Whippomorpha

Whippomorpha Temporal range:
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Clade:	Cetancodontamorpha
Suborder:	Whippomorpha Waddell et al. 1999
Taxa
Hippopotamoidea †Anthracotheriidae Hippopotamidae †Dichobunoidea †Mixtotheriidae †Dichobunidae †Helohyidae †Cebochoeridae Cetaceomorpha †Raoellidae Cetacea

Cladogram showing Whippomorpha within Artiodactylamorpha: Whippomorpha consists of the clades labeled Hippopotamoidea and Cetaceamorpha.

Whippomorpha is the clade containing the Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, etc.) and their closest living relatives, the hippopotamuses, named by Waddell et al. (1999). It is defined as a crown group, including all species that are descendants of the most recent common ancestor of Hippopotamus amphibius and Tursiops truncatus. This would be a subgrouping of the Cetartiodactyla (which also includes pigs and ruminants). The genetic evidence is strong that the cetaceans arose from within the Artiodactyla, thus making the even-toed ungulate grouping a paraphyletic one. How recently whales and hippos share a common ancestor is unclear.

Whippomorpha is a mixture of English (wh[ale] + hippo[potamus]) and Greek (μορφή, morphē = form). Attempts have been made to rename the clade Cetancodonta but Whippomorpha maintains precedence.

Artiodactyla	Tylopoda    Artiofabula     Suina        Cetruminantia     Ruminantia    Whippomorpha     Hippopotamidae  Cetacea