| Waipatiids | |
|---|---|
| Reconstructed skull of the waipatiidOtekaikea marplesi | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Parvorder: | Odontoceti |
| Family: | †Waipatiidae Fordyce, 1994 |
| Genera | |
Waipatiidae is an extinctfamily ofodontocetes currently known from theOligocene of the Pacific Ocean and possibly Europe and theCaucasus.
Waipatiidae was coined byFordyce (1994) to include his new taxonWaipatia, and he also considered the generaMicrocetus,Sachalinocetus, andSulakocetus to be possible waipatiids.[1] The taxon"Prosqualodon" marplesi was recognized in the 2010s as being a member of Waipatiidae and given its own genus,Otekaikea.[2][3][4]