''Crenatocetus'' (from Latin: ''crena'', "notch", and ''cetus'', "whale") is an extinct
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
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 containing one species, ''Crenatocetus rayi'', that lived along the
Atlantic Coastal Plain
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
of the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
during the
Lutetian
The Lutetian is, in the geologic timescale, a stage (stratigraphy), stage or age (geology), age in the Eocene. It spans the time between . The Lutetian is preceded by the Ypresian and is followed by the Bartonian. Together with the Bartonian it ...
in the late middle
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...
. The species is named in honour of paleontologist
Clayton E. Ray
Clayton may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Clayton (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
*Clayton baronets
*The Clayton Brothers, Jeff and John, jazz musicians
*Clayton Brothers, Rob and Chri ...
, former curator at the
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. With 4.4 ...
.
The skull is estimated to be long, which makes ''Crenatocetus'' a mid-sized protocetid. ''
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 ...
'' (from
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
) is an older and more primitive close relative, while ''
Pappocetus'' (from
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
) is a younger and more derived relative.
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 ...
USNM 392014, recovered in 1985 in a truck load of "marine
marl
Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, Clay minerals, clays, and silt. When Lithification, hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae.
M ...
" probably transported from
New Bern, North Carolina
New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse River, Neuse a ...
, is two incomplete dentaries with a left P
4 and broken M
1-3; a right partial P
4, partial M
1-2, and a complete M
3.
The
type locality is the
Martin Marietta
The Martin Marietta Corporation was an American company founded in 1961 through the merger of Glenn L. Martin Company and American-Marietta Corporation. In 1995, it merged with Lockheed Corporation to form Lockheed Martin.
History
Martin Marie ...
New Bern Quarry,
Craven County, North Carolina
Craven County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 100,720. Its county seat is New Bern. The county was created in 1705 as Archdale Precinct from the now-extinct Bath County. It w ...
(, paleocoordinates ).
[. Retrieved March 2013.]
References
Protocetidae
Fossil taxa described in 2008
Monotypic prehistoric cetacean genera
Extinct mammals of North America
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