Dalanistes fossil map
Where fossils of Dalanistes 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 | Remingtonocetidae |
| Named by | Gingerich et al. 1995 |
| Fossil records | 6 occurrences at 3 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Pakistan, India |
| Rock formations | Domanda, Harudi |
About Dalanistes
Dalanistes is an extinct genus of remingtonocetid early whale known from the late-early Eocene (Lutetian, 48.6 to 40.4 million years ago) of Kutch, India and Punjab and Balochistan, Pakistan. Dalanistes is closely related to Remingtonocetus (the type genus of Remingtonocetidae, a slightly more derived family of early whales), but also shares several features with Ambulocetus (the type of Ambulocetidae, earlier more primitive whales), and, with its combination of terrestrial and amphibious adaptations, Dalanistes apparently is an intermediate form between these two groups. Isotopic evidence suggest that Dalanistes had a marine diet.
Dalanistes is known from several localities and collections. The holotype is a skull and a postcranial skeleton. Additional fossils referred to Dalanistes include crania, several vertebrae and sacra, possible caudals, one side of the pelvis, and a distal femur. The alveoli is all that is left of the dentition, but the dental formula apparently was 3.1.4.33.1.4.3.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Dalanistes (revision 1255648192), 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: Q18580365.
