Kingdom Animalia Order Artiodactyla Scientific name Whippomorpha Higher classification Cetancodontamorpha | Phylum Chordata Clade Cetancodontamorpha Height Hippopotamus: 1.5 m | |
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Suborder Whippomorpha
Waddell et al. 1999 Lifespan Hippopotamus: 40 – 50 years, Sperm whale: 70 years Mass Hippopotamus: 1,500 – 1,800 kg, Sperm whale: 15,000 kg Gestation period Hippopotamus: 243 days Lower classifications Cetaceans, Hippopotamuses | ||
Whippomorpha is the clade containing the Cetacea (whales, dolphins, etc.) and their closest living relatives, the hippopotamuses, named by Waddell et al. (1999). It is defined as a crown group, including all species that are descendants of the most recent common ancestor of Hippopotamus amphibius and Tursiops truncatus. This would be a sub-grouping of the Cetartiodactyla (which also includes pigs and ruminants). It is not clear how recently whales and hippos share a common ancestor, though the genetic evidence is strong that the cetaceans arose from within the Artiodactyla, thus making the even-toed ungulate grouping a paraphyletic one.
Whippomorpha is a mixture of English (wh[ale] + hippo[potamus]) and Greek (μορφή, morphe = form). Attempts have been made to rename the clade Cetancodonta but Whippomorpha maintains precedent.