Pterocetus fossil map
Where fossils of Pterocetus 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 | 23.04 million years ago to the present (Aquitanian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Ziphiidae |
| Named by | Bianucci et al. 2007 |
| Fossil records | 8 occurrences at 4 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | South Africa, O6 |
| Rock formations | txn:42951 |
About Pterocetus
Pterocetus is an extinct genus of beaked whale (family Ziphiidae) known from the Early Pliocene. The genus contains two species: the type species, Pterocetus benguelae, named in 2007, and a second species, Pterocetus diamantinae, named in 2026. Both are known from partial skulls collected from the seafloor. Fossils of P. benguelae were trawled from the Atlantic Ocean near Saldanha Bay on the west coast of South Africa. Fossils of P. diamantinae were collected from the a depth of 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) in the Diamantina fracture zone of the Indian Ocean, west of Cape Lewin, Australia.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Pterocetus (revision 1358799435), 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: Q21356488.
