Prototaria primigena

Prototaria primigena is the type species of Prototaria, an extinct genus of pinniped in the walrus family Odobenidae that lived in what is now Japan during the Middle Miocene, roughly 16 to 14 million years ago. Members of the genus are believed to be the most basal imagotariine pinnipeds, so they sit near the base of the walrus family tree. Unlike the living walrus, which feeds mostly on shellfish, Prototaria were primarily piscivorous carnivores. They looked more like modern fur seals and sea lions than walruses, with a slender build and no long tusks. Fossils of the species come from Fukui Prefecture in Japan.