Himalayacetus

Himalayacetus Temporal range: Early Eocene,
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	†Ambulocetidae
Genus:	†Himalayacetus Bajpai & Gingerich, 1998
Species:	†H. subathuensis
Binomial name
†Himalayacetus subathuensis Bajpai & Gingerich, 1998

Himalayacetus is an extinct genus of carnivorous aquatic mammal of the family Ambulocetidae. The holotype was found in Himachal Pradesh, India, (31°00′N 77°00′E / 31.0°N 77.0°E / 31.0; 77.0: paleocoordinates 3°30′N 69°42′E / 3.5°N 69.7°E / 3.5; 69.7) in what was the remnants of the ancient Tethys Ocean during the Early Eocene. This makes Himalayacetus the oldest archaeocete known, extending the fossil record of whales some 3.5 million years.

Himalayacetus lived in the ancient coastline of the ancient Tethys Ocean before the Indian Plate had collided with the Cimmerian coast. Like Gandakasia, Himalayacetus is only known from a single jaw fragment, making comparisons to other ambulocetids difficult.

Description

Upon its discovery, Himalayacetus was described as a pakicetid because the dentary has a small mandibular canal and a dentition similar to Pakicetus. Thewissen, Williams & Hussain 2001 assigned Himalaycetus to the ambulocetids.

Etymology

Himalayacetus was named by Bajpai & Gingerich 1998. Its type is Himalayacetus subathuensis after the Himalayas, cetus, "whale", and the Subathu Formation, the type locality.

Taxonomy

It was considered monophyletic by Uhen (2010). It was assigned to Pakicetidae by Bajpai and Gingerich (1998) and McLeod and Barnes (2008); and to Ambulocetidae by Thewissen et al. (2001) and Uhen (2010).

Notes

1. ^ a b Bajpai & Gingerich 1998.
2. ^ Kuthar Nala (Eocene of India) in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved June 2013.
3. ^ a b Bajpai & Gingerich 1998, Abstract
4. ^ Thewissen, JGM. "Ambulocetidae: The First Coastal Whales". Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
5. ^ Bajpai & Gingerich 1998, p. 15464
6. ^ Himalayacetus in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved June 2013.

References

Wikispecies has information related to Himalayacetus.

• Bajpai, Sunil; Gingerich, Philip D (December 1998). "A new Eocene archaeocete (Mammalia, Cetacea) from India and the time of origin of whales" (PDF). PNAS. 95 (26): 15464–68. Bibcode:1998PNAS...9515464B. doi:10.1073/pnas.95.26.15464. OCLC 678707438. PMC 28065. PMID 9860991.
• Thewissen, J. G. M.; Williams, E. M.; Hussain, S.T. (2001). "Eocene mammal faunas from northern Indo-Pakistan" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 21 (2): 347–66. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2001)0212.0.CO;2. OCLC 631973716. S2CID 130701636.

v t e Archaeocete genera by family
Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata Class Mammalia Order Artiodactyla
Pakicetidae	Pakicetus Nalacetus Ichthyolestes
Ambulocetidae	Ambulocetus Gandakasia Himalayacetus
Remingtonocetidae	Andrewsiphius Attockicetus Dalanistes Kutchicetus Remingtonocetus
Protocetidae	Georgiacetinae Aegicetus Babiacetus Carolinacetus Georgiacetus Natchitochia Pappocetus Pontobasileus Makaracetinae Makaracetus Protocetinae Aegyptocetus Artiocetus Crenatocetus Dhedacetus Gaviacetus Indocetus Maiacetus Peregocetus Phiomicetus Protocetus Qaisracetus Rodhocetus Takracetus Togocetus
Basilosauridae	Dorudontinae Ancalecetus Chrysocetus Cynthiacetus Dorudon Masracetus Ocucajea Pontogeneus Saghacetus Stromerius Supayacetus Zygorhiza Basilosaurinae Basilosaurus Basiloterus Eocetus Pachycetinae Antaecetus Pachycetus Perucetus Platyosphys
Category

Taxon identifiers
Himalayacetus subathuensis	Wikidata: Q961266 Wikispecies: Himalayacetus subathuensis EoL: 4528188 GBIF: 4971318 Paleobiology Database: 63094

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