Acrophyseter
Acrophyseter is a genus of extinct sperm whales that lived in the Late Miocene off the coast of Peru comprising two species: A. deinodon and A. robustus. It is part of a group of macroraptorial sperm whales which all shared several features for the purpose of hunting large prey, such as deeply rooted and thick teeth. Acrophyseter measured 4–4.5 metres (13–15 ft), making it the smallest raptorial sperm whale. Because of its short pointed snout, and its strong curved front teeth, it probably fed on the large marine vertebrates of its time, such as seals and other whales.
| Acrophyseter | |
|---|---|
| Holotype skull of A. deinodon | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Superfamily: | Physeteroidea |
| Family: | incertae sedis |
| Genus: | †Acrophyseter Lambert, Bianucci & Muizon, 2008 |
| Type species | |
| †Acrophyseter deinodon | |
| Species | |
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