Carolinacetus fossil map
Where fossils of Carolinacetus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 45 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 45 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 48.07–37.71 million years ago (Lutetian to Bartonian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Protocetidae |
| Named by | Geisler et al. 2005 |
| Fossil records | 6 occurrences at 3 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Senegal, Togo |
| Rock formations | Tupelo Bay, Taiba, txn:42934 |
About Carolinacetus
Carolinacetus is an extinct protocetid early whale found in the Bartonian aged Tupelo Bay Formation (33.3°N 79.7°W / 33.3; -79.7, paleocoordinates 33.3°N 70.9°W / 33.3; -70.9) in Berkeley County, South Carolina.
Carolinacetus is known from an incomplete cranium with portions of the right inner ear, a detached rostrum, and parts of both mandibles with 11 teeth. Preserved from the postcranium are 13 vertebrae and 15 ribs. The holotype was collected in 1994.
Several anatomical features identifies Carolinacetus as a protocetid including: external nares are located above the canine, the supraoccipital (in cetaceans, the part of the occipital bone located above the foramen magnum and directed backwards) is narrow and tubular, accessory cusps absent on M3, a broad connection between the ectotympanic bulla and the falciform process of the squamosal, axis vertebra with large vertebral foramen.
In Carolinacetus the naral openings are located in front of P1, making it the most basal North American cetacean. Carolinacetus is distinct from other North American cetaceans, it is 8–15% larger than Georgiacetus and differs from it in several cranial characters.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Carolinacetus (revision 1373865051), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q14709489.
