Dusignathus santacruzensis is the type species of the extinct walrus genus Dusignathus. Remington Kellogg described the genus in 1927 from fossil material found near the wharf at Santa Cruz, California, where the holotype, a fragmentary skull and a well preserved pair of mandibles, was collected from a cliff. Mitchell later clarified that the type locality lies in the Purisima Formation. Fossils of the genus have been found along the West Coast from California to Isla de Cedros in Mexico, and the Paleobiology Database holds eight collections of this species. Unlike the modern walrus, Dusignathus carried enlarged canine tusks on both the upper and lower jaws.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Living or Extinct Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Dusignathus (Wikipedia)
In Biome
Marine, Biomes Source List of fossil pinnipedimorphs (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Dusignathus (Wikipedia)Discovery and namingQuote, Discovery and naming
based on fossil material from Santa Cruz California
Sources
1. List of fossil pinnipedimorphs (Wikipedia)
LeadQuote, Lead
Pinnipeds are marine mammals that evolved from arctoid carnivorans that includes seals, eared seals, and walruses.
2. Dusignathus (Wikipedia)
Lead
Dusignathus is an extinct genus of walrus belonging to the family Odobenidae.
Discovery and naming
based on fossil material from Santa Cruz California
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