Desmatophocidae

Desmatophocidae Temporal range: Early to Late Miocene

Skeleton of Allodesmus sp. at the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan

Holotype skeleton of Atopotarus courseni at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Clade:	Pinnipedia
Superfamily:	Otarioidea
Family:	†Desmatophocidae
Genera
Allodesmus Atopotarus Desmatophoca Eodesmus

Desmatophocidae is an extinct family of 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

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Genera of pinnipeds and their stem-allies

†Amphicynodontidae	Allocyon Amphicticeps Amphicynodon Drassonax Kolponomos Pachycynodon Parictis Wangictis
†Semantoridae	Necromites Potamotherium Puijila Semantor

†Magnotherium
Monachini	†Afrophoca †Auroraphoca †Messiphoca Monachus Neomonachus †Eomonachus †Noriphoca †Palmidophoca †Pliophoca †Pontophoca †Pristiphoca †Terranectes
Miroungini	†Callophoca Mirounga
Lobodontini	†Acrophoca †Australophoca †Hadrokirus †Homiphoca Hydrurga Leptonychotes Lobodon Ommatophoca †Piscophoca †Properiptychus †Virginiaphoca

†Cryptophoca †Frisiphoca †Kawas †Leptophoca †Monachopsis †Monotherium †Phocanella †Prophoca †Sarmatonectes
Erignathini	Erignathus †Platyphoca
Cystophorini	Cystophora †Miophoca †Pachyphoca
Phocini	†Batavipusa †Gryphoca Halichoerus Histriophoca †Nanophoca Pagophilus Phoca †Planopusa †Praepusa Pusa

Otarioidea	see below↓

†Dusignathinae	Dusignathus Gomphotaria
Odobeninae	†Aivukus Odobenus †Ontocetus †Pliopedia †Protodobenus †Valenictus

Callorhinae

†Thalassoleon
Zalophini	Eumetopias †Oriensarctos †Proterozetes Zalophus
Otariini	Arctocephalus Arctophoca †Hydrarctos Neophoca Otaria Phocarctos

Lists
List of pinnipeds List of fossil pinnipedimorphs

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This page was last edited on 3 January 2024, at 00:09