Aulophyseter is an extinct genus of sperm whales from the subfamily Physeterinae that existed during the Miocene.

History of discovery

Fossils of Aulophyseter have been found in:

• Oidawara Formation, Japan

United States

• Temblor Formation, California

• St. Marys Formation, Maryland

Description

Aulophyseter is estimated to have been long, and weighed approximately .

Paleobiology

Aulophyseters small teeth lack enamel, which suggests that its feeding habits were more similar to those of modern sperm whales than to other early sperm whales. The diet of Aulophyseter was largely limited to cephalopods and fish.

See also

• Evolution of cetaceans

References

• Colbert's Evolution of the Vertebrates: A History of the Backboned Animals Through Time by Edwin H. Colbert, Michael Morales, and Eli C. Minkoff Pg.396.

• Sperm Whales: Social Evolution in the Ocean by Hal Whitehead

• Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals by William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursig, and J. G.M. Thewissen

External links

• Age of Mammals - Specimen Spotlight -