Incakujira

Incakujira; Temporal range: Tortonian (Huayquerian); ~11.6–7.2 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Incakujira anilliodefuego paratype specimen
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	Balaenopteridae
Genus:	†Incakujira; Marx & Kohno 2016
Type species
	Incakujira anillodefuego; Marx & Kohno 2016
Species
	I. anillodefuego Marx & Kohno 2016 (type);

Incakujira is an extinct genus of rorqual from the Late Miocene (Huayquerian in the SALMA classification) Pisco Formation in western Peru.^[1]

Description

The holotype specimen in Gamagori, Japan

Incakujira differs from other rorquals (fossil and extant) in having a less attenuated rostrum and the features of the maxilla, supraorbital, and remainder of the cranium. Kujira in the genus name means "whale" in Japanese.^[2]

Biology

The twisted postglenoid process of the squamosal suggests that the lunge-feeding capabilities of Incakujira were not as great as those of extant rorquals, and that Incakujira itself also pursued additional krill-feeding strategies like skimming.^[3]