Squalodon

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).

== Description == left|thumb|Reconstruction of S. calvertensis Species of Squalodon are odontocetes that lived during the late Oligocene into the middle Miocene, about 28 to 15 million years ago. The genus Squalodon belongs to the order Odontoceti, the toothed whales. Their name is derived from the term Squalus because their cheek teeth were thought to resemble the teeth of a Squalus shark. The largest species, Squalodon whitmorei, reached up to 5.5 meters in length. The unique-looking squalodontids were likely distributed throughout the world in warm waters during the Oligocene and Miocene. Squalodontidae became extinct in the middle of the Miocene, leaving no descendants. Hypotheses of why this family lead to extinction have to deal with competition of other groups of dolphins as well as climate change.