophodelphis

Dilophodelphis is an extinct genus of river dolphin from Early Miocene (Burdigalian) marine deposits in Oregon. The type species, Dilophodelphis fordycei, was named in 2017.[1]

Dilophodelphis
Temporal range: Early Miocene
3D model of a Dilophodelphis fordycei skull
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Superfamily: Platanistoidea
Genus: Dilophodelphis
Boersma, McMurry, and Pyenson, 2017
Type species
Dilophodelphis fordycei
Boersma, McMurry, and Pyenson, 2017

Biology and description

Dilophodelphis is distinguished from other extinct relatives of the South Asian river dolphin in having enlarged supraorbital crests resembling a twin mountain arrangement, quite similar to the crests of the theropod dinosaur Dilophosaurus.

References

  1. A. T. Boersma, M. R. McCurry, and N. D. Pyenson. 2017. A new fossil dolphin Dilophodelphis fordycei provides insight into the evolution of supraorbital crests in Platanistoidea (Mammalia, Cetacea). Royal Society Open Science
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.