Basilosaurus
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| phylum | Chordata | Basilosaurus ("King Lizard") is a genus of cetacean that lived 40 to 34 million years ago. Its fossilized remains were first discovered in the southern United States (Louisiana). The American fossils were initially believed to be some sort of reptile, hence the suffix -"saurus", but later found to be a marine mammal. Basilosaurus averaged about 18 m (59 ft) in length, and is believed to have been the largest animal to have lived in its time. It displayed an unparalleled degree of elongation compared with modern whales. Their very small vestigial hind limbs have also been a matter of interest for paleontologists.
For more information, visit the Wikipedia entry. Get back to Archaeoceti |
| class | Mammalia | |
| infraclass | eutheria | |
| order | Cetacea | |
| suborder | Archaeoceti | |
| family | Basilosauridae | |
| genus | Basilosaurus | |
| species | B. cetoides | |
| Temporal range | Late Eocene |
