Aivukus
| Aivukus Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Parvorder: | Pinnipedia |
| Family: | Odobenidae |
| Genus: | † Repenning & Tedford, 1977 |
| Species | |
|
A. cedrosensis | |
Aivukus is an extinct genus of walrus from the Miocene.
Etymology
The generic name is derived from the Inuit word for walrus, aivuk.
Description
From fossil records it was at least as big as, if not slightly bigger than, the modern walrus, and, like the modern walrus, was probably a molluscivore.
Sources
- Marine Mammals: Evolutionary Biology by Annalisa Berta, James L. Sumich
- Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals by William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursig, and J. G.M. Thewissen