Denebola brachycephala

This article is about an extinct whale. For other uses, see Denebola (disambiguation).

Denebola brachycephala Temporal range: Late Miocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
D. brachycephala and Praekogia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	Monodontidae
Genus:	† Denebola Barnes, 1984
Species:	†D. brachycephala
Binomial name
†Denebola brachycephala Barnes, 1984 [1]

Denebola is an extinct genus of whale belonging to the family Monodontidae. It contains a single known species, Denebola brachycephala. It is the earliest known ancestor of the beluga, Delphinapterus leucas, and dates from the Upper Miocene period. ^[2] A fossil was found in the Baja California peninsula, indicating that the family once existed in warmer waters. ^[3]

References

1. Barnes, Lawrence G. (1984). "Fossil odontocetes (Mammalia: Cetacea) from the Almejas Formation, Isla Cedros, Mexico". PaleoBios. 42: 13–17.
2. ZipcodeZoo.com. "Denebola brachycephala". Archived from the original on 2012-08-20. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
3. William F. Perrin; Bernd G. Würsig; J. G. M. Thewissen (2009). Encyclopedia of marine mammals (2 ed.). Academic Press. p. 214. ISBN   978-0-12-373553-9.