| Nalacetus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | †Pakicetidae |
| Genus: | †Nalacetus Thewissen & Hussain 1998 |
| Species: | †N. ratimitus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Nalacetus ratimitus | |
Nalacetus is an extinctpakicetidearly whale, fossils of which have been found inLutetianred beds inPunjab, Pakistan (33°36′N72°12′E / 33.6°N 72.2°E /33.6; 72.2, paleocoordinates14°18′N68°18′E / 14.3°N 68.3°E /14.3; 68.3).[1][2]Nalacetus lived in a fresh water environment, was amphibious, and carnivorous. It was consideredmonophyletic byCooper, Thewissen & Hussain 2009.[1]It was said to bewolf-sized and one of the earliest forms of the orderCetacea.
Nalacetus is known mostly from dental remains from the Lutetian of theKala Chitta Hill, Punjab, Pakistan:[3]
In the cheek teeth ofPakicetus, the protocone lobe increases from the first molar to the third. InNalacetus, in contrast, the protocone lobe is larger in the first molar than in the second.[3]
