Scaldicetus

Scaldicetus is an extinct genus of highly predatory macroraptorial sperm whale. Although widely used for a number of extinct physeterids with primitive dental morphology consisting of enameled teeth, Scaldicetus as generally recognized appears to be a wastebasket taxon filled with more-or-less unrelated primitive sperm whales.

==Taxonomy== thumb|left|Scaldicetus caretti vertebrae Scaldicetus is known from the Miocene to Pleistocene deposits of Western Europe, the U.S. (California, Florida, Maryland, Virginia), Baja Peninsula, Peru, New South Wales, and Japan. However, Scaldicetus is probably a grade taxon, and fossil teeth assigned to it (largely due to the lack of distinguishing characteristics in fossil teeth alone) probably represent more-or-less unrelated sperm whales united by their primitive characteristics rather than actual ancestry. Consequently, this would inflate the genus's distribution.