Kutchicetus (SciiFii)

The otter whale (Kutchicetus asiaticus) is a species of primitive whale of the family Remingtonocetidae that originally lived during Early-Middle Eocene in what is now the coastal border of Pakistan and India, and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced to modern coastlines and coastal freshwater rivers of Asia to help boost biodiversity. It is tolerant to freshwater and saltwater, allowing it to adapt well to a wide range of rivers and coastal areas. It is smaller than other remingtonocetids, and is the smallest Eocene cetacean. With its extremely narrow snout, it resembles Remingtonocetus and Dalanistes, but its strong tail distinguishes it from those two other Eocene whales. Its limbs are short but gracile. Its vertebral formula is 7, 15, 8, 4, 20–25. Its four fused sacral vertebrae are articulated to the hip bone and the numerous tail vertebrae are robust and elongated. The tail plays an important role in its locomotion when it is swimming. Its vertebral proportions are unlike those of any other cetaceans but similar to those of some land-living or semi-aquatic mammals, such as Pachyaena and otters. Its limbs and sacrum are weight-bearing and it swims using undulatory movements like Ambulocetus. This mode of locomotion represents a transitional stage in whale evolution. The conservation status of the otter whale is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts.
Category:Animals
Category:SciiFii