Whippomorpha

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Whippomorpha

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetartiodactyla
Suborder: Cetruminantia
(unranked) Whippomorpha
Families

Whippomorpha (also known as Cetancodonta) is a whimsical name for the clade containing the Cetacea (whales, dolphins, etc.) and their closest living relatives, the Hippopotamuses. This would be a sub-grouping of the Cetartiodactyla, which also includes pigs and ruminants. It is not clear how recently the whales and hippos share a common ancestor, though the genetic evidence is strong that the cetaceans arose from within the Artiodactyla, thus making the even-toed ungulate classification a phenetic one.[1]

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