Dorudon

Dorudon; Fossil range: Late Eocene
	; Dorudon atrox.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia;
Phylum:	Chordata;
Class:	Mammalia;
Order:	Cetacea;
Suborder:	Archaeoceti;
Family:	Basilosauridae;
Subfamily:	Dorudontinae; Miller, 1923
Genus:	Dorudon; Gibbes, 1845
Species
	Dorudon atrox; Dorudon serratus;

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Paleontology portal

Dorudon atrox, Senckenberg Museum

Dorudon pelvis, an example of a vestigial organ, from a specimen at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Washington, DC

Dorudon was a genus of ancient cetacean that lived alongside Basilosaurus 41 to 33 million years ago, in the Eocene. They were about five meters (16 ft) long and were most likely carnivorous, feeding on small fish and mollusks. Dorudontines lived in warm seas around the world. Fossils have been found in North America, Egypt as well as Pakistan the eastern part of which bordered the ancient Tethys Sea.

Dorudontines were originally believed to be juvenile Basilosaurus as their fossils are similar but smaller. They have since been shown to be a different species with the discovery of Dorudon juveniles. Although they look very much like modern whales, basilosaurines and dorudontines lacked the 'melon organ' that allows their descendants to use ultrasound as effectively as modern whales. Like other basilosaurids, their nostrils were midway from the snout to the top of the head. The Dorudon calves may have fallen prey to hungry Basilosaurus, as shown by unhealed bite marks on the skulls of some juvenile Dorudon.

[edit] In Popular Culture

Dorudon was featured in the episode Whale Killer in the BBC's documentary Walking with Beasts, as well as in the fourth part of its follow-up, Sea Monsters. They are depicted as group livers, with their calves being the primary prey of their relative, Basilosaurus.