Raoellidae

The Raoellidae, previously grouped within Helohyidae, are an extinct family of semiaquatic digitigrade artiodactyls in the clade Whippomorpha. Fossils of raoellids are found in Eocene strata of South and Southeast Asia.

Raoellidae
Indohyus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: †Raoellidae
Sahni et al. 1981
Genera

An exceptionally complete skeleton of Indohyus from Kashmir suggests that raoellids are the "missing link" sister group to whales (Cetacea).[1] All other Artiodactyla are relatives of these two groups. δO18 values and osteosclerotic bones indicate that the raccoon-like Indohyus was habitually aquatic, but δC13 values suggest it rarely fed in the water. The authors suggest that this documents an intermediate step in the transition back to water, completed by the whales.

Taxonomy
  • Raoella
    • Raoella dograi
  • Haqueina
    • Haqueina haquei
  • Indohyus
    • Indohyus indirae
    • Indohyus major
  • Kunmunella
    • Kunmunella kalakotensis
    • Kunmunella transversa
  • Metkatius
    • Metkatius kashmiriensis
  • Khirtharia
    • Khirtharia aurea
    • Khirtharia dayi
    • Khirtharia inflatus

References
  1. Thewissen et al. 2007

Further reading
  • Dehm, Richard; Oettingen-Spielberg, Therese zu (1958). Paläontologische und geologische Untersuchungen im Tertiär von Pakistan. 2. Die mitteleocänen Säugetiere von Ganda Kas bei Basal in Nordwest-Pakistan. Abhandlungen / Neue Folge, 91. Munich: Beck. OCLC 163296508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Kumar, K.; Sahni, A. (1985). "Eocene mammals from the upper Subathu Group, Kashmir Himalaya, India". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 5 (2): 153–68. doi:10.1080/02724634.1985.10011853. OCLC 4649653478.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Pilgrim, G. E. (1940). "Middle Eocene mammals from north-west Pakistan". Proceedings of the Zoological Society. B. London. 110: 127–152.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Rao, A Ranga (1971). "New mammals from Murree (Kalakot Zone) of the Himalayan foot hills near Kalakot, Jammu and Kashmir state, India". Journal of the Geological Society of India. 12 (2): 124–34.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Sahni, A.; Bhatia, S. B.; Hartenberger, J. L.; Jaeger, J. J.; Kumar, K.; Sudre, J.; Vianey-Liaud, M. (1981). "Vertebrates from the Subathu Formation and comments on the biogeography of Indian subcontinent during the early Paleogene". Bulletin of the Geological Society of France. 23 (6): 689–95.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Sahni, A. S. H. O. K.; Khare, S. K. (1971). "Three new Eocene mammals from Rajauri District, Jammu and Kashmir". Journal of the Palaeontological Society of India. 16: 41–53.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Thewissen, JGM; Cooper, Lisa Noelle; Clementz, Mark T; Bajpai, Sunil; Tiwari, BN (20 December 2007). "Whales originated from aquatic artiodactyls in the Eocene epoch of India" (PDF). Nature. 450 (7173): 1190–4. doi:10.1038/nature06343. OCLC 264243832. PMID 18097400. Retrieved June 2013. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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