Valenictus
| Valenictus Temporal range: Pliocene | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Caniformia |
| Superfamily: | Pinnipedia |
| Family: | Odobenidae |
| Genus: | Valenictus |
| Species | |
|
V. chulavistensis | |
Valenictus is an extinct genus of Odobenidae from the Pliocene of California.
Description
Valenictus is related to the modern-day walrus, but lacked all teeth both in the lower and upper jaw except for the two tusks.
Sources
- Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters by Donald R. Prothero and Carl Buell
- Marine Mammal Biology: An Evolutionary Approach by A. Rus Hoelzel
- Marine Mammals: Evolutionary Biology by Annalisa Berta, James L. Sumich, and Kit M. Kovacs
- Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals by William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursig, and J. G.M. Thewissen
- Classification of Mammals by Malcolm C. McKenna and Susan K. Bell
- Neptune's Ark: From Ichthyosaurs to Orcas by David Rains Wallace
- Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America: Volume 2, Small Mammals, Xenarthrans, and Marine Mammals by Christine M. Janis, Gregg F. Gunnell, and Mark D. Uhen