Prototaria
| Prototaria | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Clade: | Pinnipedia |
| Family: | Odobenidae |
| Genus: | †Prototaria Takeyama & Ozawa, 1984 |
| Type species | |
| †Prototaria primigena Takeyama & Ozawa, 1984
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| Other species | |
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Prototaria is an extinct genus of pinniped that lived approximately 15.97 to 13.65 mya[1] during the Middle Miocene in what is now Japan. It belonged to the family Odobenidae, the only extant species of which is the walrus. Members of the genus Prototaria are believed to be the most basal imagotariine pinnipeds.[2]
Unlike their closest living relative, the walrus, members of Prototaria were primarily
Description
Prototaria were more similar in appearance to modern fur seals and sea lions than walruses. They did not have long tusks as walruses do, and were more slender.
Fossils ascribed to Prototaria exhibit some
Taxonomy
The type species of Prototaria is P. primigena.[4] Based on skeletal traits and various autapomorphies, Naoki Kohno concluded that P. planicephala is more derived than P. primigena.[3]
References
- ^ "†Prototaria Takeyama and Ozawa 1984 (walrus)". Fossilworks. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
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