| Pontolis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Skull (LACM 162551) ofP. barroni,Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Clade: | Pinnipedia |
| Family: | Odobenidae |
| Genus: | †Pontolis True, 1905 |
| Type species | |
| †Pontolis magnus True, 1905 | |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
Pontoleon magnus True, 1905 | |
Pontolis is an extinct genus of largewalrus. It contained three species,P. magnus,P. barroni, andP. kohnoi.[1][2]Like allpinnipeds,Pontolis was a heavily built amphibious carnivore.Pontolis lived along the Pacific coast of North America along what is now the western coasts ofCalifornia andOregon between 11.608 and 5.332 million years ago, during theMiocene andPliocene.[1]
The skull ofPontolis is 60 cm (24 in) long, surpassing skulls of any other prehistoric pinnipeds and twice as big as the skulls of modern male walruses.[3] This giant species was much larger than modern walrus, though like many other extinct walrus species, its upper canines did not develop into long tusks like those of the modern walrus.Pontolis reached more than 4 m (13 ft) in body length,[4] rivaling the extantsouthern elephant seal as the largest pinniped[5] and member of the orderCarnivora of all time. Weight estimates forPontolis range between 2,000 to 4,000 kg (4,400 to 8,800 lb).[6]
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