Denebola brachycephala
Encyclopedia
Denebola brachycephala is an extinct whale
belonging to the family
Monodontidae
. It is the first known ancestor of the beluga
(Delphinapterus leucas) and dates from the Upper Miocene period. A fossil was found in the Baja California peninsula
, indicating that the family once existed in warmer waters.
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
belonging to the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Monodontidae
Monodontidae
The cetacean family Monodontidae comprises two unusual whale species, the narwhal, in which the male has a long tusk, and the white beluga whale...
. It is the first known ancestor of the beluga
Beluga
The beluga or white whale, Delphinapterus leucas, is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal. This marine mammal is commonly referred to simply as the beluga or sea canary due to its high-pitched twitter...
(Delphinapterus leucas) and dates from the Upper Miocene period. A fossil was found in the Baja California peninsula
Baja California Peninsula
The Baja California peninsula , is a peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Its land mass separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The Peninsula extends from Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur in the south.The total area of the Baja California...
, indicating that the family once existed in warmer waters.