Miocene cetaceans

Eschrichtiidae or the gray whales is a family of baleen whale (Parvorder Mysticeti) with a single extant species, the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), as well as four described fossil genera: Archaeschrichtius (Miocene), Glaucabalaena and Eschrichtioides (Pliocene) from Italy, and Gricetoides from the Pliocene of North Carolina. Some phylogenetic studies have found this family to be invalid, with its members nesting inside of the clade Balaenopteridae. The names of the extant genus and the family honours Danish zoologist Daniel Eschricht.

Odobenocetops () is an extinct genus of small toothed whale known from Chile and Peru. Its fossils are found in Miocene-aged marine strata of the Bahía Inglesa Formation and Pisco Formation. Two species of Odobenocetops are currently recognized, O. peruvianus and the slightly younger O. leptodon.

Livyatan is an extinct genus of macroraptorial sperm whale containing one known species: L. melvillei. The genus name was inspired by the biblical sea monster Leviathan, and the species name by Herman Melville, the author of the famous novel Moby-Dick about a white bull sperm whale. Herman Melville often referred to whales as "Leviathans" in his book. It is mainly known from the Pisco Formation of Peru during the Tortonian stage of the Miocene epoch, about 9.9–8.9 million years ago (mya); however, finds of isolated teeth from other locations such as Chile, Argentina, the United States (Califor

Cetotherium ("whale beast") is an extinct genus of baleen whales from the family Cetotheriidae.

Squalodon is an extinct genus of whales of the Oligocene and Miocene epochs, belonging to the family Squalodontidae. Named by Jean-Pierre Sylvestre de Grateloup in 1840, it was originally believed to be an iguanodontid dinosaur but has since been reclassified. The name Squalodon comes from Squalus, a genus of shark. As a result, its name means "shark tooth". Its closest modern relatives are the 2 species of the genus Platanista ( the Ganges river dolphin and Indus river dolphin).

Acrophyseter is a genus of extinct sperm whale that lived in the Late Miocene off the coast of what is now Peru. The genus comprises two species: A. deinodon and A. robustus. It is part of a group of macroraptorial sperm whales that all share several features for hunting large prey, such as deeply rooted and thick teeth. Acrophyseter measured in length, making it the smallest macroraptorial sperm whale currently known. Because of its short pointed snout and strongly curved front teeth, it probably fed on the marine vertebrates of its time, such as seals and other whales.

Brygmophyseter, known as the biting sperm whale, is an extinct genus of toothed whale in the sperm whale family with one species, B. shigensis. When it was first described in 1994, the species was placed in the genus Scaldicetus based on tooth morphology, but this was later revised in 2006. A month later since the naming of Brygmophyseter, another study classified this species into the genus Naganocetus, which is considered to be a junior synonym. The only known specimen, a nearly complete skeleton, was dated to be around 16–15 million years old (middle Miocene). The Brygmophyseter holotype is

Kentriodon is an extinct genus of toothed whale related to modern-day dolphins. Fossils have been found in North America, Europe and Japan. Several species have been described.

Kentriodontidae is an extinct family of odontocete whales related to modern dolphins. The Kentriodontidae lived from the Oligocene to the Pliocene before going extinct.

Zygophyseter is an extinct genus of sperm whale that lived during the Tortonian age of the Late Miocene 11.2 to 7.6 million years ago. The genus contains a single species, Zygophyseter varolai, known from a single specimen from the Pietra Leccese Formation in Italy. It was a member of a stem group of fossil macroraptorial sperm whales (often shortened to "raptorial") also including Brygmophyseter, Acrophyseter, and Livyatan. It probably grew to be around in length and shared some characteristics with other raptorials, such as large teeth with tooth enamel that were functional in both the upper

Eurhinodelphis ("well-nosed dolphin") is an extinct genus of Miocene cetacean. Its fossils have been found in Belgium, France, and Maryland.

Prosqualodon is an extinct genus of Early to Middle Miocene cetacean from Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Venezuela.

Eobalaenoptera is an extinct genus of baleen whale belonging to Balaenopteroidea.

Aglaocetus is a genus of extinct baleen whales known from the Miocene of Patagonia, the US Eastern Seaboard, Japan and the Low Countries. It was once considered a member of Cetotheriidae along with many other putative cetotheres, but was recently recognized as representing a distinct family from true Cetotheriidae.

Orycterocetus is an extinct genus of sperm whale from the Miocene of the northern Atlantic Ocean.

Aulophyseter is an extinct genus of sperm whales from the subfamily Physeterinae that existed during the Miocene.

Parapontoporia is an extinct genus of lipotoid dolphin that lived during the Late Miocene to the Pliocene epochs. This genus can be found attributed across the North American coast of the Pacific Ocean. Fossils have been found in Tulare Formation of California and the Almejas Formation of Mexico.

Parietobalaena is an extinct genus of baleen whale, belonging to the family Pelocetidae. Fossils are found in Miocene-aged marine strata in North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan, including the Temblor and Itahashi formations. Based on previous estimates of juvenile specimens, Tsai (2017) suggested a body size of 12-15 m for P. yamaokai, akin to that of the gray whale.thumb|left|Mandible with tooth marks from megalodon thumb|left|Life restoration of Parietobalaena yamaokai and calf

Isthminia (named after the Republic of Panama and its people) is a genus of medium-sized river dolphin cetaceans that lived during the Late Miocene epoch in what is now the coasts of Panama, about 6.1 million to 5.8 million years ago. The type species is I. panamensis, known from the littoral Chagres Formation.

Allodelphis is an extinct genus of whale belonging to Allodelphinidae found in marine deposits of the eastern North Pacific.

Mesocetus is an extinct genus of baleen whale from the Miocene of Europe and North America.

Allodelphinidae is a family of primitive platanistoid river dolphins found in marine deposits in the eastern North Pacific region, Alaska, and Japan.

Diorocetus is an extinct genus of baleen whale, belonging to the family Diorocetidae. Fossils are found in Miocene-aged marine strata in North America and Japan. alt=fossil skull of baleen whale Diorocetus hiatus|left|thumb|Diorocetus hiatus skull

thumb|left|Jaw

thumb|left|Skull

Eomysticetidae is a family of extinct mysticetes belonging to Chaeomysticeti (toothless mysticetes). It is one of two families in the basal chaeomysticete clade Eomysticetoidea (the other being Cetotheriopsidae).

Brandtocetus is a genus of cetotheriid mysticete in the subfamily Cetotheriinae. The type and only species is Brandtocetus chongulek from the late Miocene (Tortonian) of the Kerch Peninsula in Crimea.

Meherrinia is an extinct genus of inioid river dolphin from the Meherrin River, North Carolina, in the United States. First described in 2012, the dolphin is, in most respects, intermediate in form between the living Amazon river dolphin and the La Plata dolphin, although it is probably more closely related to the former. However, the fossil was discovered in what are believed to be marine deposits, dating from the late Miocene, whereas the Amazon river dolphin is an exclusively freshwater species. Meherrinia therefore was, as of 2012, the only known marine genus of the family Iniidae, althoug

Xiphiacetus is an extinct genus of cetacean known from the Miocene (early Burdigalian to late Tortonian, of Europe and the U.S. East Coast.

Diaphorocetus is an extinct genus of odontocete cetacean belonging to Physeteroidea. Its remains were found in the Monte León Formation of Argentina, dating to the Early Miocene.

Physeterula was a prehistoric close relative of the sperm whale that lived in Europe and the United States during the Late Miocene-Early Pleistocene.

Globicetus is an extinct genus of ziphiidae cetaceans, with one species, G. hiberus, from the Miocene of Portugal and Spain. The holotype is a skull in the Museu da Lourinhã, in Portugal. G. hiberus is notable for having a large, spherical mass of bone on its rostrum.

Cophocetus is an extinct genus of baleen whale known from Miocene-aged marine strata in Oregon, North America.

Parabalaenoptera is an extinct genus of baleen whale found in Late Miocene sediments in Marin County, California. The type species is P. baulinensis. It was estimated to be about the size of the modern gray whale, about long. Zeigler placed P. baulinensis in the subfamily Parabalaenopterinae in 1997, a clade which includes an extinct species of rorqual whales, also part of the Balaenopteridae family.

Idiocetus ("unique whale") is a genus of extinct cetaceans of the family Balaenidae.

Macrodelphinus is an extinct genus of primitive odontocete known from Early Miocene marine deposits in California.

Morenocetus is an extinct genus of primitive balaenid from the Early Miocene (Burdigalian and Colhuehuapian in the SALMA classification) Gaiman Formation of Patagonia, Argentina.