Cetotherium

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cetotherium Fossil range: Mid to Late Miocene
Reconstruction of Cetotherium
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Cetacea Suborder: Mysticeti Family: Cetotheriidae Genus: Cetotherium

Cetotherium
Translation	"Whale Beast"
Type	Cetacean:Whale
Height	Unknown
Weight	Unknown
Movement	aquatic
Period	Miocene - Early Pleistocene
Diet	carnivore - small fishes
Environment	shallow seas, open ocean
Distribution	Pacific Ocean

Cetotherium was a cetacean that looked more like modern whales of today. It lived in the early - mid Neogene Period. Its predator was the Megalodon, and probably Killer Whales.

All modern mysticetes are large filter-feeding or Baleen whale, though the exact means by which baleen are used differ among species (gulp-feeding with balaenopterids, skim-feeding with balaenids, and bottom ploughing with eschrichtiids). The first members of some modern groups appeared during the middle Miocene. These changes may have been a result of worldwide environmental change and physical changes in the oceans. A large scale change in ocean current and temperature could have initiated the radiation of modern mysticetes, leading to the demise of the archaic forms. Generally it is thought the four modern mysticete families have separate origins among the cetotheres, however this is only speculative. Modern baleen whales, [Balaenopteridae (rorquals and humpback whale, Megaptera novaengliae), Balaendia (right whales), Eschrichtiidae (gray whale, Eschrictius robustus), and Neobalaenidae (pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata) all have derived characteristics presently unknown in any cetothere.

[edit] See also

• Evolution of Cetaceans