Parapontoporia is an extinct genus of dolphin that lived off the Pacific coast of North America from the Late Miocene until the genus' extinction during the Pliocene.[1][2] It is related to the baiji.[3] Fossils have been found in California (Tulare Formation) and Mexico (Almejas Formation). The Tulare Formation is predominately freshwater, which suggests Parapontoporia may have been tolerant of both salt and fresh water.[3]
| Parapontoporia Temporal range:
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| Reconstruction of Parapontoporia pacifica (top) with the fossil porpoise Piscolithax tedfordi | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | Lipotidae |
| Genus: | †Parapontoporia Barnes, 1984 |
| Type species | |
| †Parapontoporia pacifica | |
| Species | |
References
edit- ^ Barnes, L.G. (July 1984). "Fossil odontocetes (Mammalia: Cetacea) from the Almejas Formation, Isla Cedros, Mexico". PaleoBios. 42: 1–46.
- ^ The Paleobiology Database
- ^ a b Boessenecker, Robert W.; Poust, Ashley W. (2015). "Freshwater occurrence of the extinct dolphin Parapontoporia (Cetacea: Lipotidae) from the upper Pliocene nonmarine Tulare Formation of California". Palaeontology. 58 (3): 489–496. Bibcode:2015Palgy..58..489B. doi:10.1111/pala.12153. S2CID 128980362.
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