Pachycetus fossil map
Where fossils of Pachycetus 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 | 56–23.04 million years ago (Ypresian to Chattian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Basilosauridae |
| Named by | Van Beneden 1883 |
| Fossil records | 94 occurrences at 38 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Ukraine, Germany, United States, Russia, Netherlands, Western Sahara, United Kingdom, Peru, Egypt |
| Rock formations | txn:42936, Gehlberg, Kiev, Castle Hayne, Kharkov, Aridal |
About Pachycetus
Pachycetus (from Ancient Greek παχύς (pakhús), meaning "thick", and Latin cetus, meaning "whale") is an extinct genus of pachycetine basilosaurid from Middle Eocene of the eastern United States (North Carolina & Virginia) and Europe (chiefly Germany and Ukraine). The best known remains generally suggest that Pachycetus lived during the Bartonian, however, fossil finds have also been recovered from sediments of less certain age that could suggest that it may have also lived during the Late Lutetian and Early Priabonian. Pachycetus is primarily known from vertebrae and ribs and is characterized by its highly osteosclerotic and pachyostotic skeleton. This means the bones not only featured thickened rings of cortical bone surrounding the internal cancellous bone, but the cortical bone was furthermore much denser than in other basilosaurids. Two species of Pachycetus are recognized: Pachycetus paulsonii from Europe and Pachycetus wardii from the United States. A third species might be represented by "Zeuglodon" wanklyni.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Pachycetus (revision 1357436287), 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: Q115804652.
