Biology:Himalayacetus
Himalayacetus is an extinct genus of carnivorous aquatic mammal of the family Ambulocetidae. The holotype was found in Himachal Pradesh, India, ( [ ⚑ ] 31°00′N 77°00′E / 31.0°N 77.0°E: paleocoordinates [ ⚑ ] 3°30′N 69°42′E / 3.5°N 69.7°E)[1] in what was the remnants of the ancient Tethys Ocean during the Early Eocene. Himalayacetus was found in the Middle Subathu Formation, dated to be around 52 million years old.[2] This makes Himalayacetus the oldest archaeocete known, extending the fossil record of whales some 3.5 million years.[3]
Himalayacetus lived in the ancient coastline of the ancient Tethys Ocean before the Indian Plate had collided with the Cimmerian coast. Like Gandakasia, Himalayacetus is only known from a single jaw fragment, making comparisons to other ambulocetids difficult.[4]
Description
Upon its discovery, Himalayacetus was described as a pakicetid because the dentary has a small mandibular canal and a dentition similar to Pakicetus.[3] Thewissen, Williams & Hussain 2001 assigned Himalaycetus to the ambulocetids.
Etymology
Himalayacetus was named by Bajpai & Gingerich 1998. Its type is Himalayacetus subathuensis after the Himalayas, cetus, "whale", and the Subathu Formation, the type locality.[5]
Taxonomy
It was considered monophyletic by Uhen (2010). It was assigned to Pakicetidae by Bajpai and Gingerich (1998) and McLeod and Barnes (2008); and to Ambulocetidae by Thewissen et al. (2001) and Uhen (2010).[6]
Notes
- ↑ Kuthar Nala (Eocene of India) in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved June 2013.
- ↑ Waqas, Mohd; Weppe, Romain; Lazzari, Vincent; Blondel, Cécile; Marivaux, Laurent; Charruault, Anne-Lise; Tarry, Maurin; Euriat, Adélaide et al. (2026-04-27). "A basal representative of Cetacea from the Eocene of India" (in en). Nature Ecology & Evolution: 1–9. doi:10.1038/s41559-026-03055-9. ISSN 2397-334X. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-026-03055-9.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bajpai & Gingerich 1998, Abstract
- ↑ Thewissen, JGM. "Ambulocetidae: The First Coastal Whales". http://www.neomed.edu/DEPTS/ANAT/Thewissen/whale_origins/whales/Ambulocet.html.
- ↑ Bajpai & Gingerich 1998, p. 15464
- ↑ Himalayacetus in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved June 2013.
References
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Wikispecies has information related to Himalayacetus |
- Bajpai, Sunil; Gingerich, Philip D (December 1998). "A new Eocene archaeocete (Mammalia, Cetacea) from India and the time of origin of whales". PNAS 95 (26): 15464–68. doi:10.1073/pnas.95.26.15464. OCLC 678707438. PMID 9860991. PMC 28065. Bibcode: 1998PNAS...9515464B. http://repository.ias.ac.in/4723/1/337.pdf.
- Thewissen, J. G. M.; Williams, E. M.; Hussain, S.T. (2001). "Eocene mammal faunas from northern Indo-Pakistan". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 21 (2): 347–66. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2001)021[0347:EMFFNI2.0.CO;2]. OCLC 631973716. http://doc.rero.ch/record/16008/files/PAL_E3764.pdf.
Template:Archaeoceti Wikidata ☰ Q961266 entry
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