Denebola brachycephala

Denebola brachycephala Temporal range: Late Miocene PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Cetacea
Family:	Monodontidae
Genus:	Denebola
Species:	D. brachycephala
Binomial name
Denebola brachycephala Barnes, 1984

Denebola brachycephala is an extinct whale belonging to the family Monodontidae. It is the first known ancestor of the beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) and dates from the Upper Miocene period.^[1] A fossil was found in the Baja California peninsula, indicating that the family once existed in warmer waters.^[2]

References

1. ^ ZipcodeZoo.com. "Denebola brachycephala". http://zipcodezoo.com/Animals/d/denebola_brachycephala/. Retrieved 2010-09-16. 
2. ^ William F. Perrin,Bernd G. Würsig,J. G. M. Thewissen (2009). Encyclopedia of marine mammals (2 ed.). Acadenmic Press. p. 214. ISBN 9780123735539. http://books.google.com/books?id=2rkHQpToi9sC&pg=PA214&lpg=PA214&dq=Denebola+brachycephala&source=bl&ots=hCmuNz2drt&sig=wWMlHMFjGozCGenxf06Ly0rQLtM&hl=es&ei=voNVTNehI4P48AbxpK2PBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CDwQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=Denebola%20brachycephala&f=false.