Protodobenus japonicus is an extinct species of walrus described by Horikawa in 1995 from fossils found in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The Paleobiology Database dates the record to the Zanclean stage of the early Pliocene, between about 5.3 and 3.6 million years ago, and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility lists it as an accepted species of the family Odobenidae. The English Wikipedia article on the walrus family places the genus Protodobenus in the subfamily Odobeninae, the lineage that also holds the living walrus and the extinct genera Aivukus, Ontocetus, Pliopedia and Valenictus. The pages read here say little more about its anatomy or way of life, so this entry records only its identity, age, place and position in the family.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Living or Extinct Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Odobenidae (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 Paleobiology Database: Paleobiology Database occurrences of Protodobenus japonicusOccurrence list, Niigata, JapanQuote, Occurrence list, Niigata, Japan
Niigata Prefecture, central Japan.
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. Odobenidae (Wikipedia)
TaxonomyQuote, Taxonomy
All genera except Odobenus are extinct.
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