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Class Mammalia
Order Cetacea
Suborder Mysticeti
Suborder Odontoceti

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Order Cetacea—Whales

The Order Cetacea includes the whales, obligately aquatic animals that are mostly marine, and thus whale fossils are primarily found in marine sediments. There are two suborders: the Mysticeti and the Odontoceti.

The Mysticeti consists of the baleen whales. Plates of bristle-like, keratinous baleen attach internally to the upper jaw. During feeding, a large parcel of water is taken into the mouth; expulsion of the water through the baleen filters out organisms that were in the water. The Mysticeti includes the largest animal known.

The Odontoceti includes the toothed whales, and prey usually consists of relatively large items such as fish, seals, or penguins. Porpoises are odontocetes that are familiar to most people.

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Suborder Mysticeti

Eschrichtiidae—Gray Whales

There is a single living species of Gray Whale.

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Eschrichtius robustus—Gray Whale Regional Pleistocene distribution of Eschrichtius sp.

The Gray Whale occurs today off the coast of California.

Sites.

Rancholabrean: Gaffey Street and Harbor Freeway I-110 (Jefferson 1991b: cf.).

Literature. Jefferson 1991b

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Suborder Odontoceti

Delphinidae—Oceanic Dolphins

Delphinids are toothed whales, active hunters of vertebrate prey.

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Lissodelphis sp.—Right WhalesRegional Pleistocene distribution of Lissodelphis sp.

Sites.

Rancholabrean: San Clemente IslandJefferson 2014Jefferson 2014.

Literature. Jefferson 2014.

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Tursiops sp.—Bottlenose DolphinsRegional Pleistocene distribution of Tursiops sp.

Sites. San Juan Capistrano (Jefferson 2014).

Literature. Jefferson 2014.

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Last Update: 23 May 2015