Family Physeteridae Rank Genus | Phylum Chordata Order Even-toed ungulate | |
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Scaldicetus is an extinct genus of toothed cetacean related to sperm whales. Although widely used for a number of extinct physeterids with primitive dental morphology consisting of enameled teeth, Scaldicetus as generally recognized appears to be a paraphyletic assemblage of primitive physeteroids.
Taxonomy
The name Scaldicetus caretti was coined in 1867 for numerous physeteroid teeth collected in Neogene deposits near Antwerp, Belgium. Synonyms of Scaldicetus include Palaeodelphis, Homocetus, and Eucetus. The genus Physodon Gervais 1872 was previously considered a synonym, but it has been recently considered a nomen dubium.
"Ontocetus" oxymycterus, described from the middle Miocene (Langhian) of Santa Barbara, California, was assigned to Scaldicetus in 2008, but was subsequently made the type of a new genus, Albicetus.