Albicetus

Albicetus
Temporal range: Langhian
~16–14 Ma
Reconstruction of skull
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Genus: Albicetus
Boersma & Pyenson, 2015[2]
Species:
A. oxymycterus
Binomial name
Albicetus oxymycterus
(Kellogg, 1925)[1]
Synonyms

Albicetus is a genus of stem-sperm whales that lived during the Miocene Epoch, around 15 million years ago, and was discovered in Santa Barbara, California in 1909. It was categorized for decades as belonging to a group of extinct walruses erroneously thought to be sperm whales. It was named Albicetus, meaning "white whale", is a reference to the leviathan in Herman Melville's classic 1851 novel Moby-Dick.[2][3]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Kellog was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Boersma, Alexandra T. & Pyenson, Nicholas D. (2015). "Albicetus oxymycterus, a new generic name and redescription of a basal physeteroid (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Miocene of California, and the evolution of body size in sperm whales". PLOS ONE. 10 (12): e0135551. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1035551B. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0135551. PMC 4674121. PMID 26651027.
  3. ^ "Call me Albicetus: Scientists find the real great white whale". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 December 2015.