| Cetotheriidae | |
|---|---|
 Restoration of a Pygmy Right Whale | |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Cetacea |
| Family | Cetotheriidae |
Cetotheriidae is a family of baleen whales in the suborder Mysticeti. The family was generally thought to have existed from the Late Oligocene to the Late Pliocene before going extinct.
Genus †Cetotherium[]
Cetotherium (meaning whale beast) is a genus of cetaceans from the family Cetotheriidae (the cetotheriids or cetotheres). Until recently, the family Cetotheriidae was thought to be extinct, but a recent study strongly suggests that the Pygmy Right Whale Caperea marginata is a living relic of this otherwise extinct group.
Genus †Joumocetus[]
Joumocetus is an extinct baleen whale genus in the family Cetotheriidae and containing the single species Joumocetus shimizui. The species is known only from a partial skeleton found in Miocene age sediments of Japan.
Genus †Piscobalaena[]
Piscobalaena is an extinct cetacean which lived between the Miocene and the upper Pliocene (about 10 to 5 million years ago). Its fossils have been found in the Pisco formation of Peru.
Description
This animal looked much like whales today, particularly small whales. The length was less than 5 meters, and the skull of an adult was about one meter. Piscobalaena is known for some well-preserved specimens, including three young individuals and an adult. Some characteristics of the skull distinguish Piscobalaena from modern whales
Genera[]
Family Cetotheriidae
Subfamily †Cetotheriinae
Cetotherium Cetotherium capellinii Cetotherium crassangulum Cetotherium furlongi Cetotherium incertum Cetotherium maicopicum Cetotherium mayeri Cetotherium parvum Cetotherium polyporum Cetotherium priscum Cetotherium pusillum Cetotherium rathkii Heterocetus Hibacetus Joumocetus Joumocetus shimizui Mixocetus Palaeobalaena Piscobalaena Piscobalaena nana Plesiocetopsis Titanocetus
Subfamily †Herpetocetinae
Cephalotropis Herpetocetus Metopocetus Nannocetus
Subfamily Neobalaeninae
Caperea Caperea marginata, Pygmy Right Whale
