Ontocetus

Ontocetus
Temporal range: Miocene to Late Pleistocene, 13.6–0.3 Ma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Clade: Pinnipedia
Family: Odobenidae
Subfamily: Odobeninae
Leidy, 1859
Genus: Ontocetus
Leidy, 1859
Type species
O. emmonsi
Species
  • O. emmonsi Leidy, 1859
  • O. posti Boisville, Chatar & Kohno, 2024

Ontocetus is an extinct genus of walrus, an aquatic carnivoran of the family Odobenidae, endemic to coastal regions of the southern North Sea and the southeastern coastal regions of the U.S. during the Miocene-Pleistocene. It lived from 13.6 mya—300,000 years ago, existing for approximately 13.3 million years.[1]