Incakujira fossil map
Where fossils of Incakujira have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 5 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 5 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 | 11.63–5.333 million years ago (Tortonian to Messinian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Balaenopteridae |
| Named by | Marx and Kohno 2016 |
| Fossil records | 6 occurrences at 3 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Peru, Mexico |
| Rock formations | Pisco, Trinidad |
About Incakujira
Incakujira (meaning Inca whale) is a genus of rorqual whales that lived during the Late Miocene epoch in what are now the coasts of Peru, about 8 million to 7.3 million years ago. It contains two species, Incakujira anillodefuego and Incakujira fordycei, both from the Aguada de Lomas locality of the Pisco Formation. The type species, I. anillodefuego, was named and described in 2016 while the second species was described in 2024. All currently known specimens are immature, representing old calves to subadults, though already of significant size. The largest specimen of I. anillodefuego measures a total of 8.25 m (27.1 ft) while the holotype of I. fordycei, which is skeletally younger, has been estimated to have reached a total length of up to 10.47 m (34.4 ft), suggesting that the species may have been larger on average.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Incakujira (revision 1377821009), 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: Q48966039.
