Peregocetus

Peregocetus; Temporal range: Middle Eocene; ~42.6 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Size silhouette of Peregocetus compared to a human.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	†Protocetidae
Subfamily:	†Protocetinae
Genus:	†Peregocetus; Lambert et al., 2019
Species
	P. pacificus Lambert et al., 2019 (type);

Peregocetus is a genus of early whale that lived in what is now Peru during the Middle Eocene epoch.^[1]^[2] Its fossil was uncovered in 2011 in the Yumaque Member (Paracas Formation) of the Pisco Basin at Playa Media Luna by a team consisting of members from Belgium, Peru, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.^[3]^[4] Parts recovered include the jaw, front and hind legs, bits of spine, and tail. Olivier Lambert, a scientist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and lead author of the study, noted that Peregocetus "fills in a crucial [knowledge] gap" about the evolution of whales and their spread.^[3]

Peregocetus is the first recorded quadrupedal whale from the Pacific Ocean and the Southern Hemisphere. The discovery reveals that protocetids reached the Pacific Ocean and attained a near circumequatorial distribution while retaining functional weight-bearing limbs.^[1]

Description

Peregocetus was essentially a four-legged whale: however, it had webbed feet with small hooves on the tips of its toes, making it more capable of moving on land than modern seals. It featured sharp teeth and a long snout which suggests it fed on fish and/or crustaceans.^[3]^[4] From its caudal vertebrae, it has been suggested that it might have possessed a flattened tail similar to a beaver.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Lambert, Olivier; Bianucci, Giovanni; Salas-Gismondi, Rodolfo; Di Celma, Claudio; Steurbaut, Etienne; Urbina, Mario; de Muizon, Christian (4 April 2019). "An amphibious whale from the Middle Eocene of Peru reveals early South Pacific dispersal of quadrupedal cetaceans". Current Biology. 29 (8): 1352–1359.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2019.02.050. hdl:11581/425570. PMID 30955933.
^ Wright, Pam (5 April 2019). "Fossilized Remains of Ancient 4-Legged Whale Discovered in Peru". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c Devlin, Hannah (4 April 2019). "Fossil of ancient four-legged whale with hooves discovered". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Unknown Species of Ancient Four-Legged Whale Uncovered in Peru". Gizmodo. 4 April 2019.

[CurBio-1] Lambert, Olivier; Bianucci, Giovanni; Salas-Gismondi, Rodolfo; Di Celma, Claudio; Steurbaut, Etienne; Urbina, Mario; de Muizon, Christian (4 April 2019). "An amphibious whale from the Middle Eocene of Peru reveals early South Pacific dispersal of quadrupedal cetaceans". Current Biology. 29 (8): 1352–1359.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2019.02.050. hdl:11581/425570. PMID 30955933.

[WC-20190405-2] Wright, Pam (5 April 2019). "Fossilized Remains of Ancient 4-Legged Whale Discovered in Peru". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 5 April 2019.

[guardian-3] Devlin, Hannah (4 April 2019). "Fossil of ancient four-legged whale with hooves discovered". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 April 2019.

[gizmodo-4] "Unknown Species of Ancient Four-Legged Whale Uncovered in Peru". Gizmodo. 4 April 2019.

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