Dorudon

Name: Dorudon ‭(‬Spear tooth‭)‬. Phonetic: Door-oo-don. Named By: Gibbes‭ ‬-‭ ‬1845. Synonyms: Basilosaurus serratus, Dorudon intermedius, Dorudon stromeri, Doryodon serratus, Prozeuglodon stromeri, Zeuglodon intermedius, Zeuglodon serratum, Zeuglodon serratus. Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Cetacea,‭ ‬Archaeoceti,‭ ‬Basilosauridae. Species: D.‭ ‬atrox,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬serratus. Diet: Carnivore. Size: Around‭ ‬5‭ ‬meters long. Known locations: Egypt and the USA,‭ ‬together hinting at a broad distribution. Time period: Bartonian to Priabonian of the Eocene. Fossil representation: Multiple specimens,‭ ‬including juveniles.

Dorudon is a good example of some of the many primitive whales that were swimming in the world‭’‬s oceans during the Eocene period.‭ ‬As an early cetacean,‭ ‬Dorudon was a dedicated predator of other marine creatures that may have included everything from fish to other marine mammals.‭ ‬Dorudon itself does bear a strong resemblance to the much larger  Basilosaurus  that was also swimming in the same waters and at the same time as Dorudon.‭ ‬This led to early speculation about Dorudon actually representing juvenile specimens of Basilosaurus‭; ‬however more in depth study as well as the discoveries of actual Dorudon juveniles has since quashed this theory. Juvenile Dorudon‭ (‬which would have been called calves like other juvenile whales‭) ‬fossils have been seen to have tooth marks on them that seem to have been caused by the much larger Basilosaurus.‭ ‬This is evidence for a clear predator prey relationship where while Dorudon were predators,‭ ‬they in turn where preyed upon by other bigger predators.‭ ‬This relationship was well illustrated in the episode Whale Killer of the BBC documentary series Walking with Beasts.‭ ‬Basilosaurus was not the only threat to Dorudon however as giant sharks like ‭  C. ‬angustidens  were also hunting in the world‭’‬s oceans.