Eophyseter damarcoi

Eophyseter damarcoi is an extinct sperm whale from the Pliocene of Italy and the only known species of the genus Eophyseter. Its remains were found in the Sabbie d'Asti Formation in the municipality of Vigliano d'Asti. The holotype, catalogued as MGPT-PU 13864, is a relatively complete partial skeleton that includes most of the vertebral column, part of the left flipper and the breastbone, fifteen ribs and a chevron bone. The genus name combines Ancient Greek words for dawn and blower, and the species name honours Piero Damarco, who helped prepare the specimen. A phylogenetic analysis by Michelangelo Bisconti and colleagues places it in the family Physeteridae, as sister to Idiophyseter and a close relative of Aulophyseter and the living sperm whale. Using equations derived from living sperm whales, they estimated its body length in life at about 15 metres.