Dorudon
| Dorudon Temporal range: Late Eocene |
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| Dorudon atrox, Senckenberg Museum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Cetacea |
| Suborder: | Archaeoceti |
| Family: | Basilosauridae |
| Subfamily: | Dorudontinae Miller, 1923 |
| Genus: | Dorudon Gibbes, 1845 |
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Dorudon ("Spear-Tooth") was a genus of ancient cetacean that lived alongside Basilosaurus 41 to 33 million years ago, in the Eocene. They were about five meters (16 ft) long and were most likely carnivorous, feeding on small fish and mollusks. Dorudontines lived in warm seas around the world. Fossils have been found in North America, Egypt as well as Pakistan the eastern part of which bordered the ancient Tethys Sea.
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[edit] Description
Dorudontines were originally believed to be juvenile individuals of Basilosaurus as their fossils are similar but smaller. They have since been shown to be a different genus with the discovery of Dorudon juveniles. Although they look very much like modern whales, basilosaurines and dorudontines lacked the 'melon organ' that allows their descendants to use echolocation as effectively as modern whales. Like other basilosaurids, their nostrils were midway from the snout to the top of the head. The Dorudon calves may have fallen prey to hungry Basilosaurus, as shown by unhealed bite marks on the skulls of some juvenile Dorudon.
[edit] In popular culture
Dorudon was featured in the episode Whale Killer in the BBC's documentary Walking with Beasts, as well as in the second part of its follow-up, Sea Monsters. They are depicted as living in groups, with their calves being the primary prey of their relative, Basilosaurus.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Haines, Tim & Chambers, Paul. (2006) The Complete Guide to Prehistoric Life. Canada: Firefly Books Ltd.
[edit] External links
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Wikispecies has information related to: Dorudon |
