''Natchitochia'' is an extinct protocetid early whale known from the

Middle Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''Ēṓs'', ' Dawn') a ...

(

Bartonian The Bartonian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy's (ICS) geologic time scale, a stage or age in the middle of the Eocene Epoch or Series. The Bartonian Age spans the time between . It is preceded by the Lutetian and is follow ...

, ) Cook Mountain Formation in

Natchitoches Parish Natchitoches Parish ( or ) is a List of parishes in Louisiana, parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 37,515. The parish seat and most populous municipality is Nat ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

(, paleocoordinates ).. Retrieved July 2013. ''Natchitochia'' is known from three incomplete ribs and thirteen vertebrae of which four are thoracics, five lumbars, one sacral, two caudals, and one of indeterminable position. ''Natchitochia'' is significantly larger than most other early protocetids, except ''

Eocetus ''Eocetus'' is an extinct Protocetidae, protocetid Archaeoceti, early whale known from the early-late Eocene (Bartonian, ) Giushi Formation in Mokattam, Gebel Mokattam, (, paleocoordinates ) outside Cairo, Egypt. Fossil remains have also been di ...

'' and '' Pappocetus''. The vertebrae of ''Natchitochia'' are smaller than those of ''Eocetus'' and lack (1) elongated lumbar centra and (2) the ventral keel seen on the vertebrae of ''Pappocetus''. The ribs are smaller than those of ''Pappocetus''. The fragmentary specimen was collected in 1943 during a ground water survey and then sent to the

United States National Museum The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

where

Remington Kellogg Arthur Remington Kellogg (5 October 1892 – 8 May 1969) was an American naturalist and a director of the United States National Museum. His work focused on marine mammals. Early life and career Kellogg was born in Davenport, Iowa, and quickly ...

identified it as a new genus of archaeocete but never formally described it. finally described and named the genus and the species; the genus for the type locality and the species honors discoverer Paul H. Jones.

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* (including a photo of the lumbar vertebrae of ''Natchitochia'' from Uhen 1998) Protocetidae Fossil taxa described in 1998 Monotypic prehistoric cetacean genera Eocene mammals of North America {{paleo-whale-stub