Crenatocetus fossil map
Where fossils of Crenatocetus 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 | 41.03–37.71 million years ago (Bartonian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Protocetidae |
| Named by | McLeod and Barnes 2008 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States |
| Rock formations | Castle Hayne |
About Crenatocetus
Crenatocetus (from Latin: crena, "notch", and cetus, "whale") is an extinct genus of protocetid early whale containing one species, Crenatocetus rayi, that lived along the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the United States during the Lutetian in the late middle Eocene. The species is named in honour of paleontologist Clayton E. Ray, former curator at the National Museum of Natural History.
The skull is estimated to be 75 cm (30 in) long, which makes Crenatocetus a mid-sized protocetid. Georgiacetus (from Georgia) is an older and more primitive close relative, while Pappocetus (from Nigeria) is a younger and more derived relative.
The holotype USNM 392014, recovered in 1985 in a truck load of "marine marl" probably transported from New Bern, North Carolina, is two incomplete dentaries with a left P4 and broken M1-3; a right partial P4, partial M1-2, and a complete M3. The type locality is the Martin Marietta New Bern Quarry, Craven County, North Carolina (35.1°N 77.1°W / 35.1; -77.1, paleocoordinates 35.1°N 66.4°W / 35.1; -66.4).
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Crenatocetus (revision 1255642761), 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: Q16752130.
