Fucaia

Fucaia Temporal range: Oligocene
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Suborder:	Whippomorpha
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	† Aetiocetidae
Genus:	† Fucaia Marx, Tsai, and Fordyce, 2015
Type species
†Fucaia buelli
Species
†F. buelli †F. goedertorum †F. humilis [1]

Fucaia is an extinct genus of primitive baleen whale belonging to the family Aetiocetidae that is known from Oligocene and latest Eocene marine deposits on Vancouver Island, Canada, the Olympic Peninsula, Washington State, and Oregon. ^[2]

Taxonomy

Three species are now recognized; F. buelli, F. goedertorum (Barnes et al. 1995), and F. humilis. Fucaiahumilis is latest Eocene in age and thus the oldest mysticete in the Northern Hemisphere, F. buelli is of early Oligocene (Rupelian) age, while F. goedertorum is younger. The latter was originally described as a species of Chonecetus before it was recognized as more closely related to buelli than to the Chonecetus type species. ^{[3] [4]}

Palaeobiology

The tooth structure of Fucaia indicates that it was capable of both raptorial feeding and suction-feeding, like other aetiocetids. Analysis of the cranium and postcranium of F. goedertorum has confirmed that the species was a suction-assisted raptorial feeder. ^[5]

Sister taxa

• Aetiocetus
• Ashorocetus
• Chonecetus
• Morawanocetus
• Willungacetus

References

1. Tsai, Cheng-Hsiu; Goedert, James L.; Boessenecker, Robert W. (2024-03-28). "The oldest mysticete in the Northern Hemisphere". Current Biology. 34: 1–7. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.011 .
2. "Data on the geographic and temporal distribution of cetacean genera". Paleo-Electronica.org. February 2007. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
3. F. G. Marx, C.-H. Tsai, and R. E. Fordyce. 2015. A new Early Oligocene toothed ‘baleen’ whale (Mysticeti: Aetiocetidae) from western North America: one of the oldest and the smallest. Royal Society Open Science 2(12):150476
4. L. G. Barnes, M. Kimura, H. Furusawa and H. Sawamura. 1995. Classification and distribution of Oligocene Aetiocetidae (Mammalia; Cetacea; Mysticeti) from western North America and Japan. The Island Arc 3(4):392-431
5. Hernández Cisneros, Atzcalli E.; Velez-Juarbe, Jorge (3 May 2024). "Morphology of the toothed mysticete Fucaia goedertorum and a reassessment of Aetiocetidae (Cetacea, Mysticeti)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 44 (3). doi:10.1080/02724634.2024.2436924. ISSN   0272-4634 . Retrieved 21 June 2025– via Taylor and Francis Online.