Dorudon

Dorudon atrox, skeletal reconstruction in the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt am Main.

• Fayum (Egypt)
• Tunisia
• South Carolina ( USA)

Dorudon ( Syn: Prozeuglodon ) was a primitive early whale that lived in the Middle Eocene. Fossils were found in the Fayoum Oasis in Egypt, Tunisia and South Carolina. Dorudon came afterwards before in the western Atlantic and the Tethys. There are two valid species: D. atrox from North Africa and D. serratus from South Carolina. All other described species were synonymized with them.

Features

Dorudon reached a length of five meters, where the skull was 60 centimeters long. The skull was not particularly elongated, the brain was relatively small, a melon organ was missing. His dentition was heterodont, the back teeth with serrated edges provided. The neck was still relatively long and flexible, provided the pelvic region is long and strong muscles. The spine of the caudal pedicle was not tapered. Probably Dorudon had a Fluke that has not fossil preserved. The upper arm bone (humerus ) was much longer than the radius, the elbow joint movement. The front leg bones were thin and spongy, converted the front legs to fins. In contrast to today's whales Dorudon had fully formed but small hind legs. They had no contact with the pelvis. Compared with extant whales Dorudon was probably a poor swimmer.

System

Dorudon is related to the 18-meter- long nascent Eocene whale Basilosaurus and how that belongs to the family of Basilosauridae. Within the Basilosauridae Dorudon forms with some other smaller species, the subfamily of Dorudontinae.