Kentriodon
| Kentriodon Temporal range: Late Oligocene–Middle Miocene |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Cetacea |
| Suborder: | Odontoceti |
| Superfamily: | Delphinoidea |
| Family: | †Kentriodontidae |
| Genus: | Kentriodon |
Kentriodon is an extinct species of toothed whale. Fossils have been found in Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and the United States.
Kentriodon was the most diverse of all the kentriodontids, which include three named species and five undescribed species. These were small to medium-sized odontocetes with largely symmetrical skulls, and thought likely to include ancestors of some modern species. Kentriodon is also the oldest described kentriodontid genus, reported from the Late Oligocene to the Middle Miocene.
Kentriodontines ate small fish and other nectonic organisms; they are thought to have been active echolocators, and might have formed pods. The diversity, morphology and distribution of fossils appear parallel to some modern species.
References
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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (February 2009) |
- Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, Perrin, Würsig, Thewissen
- The Evolution of Whales, Adapted from National Geographic, November 2001
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