''Physeter'' is a genus of toothed whales. There is only one living species in this genus: the
sperm whale (''Physeter macrocephalus'').
Some extremely poorly known fossil species have also been assigned to the same genus including ''Physeter antiquus'' (5.3 – 2.6 mya) from the
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58[France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...](_blank)
, and ''Physeter vetus'' (2.6 mya – 12 ka) from the
Quaternary of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
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* Related to the ...
. ''Physeter vetus'' is very likely an invalid species, as the few teeth that were used to identify this species appear to be identical to those of another toothed whale, ''
Orycterocetus quadratidens''.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3382003
Sperm whales
Cetacean genera
Mammal genera with one living species
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus