''Kharodacetus'' is a genus 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 ...

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) of Kutch,

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, southwestern

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Description

''Kharodacetus'' is a large-sized protocetid with large premolars and a flat supraorbital shield with large

orbits In celestial mechanics, an orbit (also known as orbital revolution) is the curved trajectory of an physical body, object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an satellite, artificia ...

(eye sockets). Its snout is long and relatively broad, (though the snout is narrower in ''

Gaviacetus ''Gaviacetus'' (from Latin ''Gavia'', "loon" and ''cetus'', "whale") is an extinct archaeocete whale that lived approximately . ''Gaviacetus'' was named for its characteristic narrow rostrum and the fast pursuit predation suggested by its unfus ...

'' and ''

Makaracetus ''Makaracetus'' is an extinct protocetid whale, the remains of which were found in 2004 in Lutetian layers of the Domanda Formation in the Sulaiman Range of Balochistan, Pakistan (, paleocoordinates ). ''Makaracetus'' is unique among archaeoc ...

'', broader in ''

Takracetus ''Takracetus'' was a primitive 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 bod ...

''), its orbit is high above the palate, and the

premolars The premolars, also called premolar teeth, or bicuspids, are transitional teeth located between the canine and molar teeth. In humans, there are two premolars per quadrant in the permanent set of teeth, making eight premolars total in the mout ...

are large and robust. The molars have a large

protocone A cusp is a pointed, projecting, or elevated feature. In animals, it is usually used to refer to raised points on the crowns of teeth. The concept is also used with regard to the leaflets of the four heart valves. The mitral valve, which has two ...

(unlike ''

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 ...

'') and a large metacone (unlike ''

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 ...

''), and are, relative to P4, longer than in other protocetids.

Classification

''Kharodacetus'' was originally described as a species of ''

'', ''G. sahnii'' in 1998.Bajpai, S.; Thewissen, J. G. M. (1998). "Middle Eocene Cetaceans from the Harudi and Subathu Formations of India". In Thewissen, J. G. M. ''The Emergence of Whales. Advances in vertebrate paleobiology''. New York: Plenum Press. pp. 213–233. . OCLC 300450327. It was distinguished based on the larger size of the teeth (150-200% bigger than those of ''Gaviacetus''). However, subsequently discovered remains described in 2014 resulted in the species being allocated to its own genus.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18388005 Protocetidae Fossil taxa described in 2014 Monotypic prehistoric cetacean genera Fossils of India Eocene mammals of Asia