Cophocetus fossil map
Where fossils of Cophocetus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 15 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 15 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 | 20.45–11.63 million years ago (Burdigalian to Serravallian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Cetotheriidae |
| Named by | Packard and Kellogg 1934 |
| Fossil records | 8 occurrences at 4 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States |
| Rock formations | Astoria, Vaqueros |
About Cophocetus
Cophocetus is an extinct monotypic genus of baleen whale known from Miocene-aged marine strata in Oregon, North America.
Together with its type species C. oregonensis, it was described in 1934 by Earl Leroy Packard and Remington Kellogg.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Cophocetus (revision 1352507091), 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: Q3691007.
