Messapicetus
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| Messapicetus Temporal range:
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|---|---|
| File:Messapicetus gregarius e M. longirostris.jpg | |
| M. gregarius and M. longirostris cranial diagrams | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | Ziphiidae |
| Genus: | †Messapicetus Bianucci & Landini, 1992 |
Messapicetus is an extinct genus of beaked whale from the Late Miocene. It currently holds two species, M. longirostris from the Tortonian of Italy[1] and M. gregarius from the Pisco Formation of Peru.[2] However, a third unnamed species is represented in the St. Marys Formation of Maryland known from fragmentary material.[3] M. gregarius is sexually dimorphic, males having tusks which are hypothesized to have been used in intraspecific combat for mates as in extant (living) beaked whales.[4]
References
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