Supayacetus

Supayacetus is an extinct genus of basilosaurid cetacean from Middle Eocene (Bartonian stage) deposits of southern Peru.

Supayacetus Temporal range: Middle Eocene (Divisaderan) ~40.4–37.2 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Ocucajea (top), S. muizoni (below)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	†Basilosauridae
Genus:	†Supayacetus Uhen et al. 2011
Species:	†S. muizoni
Binomial name
†Supayacetus muizoni Uhen et al. 2011

Etymology

The genus is named after Supay, the Incan god of death, and ketos Greek for whale.[1]

Description

Supayacetus is known from the holotype MUSM 1465, a partial skeleton. As Ocucajea, it was collected in the Archaeocete Valley site, from the Paracas Formation of the Pisco Basin about 40.4 to 37.2 million years ago.[2] It was named by Uhen et al. 2011 and the type species S. muizoni honours palaeontologist Christian de Muizon who has contributed considerably to Peruvian palaeontology.[3]

Distinguishing characters of Supayacetus include: a T-shaped manubrium with a rod-shaped process; cheek teeth with accessory denticles; a broad scapula with a large infraspinous fossa; humerus with large and hemispherical head, well-defined proximal tuberosities, a long deltopectoral crest, and a broad shaft. Compared to other basilosaurids, Supayacetus is larger than Protocetus but its skull and vertebrae are smaller than in other basilosaurids. [4]

References

1. Uhen et al. 2011, Etymology, p. 960
2. Supayacetus at Fossilworks.org
3. Uhen et al. 2011, Etymology, p. 963
4. Uhen et al. 2011, Diagnosis, p. 960

Bibliography

• Uhen, Mark D.; Pyenson, Nicholas D.; Devries, Thomas J.; Urbina, Mario; Renne, Paul R. (2011). "New Middle Eocene Whales from the Pisco Basin of Peru". Journal of Paleontology. 85 (5): 955–69. doi:10.1666/10-162.1. hdl:10088/17509. OCLC 802202947.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)