| Ambulocetidae Temporal range: Early Eocene |
|
|---|---|
| Ambulocetus natans | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Cetacea |
| Suborder: | Archaeoceti |
| Family: | Ambulocetidae Thewissen et al., 1996 |
| Genera | |
Ambulocetidae is a family of early cetaceans from Pakistan that still were able to walk on land. The genus Ambulocetus, after which the family is named, is by far the most complete and well-known ambulocetid genus due to the discovery by Thewissen et al. of a partially complete specimen of Ambulocetus natans. Another genus in the family, Gandakasia, is known only from a single jaw fragment.
Ambulocetid fossils have been found in Pakistan along the former coastline of Cimmeria. The sedimentary facies in which these fossils were found indicates that ambulocetids inhabited a shallow, swampy nearshore marine environment.