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Categories such as "Mammals described in 2019" are typically used either for extant species or relatively recent extinct species.
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[[Category:Fossils of Peru]] |
[[Category:Fossils of Peru]] |
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[[Category:Fossil taxa described in 2019]] |
[[Category:Fossil taxa described in 2019]] |
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[[Category:Mammals described in 2019|†]] |
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| Peregocetus ↓ | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | †Protocetidae |
| Subfamily: | †Protocetinae |
| Genus: | †Peregocetus Lambert et al., 2019 |
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Peregocetus is a genusofearly whale that lived in what is now Peru during the Middle Eocene epoch.[1][2] Its fossil was uncovered in 2011 in the Yumaque Formation of the Pisco BasinatPlaya Media Luna by a team consisting of members from Belgium, Peru, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.[3][4] Parts recovered include the jaw, front and hind legs, bits of spine, and tail. Olivier Lambert, a scientist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and lead author of the study, noted that Peregocetus "fills in a crucial [knowledge] gap" about the evolution of whales and their spread.[3]
Peregocetus is the first recorded quadrupedal whale from the Pacific Ocean and the Southern Hemisphere. The discovery reveals that protocetids reached the Pacific Ocean and attained a near circumequatorial distribution while retaining functional weight-bearing limbs.[1]
Peregocetus was essentially a four-legged whale: however, it had webbed feet with small hooves on the tips of its toes, making it more capable of moving on land than modern seals. It featured sharp teeth and a long snout which suggests it fed on fish and/or crustaceans.[3][4]
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