Basilosaurus (SciiFii)

Basilosaurus meaning "king lizard", is a genus of large, predatory, prehistoric cetaceans that is known from well preserved fossils found in Lutetian, Bartonian and Priabonian stage deposits during the late Eocene approximately 41.3 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). They lived for around 7.4 million years before dying out. The first fossil of Basilosaurus were discovered in North America, along the gulf coast of the United States as well as a few fossils in the eastern US, these fossils discoveries are attributed to the type species B. cetoides. These fossil finds were thought to be of a giant reptile hence the suffix saurus, but it was later found to be an early marine mammal. Fossils of the second species B. isis have been found in North Africa, more specifically the countries of Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia[5] and Morocco, with a few fossils being found in the disputed Western Sahara. Basilosaurus has a possible fossil record in other places, such as the Oceania[6] (mainly in New Zealand)[7].Basilosaurus is considered to have been common in the Eocene seas, such as the Tethys sea.[8][9] It was one of the largest animals of the Paleogene, if not the largest animal of that time period. It was the top predator of its environment, with it preying on sharks and other whales such as Dorudon who seems to have a prevalent predator-prey relationship with Basilosaurus. Basilosaurus was at one point a wastebasket taxa, before the genus slowly started getting reevaluated, with many species of different Eocene cetacean being assigned to the genus in the past, however they are invalid or have been reclassified under a new or different genus, leaving only 2 confirmed species. Basilosaurus and its many other relatives may have been the first fully aquatic cetaceans[10] (sometimes referred to as the pelagiceti[11]), however by the end of the Eocene many of them became extinct.[10]Basilosaurus was very different than many modern Cetaceans, with its body being rather elongated, and its teeth being more like modern day Carnivorans such as canines, which it used to crush prey, and then proceeded to use its back teeth to chew. This behavior is not exhibited in modern whales who swallow food whole.[12][13]