Squalodon is an ancient group of whales that lived a long time ago during the Oligocene and Miocene periods, which was about 28 to 15 million years ago.
These whales were part of a family called Squalodontidae and were named by a scientist named Jean-Pierre Sylvestre de Grateloup in 1840. The name Squalodon comes from a word that means “shark tooth,” because their teeth looked like those of sharks. Surprisingly, Squalodon was once thought to be a type of dinosaur, but we now know it was a whale.
Squalodon whales were toothed whales, which means they had teeth instead of baleen. The biggest of these whales, named Squalodon whitmorei, could grow up to 5.5 meters long.
These creatures likely lived in warm waters around the world and went extinct in the middle of the Miocene period. Experts think they may have disappeared due to competition with other forms of dolphins and changes in the climate.
One interesting thing about Squalodon is their teeth. Unlike modern dolphins, which have simple cone-shaped teeth, Squalodon had complex teeth that were widely spaced and serrated. This allowed them to eat a variety of prey.
Squalodon also had features that were both old and new. They had compressed necks, which made them more mobile than some of their ancient relatives. They also had characteristics related to echolocation, which is the ability to locate objects using sound, similar to how modern dolphins navigate.
Most of what we know about Squalodon comes from their teeth, as their fossils, or remains, have been found in places like Europe, North America, New Zealand, and Argentina. Because many fossils consist only of teeth, identifying the exact species can be tricky.
Today, scientists recognize several species of Squalodon, including Squalodon grateloupii, which is the first one named and considered the type species. Other species include Squalodon antverpiensis and Squalodon bariensis, among others.
The discovery of Squalodon and its relatives helps us understand how whales have evolved over millions of years and their connection to modern dolphins.