''Crenatosiren'' is an extinct genus of dugongid sirenian known from the late

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

( Chattian) of Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The type and only known species is ''Crenatosiren olseni''.

Taxonomy

''Crenatosiren'' was originally named ''"Halitherium" olseni'' by Rinehart (1976), who described the species from marine deposits of the late Oligocene (Arikareean NALMA) Parachucla Formation in the Suwannee River in Hamilton County, Florida. Domning (1991) eventually recognized the taxon as more derived than the ''Halitherium'' type species and assigned it to the new genus ''Crenatosiren'', classifying it as a relative of the dugongid '' Rytiodus''. The genus name is derived from the Latin words ''crenatus'' (meaning 'notched') and '' siren''. More specimens of ''C. olseni'' were later found in the Ashley and Chandler Bridge formations of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

Palaeoecology

''C. olseni'' primarily ate seagrasses. '' Dioplotherium manigaulti'' and '' Metaxytherium'' sp. coexisted with ''C. olseni'' in its habitat and also fed on seagrasses, suggesting that some sort of niche partitioning existed between the three taxa.

References

Dugongidae Oligocene sirenians Fossil taxa described in 1991 Prehistoric placental genera {{Paleo-sirenian-stub