''Aulophyseter'' is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

sperm whale The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus '' Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the sperm whale famil ...

s from 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" ...

formations of the west and east coasts of North America. ''Aulophyseter'' reached a length of approximately with an estimated body weight of .R. Nieuwenhuys (1998) ''The central nervous system of vertebrates, Volume 1'' p.2130

Distribution

Fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s of ''Aulophyseter'' have been found in:''Aulophyseter''
at

Fossilworks Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database, a large relational database assembled by hundreds of paleontologists from around the world. History Fossilworks was cre ...

.org * Oidawara Formation, Japan *

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

Temblor Formation The Temblor Formation is a geologic formation in California. It preserves fossils dating back from the Late Oligocene to the Middle Miocene of the Neogene period. It is notable for the famous Sharktooth Hill deposit (otherwise known as Ernst ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

** St. Marys Formation,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

References

* Colbert's Evolution of the Vertebrates: A History of the Backboned Animals Through Time by Edwin H. Colbert, Michael Morales, and Eli C. Minkoff Pg.396. * Sperm Whales: Social Evolution in the Ocean by Hal Whitehead * Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals by William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursig, and J. G.M. Thewissen
''Aulophyseter morricei''

External links

Age of Mammals - Specimen Spotlight - ''Aulophyseter morricei''
Sperm whales Prehistoric toothed whales Prehistoric cetacean genera Miocene cetaceans Miocene mammals of Asia Neogene Japan Fossils of Japan Miocene mammals of North America Neogene United States Miocene mammals of South America Montehermosan Huayquerian Neogene Argentina Fossils of Argentina Fossil taxa described in 1927 {{paleo-whale-stub

Distribution

See also

References

External links