Pakicetus
| Pakicetus Temporal range: Early Eocene |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Cetacea |
| Suborder: | Archaeoceti |
| Family: | Pakicetidae |
| Subfamily: | Pakicetinae |
| Genus: | Pakicetus |
| Species: | P. inachus |
| Binomial name | |
| Pakicetus inachus Gingerich & Russell, 1981 |
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Pakicetus is a genus of extinct cetaceans found in the early Eocene (55.8 ± 0.2 - 33.9 ± 0.1 Ma) of Pakistan, hence their name. The strata where the fossils were found was then part of the coast of the Tethys Sea.
Description [change]
The first fossil, a lone skull, was thought to be a mesonychid, but Gingerich and Russell recognized it as an early cetacean from characteristic features of the inner ear, found only in cetaceans: the large auditory bulla is formed from the ectotympanic bone only. This suggests that it is a transitional species between extinct land mammals and modern cetaceans.
Complete skeletons were discovered in 2001, revealing that Pakicetus was primarily a land animal, about the size of a wolf, and very similar in form to the related mesonychids.
