Whippomorpha

E43863

Whippomorpha is a mammalian clade that includes whales, dolphins, and hippopotamuses, uniting these seemingly disparate animals based on shared evolutionary ancestry.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Cetancodontamorpha 1

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf clade
mammalian clade
taxon
alternativeName Cetancodonta
Whippomorph
characterizedBy shared evolutionary ancestry of cetaceans and hippos
class Mammalia
containsEcologicalTypes fully aquatic mammals
marine mammals
riverine mammals
semi-aquatic mammals
definedBy molecular phylogenetic evidence
morphological evidence
evolutionaryRelationship hippopotamuses are the closest living terrestrial relatives of whales and dolphins
hasCommonAncestorWith Cetacea
Hippopotamidae
hasFossilRecord Eocene and later epochs
hasMember extant hippopotamuses
extinct stem-whippomorphs
modern cetaceans
hasTrait adaptations for life in water
endothermy
hair at some life stage
mammary glands in females
specialized auditory adaptations in many members
viviparous reproduction
includes Cetacea
Hippopotamidae
dolphins
hippopotamuses
porpoises
whales
includesFossilGroups early archaeocete whales
stem hippopotamoids
infraclass Eutheria
kingdom Animalia
partOf Artiodactyla
surface form: Cetartiodactyla
phylum Chordata
reconciles morphological data and molecular data on cetacean origins
replacesConcept traditional separation of Cetacea from artiodactyls
studiedIn comparative anatomy
mammalian evolution
phylogenetics
subclass Theria
superorder Artiodactyla
surface form: Cetartiodactyla
timeOfRecognition late 20th century

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Hippopotamidae clade Whippomorpha
this entity surface form: Cetancodontamorpha
Artiodactyla hasSubgroup Whippomorpha
Hippopotamidae suborder Whippomorpha