Ambulocetidae
| Ambulocetidae Temporal range: Ypresian–Lutetian |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Ambulocetus natans | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Cetacea |
| Suborder: | Archaeoceti |
| Family: | Ambulocetidae Thewissen et al., 1996 |
| Genera[1] | |
Ambulocetidae is a family of early cetaceans from Pakistan that still were able to walk on land. The genus Ambulocetus, after which the family is named, is by far the most complete and well-known ambulocetid genus due to the discovery by Thewissen et al. of a partially complete specimen of Ambulocetus natans. Another genus in the family, Gandakasia, is known only from a single jaw fragment.
Ambulocetid fossils have been found in Pakistan along the former coastline of Cimmeria. The sedimentary facies in which these fossils were found indicates that ambulocetids inhabited a shallow, swampy nearshore marine environment.[2]
The family is believed to have diverged from the more terrestrial Pakicetidae. The families Protocetidae and possibly Remingtonocetidae, are believed to have arisen from a common ancestor with ambulocetids.[3] Together with Basilosauridae, the five families are classified under the suborder Archaeoceti.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Annalisa Berta, James L. Sumich, & Kit M. Kovacs (2006). "Cetacean Evolution and Systematics". Marine Mammals: Evolutionary Biology. Academic Press. p. 58. ISBN 9780120885527. http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=4sWbuL0hM1kC&lpg=PA58&dq=Ambulocetus&pg=PA58#v=onepage&q=Ambulocetus&f=false.
- ^ J.E. Heyning and G.M. Lento (2002). "The Evolution of Marine Mammals". In A. Rus Hoelzel. Marine Mammal Biology: An Evolutionary Approach. John Wiley & Sons. p. 54. ISBN 9780632052325. http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=5_G608B-zTwC&lpg=PA54&dq=Ambulocetidae&pg=PA54#v=onepage&q=Ambulocetidae&f=false.
- ^ Johannes G. M. Thewissen (1998). The Emergence of Whales: Evolutionary Patterns in the Origin of Cetacea. Springer. p. 43. ISBN 9780306458538. http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=zgWIL6ELoJoC&lpg=PA43&dq=Ambulocetidae&pg=PA43#v=onepage&q=Ambulocetidae&f=false.
- ^ Kenneth David Rose (2006). The Beginning of the Age of Mammals. JHU Press. p. 273. ISBN 9780801884726. http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=3bs0D5ix4VAC&lpg=PA273&dq=Ambulocetidae&pg=PA273#v=onepage&q=Ambulocetidae&f=false.
 |
This prehistoric cetacean-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
