Meherrinia
| Meherrinia Temporal range: Late Miocene | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Superfamily: | Inioidea |
| Genus: | †Meherrinia Geisler, et al., 2012 |
| Species | |
|
M. isoni | |
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 may be, as of 2012, the only known marine genus of the family Iniidae. Only one species is known.[1]
References
- ↑ Geisler, J.H. (2012). "A new genus and species of late Miocene inioid (Cetacea, Odontoceti) from the Meherrin River, North Carolina, U.S.A.". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (1): 198–211. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.629016.
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