Izikoziphius rossi

Izikoziphius rossi
Fossilized skull of I. rossi
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Suborder:	Whippomorpha
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	Ziphiidae
Genus:	† Izikoziphius
Species:	†I. rossi
Binomial name
†Izikoziphius rossi Bianucci et al., 2007 [1]

Izikoziphius rossi is an extinct species of beaked whale in the genus Izikoziphius . ^{[1] [2]}

Etymology

Izikoziphius rossi is named after Dr. Graham James Berry Ross from the Port Elizabeth Museum in South Africa. ^{[2] [3]}

Description

Izikoziphius rossi has a rostrum length of 490-530 millimeters, and a width and height of 94-155 and 84-100 millimeters, respectively. It differs from I. angustus in having a rostrum with a mid-length width more than that of its mid-length height. The base of its rostrum is also wider. ^[2]

Its premaxilla is longer anteriorly than its maxilla, while its alveolar groove is either absent or much reduced.

References

1. "†Izikoziphius rossi Bianucci et al. 2007 (beaked whale)". Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
2. Bianucci, Giovanni; Lambert, Olivier; Post, Klaas (31 December 2007). "A high diversity in fossil beaked whales (Mammalia, Odontoceti, Ziphiidae) recovered by trawling from the sea floor off South Africa". Geodiversitas. 29 (4). Biodiversity Literature Repository: 561–618. doi:10.5281/zenodo.4651080 . Retrieved 4 July 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
3. Plön, Stephanie; Hofmeyr, G. J. Greg; Cockcroft, Victor G.; Shaughnessy, Peter; Kemper, Catherine M.; Beesley, Pamela L. (October 2017). "Graham James Berry Ross 1945–2017". Marine Mammal Science. 33 (4): 1255–1263. doi:10.1111/mms.12455 . Retrieved 4 July 2025.