Biology:Odobenidae

Short description: Seal family which includes the walrus

Odobenidae Temporal range: Middle Miocene to present
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Clade:	Pinnipedia
Superfamily:	Otarioidea
Family:	Odobenidae Allen, 1880
Genera
Odobenus (walrus) (see text for more)

Odobenidae is a family of pinnipeds, of which the only extant species is the walrus (Odobenus rosmarus). In the past, however, the group was much more diverse, and includes more than a dozen fossil genera.

Taxonomy

All genera, except Odobenus, are extinct.

• †Archaeodobenus
• †Prototaria
• †Proneotherium
• †Nanodobenus
• †Neotherium
• †Imagotaria
• †Kamtschatarctos
• †Pelagiarctos
• †Pontolis
• †Pseudotaria
• †Titanotaria
• Clade Neodobenia
  • †Gomphotaria
  • Subfamily Dusignathinae
    • †Dusignathus
  • Subfamily Odobeninae
    • †Aivukus
    • †Ontocetus
    • †Pliopedia
    • †Protodobenus
    • †Valenictus
    • Odobenus

In re-analyzing Pelagiarctos, Boessenecker et al. (2013) proposed the phylogenetic relationships of Odobenidae as follows (this analysis excluded Archaeodobenus, Titanotaria, Nanodobenus, and Pliopedia; and included Enaliarctos, Pteronarctos, Allodesmus, Desmatophoca, Callorhinus, Monachus, and Erignathus):

Enaliarctos emlongi †       Pteronarctos goedertae †     Desmatophocidae   Allodesmus gracilis †     Desmatophoca oregonensis †     Otariidae Callorhinus ursinus   Phocidae   Monachus monachus     Erignathus barbatus     Imagotariinae   Prototaria primigenia †       Proneotherium regenningi †       Neotherium mirum †     Kamtschatarctos sinelnikovae †       Pseudotaria muramotoi †         Pelagiarctos sp. †     Imagotaria downsi †         Pontolis magnus †     Dusignathinae   Dusignathus santacruzensis †     Gomphotaria pugnax †     Dusignathus seftoni †     Odobeninae   Aivukus cedrosensis †       Protodobenus japonicus †       Ontocetus †       Valenictus chulavistensis †     Odobenus rosmarus

Further reading

• "The Sociobiology of Pinnipeds". Advances in the Study of Behavior. 11. Academy Press. 1981-01-29. p. 122. ISBN 0-12-004511-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=LrLC-kBAjPMC&q=odebenidae&pg=PA122. 

Wikidata ☰ Q2292156 entry