Agorophiidae
''Agorophius'' is an extinct genus of toothed whale that lived during the Oligocene period, approximately , in the waters off what is now South Carolina. Taxonomy The holotype of ''Agorophius pygmaeus'', MCZ 8761, was first mentioned in an 1848 report on the geology of South Carolina by Michael Tuomey. It was eventually described as ''Zeuglodon pygmaeus'' by Johannes Peter Müller in 1849. Louis Agassiz coined the name ''Phocodon holmesii'' for the same specimen, classifying it as an odontocete. Later authors considered ''Zeuglodon pygmaeus'' a species of either ''Dorudon'' or ''Squalodon'', and in 1895 Edward Drinker Cope eventually recognized it as being a distinct genus, which he named ''Agorophius''. Although the skull is lost and the tooth is the only extant part of MCZ 8761, Fordyce (1981) was able to diagnose ''Agorophius'' based on existing descriptions of the skull by Muller, Cope, and Agassiz.R. E. Fordyce. 1981. Systematics of the odontocete whale Agorophius pygmaeus a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Xenorophus
''Xenorophus'' is a genus of primitive odontocete from late Oligocene (Chattian) marine deposits in South Carolina belonging to Xenorophidae. Classification ''Xenorophus'' was originally described on the basis of a skull from the Chandler Bridge Formation of South Carolina in the collections of the USNM. Later authors, but also Remington Kellogg who described the genus, classified it in the family Agorophiidae, which eventually became a repository for primitive odontocetes. Whitmore and Sanders (1977) and Fordyce (1981), however, preferred to treat ''Xenorophus'' as Odontoceti ''incertae sedis''. A cladistic analysis by Mark Uhen published in 2008 recognized ''Xenorophus'' as belonging with '' Archaeodelphis'' and '' Albertodelphis'' in an odontocete clade more primitive than ''Agorophius'' or ''Simocetus'', and named it Xenorophidae. Paleobiology ''Xenorophus'' was capable of echolocation like modern dolphins, judging from the cranial features of two other xenorophids, ''Ec ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ashley Formation
The Ashley Formation is a geologic formation in South Carolina. It preserves fossils dating back to the Paleogene period. Vertebrate fauna Mammals Reptiles Fish Cartilaginous fish Bony fish See also * List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in South Carolina * Paleontology in South Carolina The location of the state of South Carolina Paleontology in South Carolina refers to paleontological research occurring within or conducted by people from the U.S. state of South Carolina. Evidence suggests that at least part of South Carolina ... References * Paleogene geology of South Carolina {{SouthCarolina-geologic-formation-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chandler Bridge Formation
The Chandler Bridge Formation is a Formation (geology), geologic formation in South Carolina. It preserves fossils dating back to the Chattian (Late Oligocene) of the Paleogene Period (geology), period, corresponding to the Arikareean in the North American land mammal age, NALMA classification.Chandler Bridge Formation at Fossilworks.org The formation overlies the Ashley Formation and is overlain by the Edisto Formation.Albright et al., 2019, p.84 Vertebrate paleofauna Mammals Reptiles Fish See also * List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in South ...[...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the epoch are slightly uncertain. The name Oligocene was coined in 1854 by the German paleontologist Heinrich Ernst Beyrich from his studies of marine beds in Belgium and Germany. The name comes from the Ancient Greek (''olígos'', "few") and (''kainós'', "new"), and refers to the sparsity of extant forms of molluscs. The Oligocene is preceded by the Eocene Epoch and is followed by the Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ... Epoch. The Oligocene is the third and final epoch of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Prehistoric Cetacean Genera
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of symbols, marks, and images appears very early among humans, but the earliest known writing systems appeared 5000 years ago. It took thousands of years for writing systems to be widely adopted, with writing spreading to almost all cultures by the 19th century. The end of prehistory therefore came at very different times in different places, and the term is less often used in discussing societies where prehistory ended relatively recently. In the early Bronze Age, Sumer in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley Civilisation, and ancient Egypt were the first civilizations to develop their own scripts and to keep historical records, with their neighbors following. Most other civilizations reached the end of prehistory during the following Iron Ag ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Prehistoric Mammals Of North America
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of symbols, marks, and images appears very early among humans, but the earliest known writing systems appeared 5000 years ago. It took thousands of years for writing systems to be widely adopted, with writing spreading to almost all cultures by the 19th century. The end of prehistory therefore came at very different times in different places, and the term is less often used in discussing societies where prehistory ended relatively recently. In the early Bronze Age, Sumer in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley Civilisation, and ancient Egypt were the first civilizations to develop their own scripts and to keep historical records, with their neighbors following. Most other civilizations reached the end of prehistory during the following Iron Age. Th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Oligocene Cetaceans
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the epoch are slightly uncertain. The name Oligocene was coined in 1854 by the German paleontologist Heinrich Ernst Beyrich from his studies of marine beds in Belgium and Germany. The name comes from the Ancient Greek (''olígos'', "few") and (''kainós'', "new"), and refers to the sparsity of extant forms of molluscs. The Oligocene is preceded by the Eocene Epoch and is followed by the Miocene Epoch. The Oligocene is the third and final epoch of the Paleogene Period. The Oligocene is often considered an important time of transition, a link between the archaic world of the tropical Eocene and the more modern ecosystems of the Miocene. Major changes during the Oligocene included a global expansi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Prehistoric Toothed Whales
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of symbols, marks, and images appears very early among humans, but the earliest known writing systems appeared 5000 years ago. It took thousands of years for writing systems to be widely adopted, with writing spreading to almost all cultures by the 19th century. The end of prehistory therefore came at very different times in different places, and the term is less often used in discussing societies where prehistory ended relatively recently. In the early Bronze Age, Sumer in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley Civilisation, and ancient Egypt were the first civilizations to develop their own scripts and to keep historical records, with their neighbors following. Most other civilizations reached the end of prehistory during the following Iro ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Xenorophidae
Xenorophidae is an extinct family of odontocetes currently known from the Oligocene of the southeastern US. Known genera of xenorophids include ''Albertocetus'', '' Archaeodelphis'', '' Xenorophus'', '' Cotylocara'', ''Echovenator'', and ''Inermorostrum ''Inermorostrum'' is a genus of primitive odontocete from early Oligocene (Rupelian) marine deposits in South Carolina belonging to the family Xenorophidae Xenorophidae is an extinct family of odontocetes currently known from the Oligocene of ...''.. References Prehistoric toothed whales Prehistoric mammal families Oligocene cetaceans {{paleo-whale-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Archaeodelphis
''Archaeodelphis'' is an extinct genus of primitive odontocete cetacean from late Oligocene (Chattian The Chattian is, in the geologic timescale, the younger of two ages or upper of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between . The Chattian is preceded by the Rupelian and is followed by the Aquitanian (the lowest stage ...) marine deposits in South Carolina, and belonging to the family Xenorophidae. Description ''Archaeodelphis'' has polydont teeth, like other xenorophids.G. M. Allen. 1921. A new fossil cetacean. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 65(1):1-14. References Oligocene cetaceans Fossil taxa described in 1921 {{paleo-whale-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Edward Drinker Cope
Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontologist, comparative anatomist, herpetologist, and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science; he published his first scientific paper at the age of 19. Though his father tried to raise Cope as a gentleman farmer, he eventually acquiesced to his son's scientific aspirations. Cope married his cousin and had one child; the family moved from Philadelphia to Haddonfield, New Jersey, although Cope would maintain a residence and museum in Philadelphia in his later years. Cope had little formal scientific training, and he eschewed a teaching position for field work. He made regular trips to the American West, prospecting in the 1870s and 1880s, often as a member of United States Geological Survey teams. A personal feud between Cope and paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh led to a period of intense fossil-finding competit ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |