Meherrinia is an extinct genus of inioid river dolphin known from the Meherrin River in North Carolina, in the United States. It was first described in 2012, and only one species is known, Meherrinia isoni. In most respects the animal was intermediate in form between the living Amazon river dolphin and the La Plata dolphin, although it is probably more closely related to the former. The fossil was found in what are believed to be marine deposits dating from the late Miocene, even though the Amazon river dolphin is an exclusively freshwater species, so as of 2012 Meherrinia was the only known marine genus of the family Iniidae, though others have since been discovered.
Facts
Taxonomic Rank Member Count Band Era First Appeared Classification
Living or Extinct Connections
Child Taxon Of
Parent Taxon Of
Source Meherrinia (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Meherrinia (Wikipedia)Lead, localityQuote, Lead, locality
North Carolina, in the United States
Sources
1. Paleobiology Database: Taxon record for Meherrinia
Paleobiology DatabaseTaxon record, rank
"rnk": 5
Taxon record, extinct flag
"ext": "0"
Taxon record, earliest interval
"tei": "Zanclean"
View the Source 2. Meherrinia (Wikipedia)
Lead, locality
North Carolina, in the United States
Lead, species count
Only one species is known
Child Taxon Of: Iniidae, Lead
the only known marine genus of the family Iniidae
In Group: Cetacean Genera, Lead, group placement
inioid river dolphin
Parent Taxon Of: Meherrinia isoni, Lead, species
Only one species is known
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