''Carolinacetus'' is an extinct

protocetid Protocetidae, the protocetids, form a paraphyletic, diverse and heterogeneous group of extinct cetaceans known from Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, and North America. Description There were many genera, and some of these are very well kno ...

early whale found in the

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 ...

() Tupelo Bay Formation (, paleocoordinates ) in

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.. Retrieved July 2013. ''Carolinacetus'' is known from an incomplete cranium with portions of the right inner ear, a detached rostrum, and parts of both mandibles with 11 teeth. Preserved from the postcranium are 13 vertebrae and 15 ribs. The

holotype A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...

was collected in 1994. Several anatomical features identifies ''Carolinacetus'' as a protocetid (and therefore as a member of Pelagiceti) including: external

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s are located above the canine, the supraoccipital (in

cetacea Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively c ...

ns, the part of the occipital bone located above the foramen magnum and directed backwards) is narrow and tubular, accessory cusps absent on M₃, a broad connection between the

ectotympanic The ectotympanic, or tympanicum, is a bony structure found in all mammals, located on the tympanic part of the temporal bone, which holds the tympanic membrane (eardrum) in place. In catarrhine primates (including humans), it takes a tube-shape. ...

bulla and the falciform process of the

squamosal The squamosal is a skull bone found in most reptiles, amphibians, and birds. In fishes, it is also called the pterotic bone. In most tetrapods, the squamosal and quadratojugal bones form the cheek series of the skull. The bone forms an ancestra ...

, axis vertebra with large vertebral

foramen In anatomy and osteology, a foramen (; : foramina, or foramens ; ) is an opening or enclosed gap within the dense connective tissue (bones and deep fasciae) of extant and extinct amniote animals, typically to allow passage of nerves, artery, ...

. In ''Carolinacetus'' the

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openings are located in front of P¹, making it the most basal North American cetacean. ''Carolinacetus'' is distinct from other North American cetaceans, it is 8–15% larger than ''

Georgiacetus ''Georgiacetus'' is an extinct genus of ancient whale known from the Eocene period of the United States. Fossils are known from Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi and protocetid fossils from the right time frame, but not yet confirmed as ''Georg ...

'' and differs from it in several cranial characters.

Notes

References

* * * Fossils of the United States Protocetidae Fossil taxa described in 2005 Monotypic prehistoric cetacean genera {{paleo-whale-stub