Antaecetus is an extinct genus of pachycetine basilosaurid from the middle Eocene Aridal Formation of Morocco as well as the Fayum, Egypt. Antaecetus, although known from fewer remains in total, is markedly more complete than the closely related Pachycetus, with one specimen preserving large parts of the vertebral column up to the lumbar vertebrae and a well preserved skull. Based on these remains Antaecetus appears to have been smaller than Pachycetus, with a proportionally smaller head and much more gracile teeth. Both genera however share a highly osteosclerotic and pachyostotic skeleton, greatly increasing their weight and possibly serving as additional ballast. In turn the elongation and thickening of the vertebrae severely impacts the animals movement, most likely causing it to have been much slower and far less mobile than other archaeocetes. It has been proposed that Antaecetus was a slow moving inhabitant of shallow coastal waters, where it would ambush fish and marine molluscs. Only a single species of Antaecetus is known, Antaecetus aithai, which was originally described as a species of Pachycetus.
^Gingerich, P.D.; Amane, A.; Zouhri, S. (2022). "Skull and partial skeleton of a new pachycetine genus (Cetacea, Basilosauridae) from the Aridal Formation, Bartonian middle Eocene, of southwestern Morocco". PLOS ONE. 17 (10): e0276110. Bibcode:2022PLoSO..1776110G. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0276110. PMC 9604876.
^Gingerich, P.D.; Zouhri, S. (2015). ""New fauna of archaeocete whales (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Bartonian middle Eocene of southern Morocco"" (PDF). Journal of African Earth Sciences. 111: 273–286. Bibcode:2015JAfES.111..273G. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2015.08.006.
Antaecetus is an extinct genus of pachycetine basilosaurid from the middle Eocene Aridal Formation of Morocco as well as the Fayum, Egypt. Antaecetus...
tooth, whereas Antaecetus only has three. The two also differ in that Pachycetus lacks a swelling on the molars which is seen in Antaecetus. The molar, unlike...
more gracile teeth of Antaecetus suggest a diet of smaller prey items. The clade currently only includes two genera, Antaecetus and Pachycetus, but a...
Supayacetus Genus Zygorhiza Subfamily Pachycetinae Genus Pachycetus Genus Antaecetus Wikimedia Commons has media related to Basilosauridae. Evolution of cetaceans...
formed a monophyletic clade with the two then-recognized species and Antaecetus, which would place it in the family Pachycetinae. More importantly, this...
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