Whippomorpha

Whippomorpha
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Suborder:	Cetruminantia
Infraorder:	Whippomorpha
Families
†Anthracotheriidae  Hippopotamidae  †Dichobunidae  †Helohyidae  †Cebochoeridae  †Raoellidae  †Pakicetidae  †Ambulocetidae  †Remingtonocetidae  †Protocetidae  †Basilosauridae  †Llanocetidae  †Mammalodontidae  †Kekenodontidae  †Aetiocetidae  †Cetotheriidae  Balaenidae  Balaenopteridae  Eschrichtiidae  Neobalaenidae  †Simocetidae  †Agorophiidae  Physeteridae  Kogiidae  †Eurhinodelphinidae  †Eoplatanistidae  †Dalpiazinidae  †Waipatiidae  †Squalodelphinidae  Platanistidae  Ziphiidae  Lipotidae  Pontoporiidae  Iniidae  †Squalodontidae  †Kentriodontidae  Delphinidae  †Odobenocetopsidae  Monodontidae  Phocoenidae

Cladogram showing Whippomorpha within Artiodactylamorpha. Whippomorpha consists of the clades labeled Hippo and Cetaceamorpha.

Whippomorpha is a proposed clade containing the Cetacea (whales, dolphins, etc.) and their closest living relatives, the hippopotamuses defined by Waddell et al. (1999). It is defined as a node-based taxon, including all species that are descendants of the most recent common ancestor of Hippopotamus amphibius and Tursiops truncatus. This would be a sub-grouping of the Cetartiodactyla (which also includes pigs and ruminants), but it is not clear how recently the whales and hippos share a common ancestor, though the genetic evidence is strong that the cetaceans arose from within the Artiodactyla, thus making the even-toed ungulate grouping a paraphyletic one.

Whippomorpha is a mixture of English (wh[ale] + hippo[potamus]) and Greek (morphe = form). Attempts have been made to rename the clade Cetancodonta but Whippomorpha maintains precedent.

Cetartiodactyla	Tylopoda    Artiofabula     Suina        Cetruminantia     Ruminantia    Whippomorpha     Hippopotamidae  Cetacea