Desmatophocidae
| Desmatophocidae Temporal range: Early to Late Miocene
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| Skeleton of Allodesmus sp. at the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan | |
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| Holotype skeleton of Atopotarus courseni at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Clade: | Pinnipedia |
| Superfamily: | Otarioidea |
| Family: | †Desmatophocidae |
| Genera | |
Desmatophocidae is an
pinnipeds closely related to the eared seals and walruses.[1] These animals were the first group of large-bodied pinnipeds to evolve, first appearing in the Early Miocene, with no direct modern descendants.[2] Desmatophocids have only been found to live in the North Pacific, with fossils being found in Baja California, California, Oregon, Washington, and Japan.[3]
The group is generally known for having large orbits, bulbous cheek teeth, and forelimbs similar to extant eared seals.[2]
Genera
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Desmatophocidae.
- ^ Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, ed. William F. Perrin, Bernd Würsig, J.G.M. Thewissen
- ^ ISSN 0024-4082.
- ISSN 1038-4871.
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