Neha Patil (Editor)

Meherrinia

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Kingdom
  
Animalia

Infraorder
  
Cetacea

Phylum
  
Chordata

Order
  
Even-toed ungulate

Class
  
Mammalia

Superfamily
  
Inioidea

Rank
  
Genus

Similar
  
Parapontoporia, Miocaperea, Cetotheriopsis

Meherrinia is an extinct genus of inioid river dolphin from the Meherrin River, North Carolina, in the United States. First described in 2012, the dolphin is, in most respects, intermediate in form between the living Amazon river dolphin and the La Plata dolphin, although it is probably more closely related to the former. However, the fossil was discovered in what are believed to be marine deposits, dating from the late Miocene, whereas the Amazon river dolphin is an exclusively freshwater species. Meherrinia therefore may be, as of 2012, the only known marine genus of the family Iniidae. Only one species is known.

References

Meherrinia Wikipedia