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Information about Rodhocetus Balochistanensis

Rodhocetus
Enlarge picture
A Rodhocetus skull

A Rodhocetus skull
Conservation status
Prehistoric
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Cetacea
Suborder:Archaeoceti
Family:Protocetidae
Genus:Rodhocetus
Rodhocetus is one of several extinct whale genera that possess land mammal characteristics, thus demonstrating the transition from land to sea that whales went through. The first species to be discovered (Rhodocetus kasrani) already exhibited such features as a large pelvis fused to the vertebrae, hind legs, and differentiated teeth. Of a recently discovered species (Rodhocetus balochistanensis), the ankle bones were recovered, further strengthening the already well-founded link to artiodactyls, and weakening the link to mesonychids.

Rodhocetus balochistanensis is in fact believed to demonstrate a direct evolutionary link to artiodactyls (modern examples of which are hippopotamuses and pigs). This has largely overturned previous fossil-based theories that whales were directly descended from mesonychids, though it matches studies of the genetic relations between whales and other animals.

The claim is based on the structure of the ankle bones of this species, the trochlea, which is double-spooled. This trait in only known in artiodactyls, as all other mammalian orders have a single-spooled trochlea.

The ear bones of Rodhocetus are already very whale-like, though the swimming style is very different. Rodhocetus was definitely semi-aquatic, and had large, paddling hind feet to propel it through the water. It also had a strong tail which may have helped to act as a rudder.

Many suggest that Rodhocetus may have swam like a modern otter, but through a principal components analysis done in 2003, Dr. Philip Gingerich demonstrated that its limb proportions were closer to that of the Russian desman.

The first fossils of this species were found in Balochistan Province, Pakistan in 2001 by Philip Gingerich. Dating from about 47 million years ago, they are one of a series of recent discoveries, including the pakicetids, which have thrown considerable light on the previously mysterious evolutionary origin of whales.

See also

conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation status of a species: not simply the number remaining, but the
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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885

Typical Classes

See below

Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Mammalia
Linnaeus, 1758

Subclasses & Infraclasses
  • Subclass †Allotheria*
  • Subclass Prototheria
  • Subclass Theria

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Cetacea
Brisson, 1762

Diversity
Around 88 species; see list of cetaceans or below.

Suborders

Mysticeti
Odontoceti
Archaeoceti (extinct)
(see text for families)

The order Cetacea
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Archaeoceti

Families and Clades

see text

Archaeocetes, or "ancient whales", are a paraphyletic group of cetaceans that gave rise to Autoceta or Neoceti - the new cetaceans.
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whale can refer to all cetaceans, to just the larger ones, or only to members of particular families within the order Cetacea. The last definition is the one followed here. Whales are those cetaceans which are neither dolphins (i.e.
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Artiodactyla*
Owen, 1848

Families

Antilocapridae
Bovidae
Camelidae
Cervidae
Giraffidae
Hippopotamidae
Moschidae
Suidae
Tayassuidae
Tragulidae
Leptochoeridae †
Dichobunidae †
Cebochoeridae †
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Mesonychia

Families

Hapalodectidae
Mesonychidae
Triisodontidae

Mesonychia ("Middle Claws") are an extinct order of medium to large-sized carnivorous mammals that were closely related to artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates), and to cetaceans
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Artiodactyla*
Owen, 1848

Families

Antilocapridae
Bovidae
Camelidae
Cervidae
Giraffidae
Hippopotamidae
Moschidae
Suidae
Tayassuidae
Tragulidae
Leptochoeridae †
Dichobunidae †
Cebochoeridae †
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Hippopotamus

Species: H. amphibius

Binomial name
Hippopotamus amphibius
Linnaeus, 1758[1]


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Sus
Linnaeus, 1758

Species

Sus barbatus
Sus bucculentus†
Sus cebifrons
Sus celebensis
Sus domestica
Sus falconeri†
Sus heureni

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Mesonychia

Families

Hapalodectidae
Mesonychidae
Triisodontidae

Mesonychia ("Middle Claws") are an extinct order of medium to large-sized carnivorous mammals that were closely related to artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates), and to cetaceans
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Trochlea (Latin for pulley) is a term in anatomy. It refers to a grooved structure reminiscent of a pulley's wheel.

Most commonly, trochleae bear the articular surface of saddle and other joints:
  • Trochlea of humerus
  • Trochlear process of the Calcaneus

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Principal components analysis (PCA) is a technique used to reduce multidimensional data sets to lower dimensions for analysis. Depending on the field of application, it is also named the discrete Karhunen-Loève transform, the Hotelling transform or
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Desmana
Güldenstädt, 1777

Species: D. moschata

Binomial name
Desmana moschata
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The Russian Desman (
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Balochistan, (Balochi, Pashto, Urdu: بلوچستان) is a province in Pakistan, the largest in the country by geographical area. It contains most of the historical region of Balochistan and is named after the Baloch.
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Motto
اتحاد، تنظيم، يقين محکم
Ittehad, Tanzim, Yaqeen-e-Muhkam   (Urdu)
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21st century - 22nd century
1970s  1980s  1990s  - 2000s -  2010s  2020s  2030s
1998 1999 2000 - 2001 - 2002 2003 2004

2001 by topic:
News by month
Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun
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Pakicetidae

Genera

Gandakasia
Pakicetus
Nalacetus
Ichthyolestes

Pakicetids are the members of the family Pakicetidae, sometimes called the subfamily Pakicetinae
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25: 235–246.
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