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Waipatia facts for kids

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Waipatia
Temporal range: Late Oligocene
Megalampris and Waipatia.jpg
The fish Megalampris (above) and W. maerewhenua (below)
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Parvorder: Odontoceti
Superfamily: Platanistoidea (?)
Family: Waipatiidae
Fordyce, 1994
Genus: Waipatia
Fordyce, 1994
Species
  • W. maerewhenua Fordyce, 1994
  • W. hectori (Benham, 1935)
Synonyms
  • Microcetus hectori Benham, 1935

Waipatia is an extinct genus of whale from the late Oligocene (Chattian) of New Zealand.

Taxonomy

The type species, Waipatia maerewhenua is known from a single skull found near 45° South in Otago . The second species, W. hectori, was originally named Microcetus hectori in 1935, but later recognized as distinct from Microcetus. "Uncamentodon" was informally coined for M. hectori in a table by Rothausen in a 1970 paper, but the lack of a diagnosis or description made it a nomen nudum. Finally in 2015, M. hectori was recognized as a second species of Waipatia based on preparation of additional material included in the holotype.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Waipatia para niños

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