science

List of extinct cetaceans

List of extinct cetaceans is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of extinct cetaceans rather than just read about it. In short: The list of extinct cetaceans features the extinct genera and species of the order Cetacea. The cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) are descendants of land-living mammals, the even-toed ungulates.

Key takeaways

List of extinct cetaceans belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect List of extinct cetaceans to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of List of extinct cetaceans from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The list of extinct cetaceans features the extinct genera and species of the order Cetacea. The cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) are descendants of land-living mammals, the even-toed ungulates. The earliest cetaceans were still hoofed mammals. These early cetaceans became gradually better adapted for swimming than for walking on land, finally evolving into fully marine cetaceans. This list currently includes fossil genera and species, and the baiji (or Chinese river dolphin, Lipotes vexillifer) was declared "functionally extinct" after an expedition in late 2006 failed to find any in the Yangtze River. Also, the Atlantic population of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) became extinct in the 18th century.

Suborder Archaeoceti

Family Ambulocetidae (Eocene)

Ambulocetus Himalayacetus Gandakasia

Family Basilosauridae (Late Eocene)

Tutcetus Perucetus

Basilosaurinae Basilosaurus Basiloterus Eocetus Pachycetinae Antaecetus Pachycetus Dorudontinae Ancalecetus Chrysocetus Cynthiacetus Dorudon Masracetus Ocucajea Saghacetus Supayacetus Zygorhiza Stromerius

Family Kalakocetidae (Early to Middle Eocene)

Kalakocetus

Family Kekenodontidae (Oligocene)

Kekenodon Tohoraonepu

Family Pakicetidae (Early to Middle Eocene)

Pakicetus Nalacetus Ichthyolestes

Family Protocetidae (Eocene)

Georgiacetinae Aegicetus Babiacetus Carolinacetus Georgiacetus Natchitochia Pappocetus Pontobasileus Tupelocetus Makaracetinae Makaracetus Protocetinae Aegyptocetus Artiocetus Crenatocetus Dhedacetus Gaviacetus Indocetus Kharodacetus Maiacetus Peregocetus Protocetus Qaisracetus Rodhocetus Takracetus Togocetus

Family Remingtonocetidae (Eocene)

Andrewsiphius Attockicetus Dalanistes Kutchicetus Rayanistes Remingtonocetus

Suborder Mysticeti

Family Llanocetidae (Late Eocene-Early Oligocene)

Llanocetus Mystacodon

Family Mammalodontidae (jr synonym Janjucetidae)

(Late Oligocene)

Janjucetus Mammalodon

Family incertae sedis Borealodon Coronodon

Clade Kinetomenta

Family Aetiocetidae (Oligocene)

Aetiocetus Ashorocetus Chonecetus Fucaia Morawanocetus Niparajacetus Salishicetus Willungacetus

Clade Chaeomysticeti Atlanticetus

Family incertae sedis Horopeta Maiabalaena Sitsqwayk Tlaxcallicetus Toipahautea Whakakai

Superfamily Eomysticetoidea

Family Cetotheriopsidae (Oligocene to Miocene)

Cetotheriopsis

Family Eomysticetidae (Oligocene to early Miocene)

Echericetus Eomysticetus Matapanui Micromysticetus Tohoraata Tokarahia Waharoa Yamatocetus

Family Aglaocetidae (Miocene)

Aglaocetus

Superfamily Balaenoidea

Family Balaenidae (Miocene to Recent)

Antwerpibalaena Archaeobalaena Balaena Balaena affinis Balaena arcuata Balaena larteti Balaena macrocephalus Balaena montalionis Balaena ricei Balaenella Balaenotus Balaenula Charadrobalaena Eubalaena (extant) Eubalaena ianitrix Eubalaena shinshuensis Idiocetus Megabalaena Notiocetus Peripolocetus Protobalaena

Family incertae sedis Morenocetus

Clade Thalassotherii Cetotheriomorphus Heterocetus Imerocetus Isocetus Otradnocetus Palaeobalaena Rhegnopsis

Family Cetotheriidae (Miocene - Pliocene) Classification follows Steeman (2007) unless otherwise noted.

Adicetus Brandtocetus Cephalotropis Cetotherium Ciuciulea Eucetotherium Halicetus Herentalia Herpetocetus Hibacetus Joumocetus Kurdalagonus Metopocetus Mithridatocetus Nannocetus Piscobalaena Thinocetus Titanocetus Tiucetus Vampalus Zygiocetus

Family Diorocetidae (Miocene to Pliocene)

Amphicetus Diorocetus Plesiocetopsis Uranocetus

Family Neobalaenidae (Miocene to Recent)

Miocaperea

Family Pelocetidae (Miocene)

Cophocetus Parietobalaena Pelocetus

Family incertae sedis Isanacetus Pinocetus Mauicetus Taikicetus Tiphyocetus

Superfamily Balaenopteroidea

Eobalaenoptera

Family Balaenopteridae (Miocene to Recent)

Archaebalaenoptera Balaenoptera (extant) Balaenoptera bertae Balaenoptera cephalus Balaenoptera colcloughi Balaenoptera davidsonii Balaenoptera siberi Balaenoptera sursiplana Balaenoptera taiwanica "Balaenoptera" cortesii "Balaenoptera" portisi "Balaenoptera" ryani Burtinopsis Cetotheriophanes Fragilicetus Incakujira Marzanoptera Miobalaenoptera Norrisanima Nehalaennia Parabalaenoptera Plesiobalaenoptera Plesiocetus Praemegaptera Protororqualus

Family Eschrichtiidae (Miocene to Recent)

Archaeschrichtius Eschrichtioides Gricetoides Megapteropsis

Family Tranatocetidae Mesocetus Mixocetus Tranatocetus

Family incertae sedis Mioceta (nomen dubium) Piscocetus Siphonocetus (nomen dubium) Tretulias (nomen dubium) Ulias (nomen dubium)

Suborder Odontoceti

Basal forms

Family Agorophiidae (Early Oligocene)

Agorophius

Family Ashleycetidae (Early Oligocene)

Ashleycetus

Family Patriocetidae (Oligocene to Early Miocene)

Patriocetus

Family Simocetidae (Early Oligocene)

Simocetus

Family Xenorophidae (Late Oligocene)

Albertocetus Archaeodelphis Cotylocara Echovenator Inermorostrum Mirocetus Xenorophus

Family Inticetidae Inticetus Phococetus

Family Microzeuglodontidae Microzeuglodon

Family Squaloziphiidae (Late Oligocene to Early Miocene)

Squaloziphius Yaquinacetus

Family incertae sedis Ankylorhiza Agriocetus Atropatenocetus Ediscetus Olympicetus Saurocetus

Superfamily Squalodontoidea

Family Dalpiazinidae (Late Oligocene to Miocene)

Dalpiazina

Family Prosqualodontidae (Late Oligocene-Middle Miocene)

Parasqualodon Prosqualodon

Superfamily Physeteroidea

Family Kogiidae (Miocene to recent)

Aprixokogia Kogia (extant) Kogia pusilla Kogia danomurai Kogiopsis Koristocetus Nanokogia Platyscaphokogia Pliokogia Praekogia Scaphokogia Thalassocetus

Family Physeteridae Cozzuoliphyseter Eophyseter Ferecetotherium Idiophyseter Idiorophus Orycterocetus Physeterula Placoziphius Preaulophyseter Scaldicetus

Family incertae sedis Acrophyseter Albicetus Aulophyseter Brygmophyseter Diaphorocetus Eudelphis Hoplocetus (nomen dubium) Livyatan Miokogia (nomen dubium) Paleophoca (nomen dubium) Prophyseter (nomen dubium) Rhaphicetus Zygophyseter

Superfamily "Eurhinodelphinoidea"

Family Argyrocetidae (Late Oligocene to Early Miocene)

Argyrocetus Chilcacetus Macrodelphinus

Family Eoplatanistidae (Miocene)

Eoplatanista

Family Eurhinodelphinidae (Late Oligocene to Late Miocene)

Ceterhinops Eurhinodelphis Iniopsis Mycteriacetus Phocaenopsis Schizodelphis Vanbreenia Xiphiacetus Ziphiodelphis

Superfamily Platanistoidea Aondelphis Awamokoa Dolgopolis Ensidelphis Perditicetus Urkudelphis

Family Allodelphinidae (Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene)

Allodelphis Arktocara Goedertius Ninjadelphis Zarhinocetus

Family Platanistidae (Early Miocene to Recent)

Araeodelphis Dilophodelphis Pachyacanthus Pomatodelphis Prepomatodelphis Zarhachis

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of extinct cetaceans

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of extinct cetaceans claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of extinct cetaceans before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of extinct cetaceans ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of extinct cetaceans

In research: List of extinct cetaceans appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of extinct cetaceans in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of extinct cetaceans is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cetacean-related lists, Lists of animals, Lists of cetaceans, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of extinct cetaceans outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study List of extinct cetaceans in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what List of extinct cetaceans means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain List of extinct cetaceans out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is List of extinct cetaceans in simple terms?

Why does List of extinct cetaceans matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of extinct cetaceans?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of extinct cetaceans.