Rayanistes

Rayanistes is a genus of remingtonocetid whale from the Middle Eocene deposits in Egypt.

Rayanistes
Temporal range: Middle Eocene, 45–41 Ma
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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Family: †Remingtonocetidae
Genus: †Rayanistes
Bebej, Zalmout, El-Aziz, Antar, and Gingerich, 2016
Species:
†R. afer
Binomial name
†Rayanistes afer
Bebej, Zalmout, El-Aziz, Antar, and Gingerich, 2016

Significance and biology

Rayanistes was capable of extensive power strokes during pelvic paddling, based on the robust hindlimb and innominate. The more abducted orientation of its femur allowed for greater maneuverability of the hip joint in contrast to that of Remingtonocetus. The discovery of Rayanistes is significant because it shows that the most primitive non-pelagicete cetaceans were becoming widespread beyond the southern margin of the ancient Tethys sea.[1]

References
  1. Ryan M. Bebej, Iyad S. Zalmout, Ahmed A. Abed El-Aziz, Mohammed Sameh M. Antar and Philip D. Gingerich (2016). "First remingtonocetid archaeocete (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the middle Eocene of Egypt with implications for biogeography and locomotion in early cetacean evolution". Journal of Paleontology. in press. doi:10.1017/jpa.2015.57.


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