''Chonecetus'' is an extinct genus of primitive
baleen whale
Baleen whales (systematic name Mysticeti), also known as whalebone whales, are a parvorder of carnivorous marine mammals of the infraorder Cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoises) which use keratinaceous baleen plates (or "whalebone") in their ...
of the
family Aetiocetidae that lived in the
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 ...
period. Its fossils have been found in
Canada, in the northeast
Pacific. It was first named by L.S. Russell in 1968, and contains one species, ''C. sookensis''.
Like ''
Aetiocetus'', ''Chonecetus'' possessed both multicusped teeth and the nutrient foramina required for
baleen
Baleen is a filter-feeding system inside the mouths of baleen whales. To use baleen, the whale first opens its mouth underwater to take in water. The whale then pushes the water out, and animals such as krill are filtered by the baleen and ...
.
[''Marine Mammals: Evolutionary Biology''; page 62. By Annalisa Berta, James L. Sumich, and Kit M. Kovacs, published 2005; Academic Press. Retrieved on July 1, 2008.] ''Chonecetus'' closely resembled a modern Mysticeti, with an elongate, streamlined body supporting a pair of paddle-shaped forelimbs, and a horizontal tail fluke strengthened by fibrous cartilage.
Sister Taxa
*''
Aetiocetus''
*''
Ashorocetus''
*''
Fucaia''
*''
Morawanocetus''
*''
Willungacetus''
References
Suggested further reading
*''Marine Mammal Biology: An Evolutionary Approach'' By A. Rus Hoelzel. Published 2002 Blackwell Publishing.
External links
Paleobiology Database
Oligocene cetaceans
Oligocene mammals of North America
Aetiocetidae
Prehistoric cetacean genera
Fossil taxa described in 1968
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