''Dhedacetus hyaeni'' is a

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 ...

cetacean 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 ...

from the 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 ...

(late

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 ...

, 42 mya). It is the only species in the genus ''Dhedacetus''. The type specimen was recovered from the Indian Harudi Formation near the town of Dhedadi, Kutch.

Description

Only one skull and some vertebra are known. ''D. hyaeni'' is the smallest protocetid from Kutch. Its premolars and molars are about the same size as in other protocetids such as

Babiacetus ''Babiacetus'' is an Extinction, extinct genus of early cetacean that lived during the late Lutetian middle Eocene of India ().. Retrieved April 2013. It was named after its type locality, the Harudi Formation in the Babia Hills (: paleocoordin ...

Rodhocetus ''Rodhocetus'' (from ''Rodho'', the geological anticline at the type locality, and ''cetus'', Latin for whale) is an extinct genus of protocetid early whale known from the Lutetian of Pakistan. The best-known protocetid, ''Rodhocetus'' is known ...

and

Maiacetus ''Maiacetus'' ("mother whale") is a genus of early cetacean from the Habib Rahi Formation of Pakistan. Paleobiology The genus contains a single species, ''Maiacetus inuus'', first described in 2009 on the basis of two specimens, including a sp ...

. It has a long, broad snout and high ocular orbits. The genus name comes from the town close by and the species name comes from a local

hyena Hyenas or hyaenas ( ; from Ancient Greek , ) are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae (). With just four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the order Carnivora and one of the sma ...

References

{{Archaeoceti Protocetidae Fossil taxa described in 2014 Monotypic prehistoric cetacean genera Fossils of India Eocene mammals of Asia