Supayacetus

Supayacetus is an extinct genus of basilosaurid cetacean from Middle Eocene (Bartonian stage) deposits of southern Peru.

Supayacetus
Temporal range: Middle Eocene (Divisaderan)
~40.4–37.2 Ma
↓
Ocucajea (top), S. muizoni (below)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Family: †Basilosauridae
Genus: †Supayacetus
Uhen et al. 2011
Species:
†S. muizoni
Binomial name
†Supayacetus muizoni

Etymology

The genus is named after Supay, the Incan god of death, and ketos Greek for whale.[1]

Description

Supayacetus is known from the holotype MUSM 1465, a partial skeleton. As Ocucajea, it was collected in the Archaeocete Valley site, from the Paracas Formation of the Pisco Basin about 40.4 to 37.2 million years ago.[2] It was named by Uhen et al. 2011 and the type species S. muizoni honours palaeontologist Christian de Muizon who has contributed considerably to Peruvian palaeontology.[3]

Distinguishing characters of Supayacetus include: a T-shaped manubrium with a rod-shaped process; cheek teeth with accessory denticles; a broad scapula with a large infraspinous fossa; humerus with large and hemispherical head, well-defined proximal tuberosities, a long deltopectoral crest, and a broad shaft. Compared to other basilosaurids, Supayacetus is larger than Protocetus but its skull and vertebrae are smaller than in other basilosaurids. [4]

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gollark: I mean, if you want, you could.
gollark: No. What would that *do*?
gollark: There are built in dump and load programs to dump or load to a tape.
gollark: Since nobody was using them, it's fine.

References
  1. Uhen et al. 2011, Etymology, p. 960
  2. Supayacetus at Fossilworks.org
  3. Uhen et al. 2011, Etymology, p. 963
  4. Uhen et al. 2011, Diagnosis, p. 960

Bibliography
  • Uhen, Mark D.; Pyenson, Nicholas D.; Devries, Thomas J.; Urbina, Mario; Renne, Paul R. (2011). "New Middle Eocene Whales from the Pisco Basin of Peru". Journal of Paleontology. 85 (5): 955–69. doi:10.1666/10-162.1. hdl:10088/17509. OCLC 802202947.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)


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