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Gomphotaria Temporal range: Late Miocene, 7.2–5.3 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Restoration of Gomphotaria pugnax
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Clade:	Pinnipedia
Family:	Odobenidae
Genus:	†Gomphotaria Barnes & Rashke, 1991
Type species
†Gomphotaria pugnax Barnes & Rashke, 1991

Gomphotaria is a genus of very large shellfish-eating dusignathine walrus found along the coast of what is now California, during the late Miocene.

Description

It was a huge-sized pinniped with skull length of around 47 cm (19 in), surpassed only by Pontolis, which had a skull of 60 cm (24 in) long. Gomphotaria had comparatively small eyes, increased upper and lower canines and four tusks, with one pair in the lower and upper jaws. According to wear on the tusks, G. pugnax hammered shellfish open, rather than simply sucking them out of their shells as do modern walruses. In terms of the postcranial skeleton, Gomphotaria and other dusignathine walruses were built more like sea lions than modern walrus. Gomphotaria is a prime example of the extreme diversity that walruses once exhibited.

References

1. ^ Barnes, L. G. and R. E. Raschke. 1991. Gomphotaria pugnax, a new genus and species of Late Miocene Dusignathine Otariid Pinniped (Mammalia: Carnivora) from California. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Contributions in Science 426:1-16.
2. ^ Annalisa Berta (2017). The Rise of Marine Mammals: 50 Million Years of Evolution. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-4214-2325-8. Retrieved 2022-08-21.

v t e Genera of pinnipeds and their stem-allies
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Suborder: Caniformia Infraorder: Arctoidea
Pan-Pinnipedia †Amphicynodontidae Allocyon Amphicticeps Amphicynodon Drassonax Kolponomos Pachycynodon Parictis Wangictis †Semantoridae Necromites Potamotherium Puijila Semantor Pinnipedimorpha †Enaliarctos Pinnipediformes †Pacificotaria †Pinnarctidion †Pteronarctos Pinnipedia Phocidae †Devinophoca Monachinae †Magnotherium Monachini †Afrophoca †Auroraphoca †Messiphoca Monachus Neomonachus †Eomonachus †Noriphoca †Palmidophoca †Pliophoca †Pontophoca †Pristiphoca †Terranectes Miroungini †Callophoca Mirounga Lobodontini †Acrophoca †Australophoca †Hadrokirus †Homiphoca Hydrurga Leptonychotes Lobodon Ommatophoca †Piscophoca †Properiptychus †Virginiaphoca Phocinae †Cryptophoca †Frisiphoca †Kawas †Leptophoca †Monachopsis †Monotherium †Phocanella †Prophoca †Sarmatonectes Erignathini Erignathus †Platyphoca Cystophorini Cystophora †Miophoca †Pachyphoca Phocini †Batavipusa †Gryphoca Halichoerus Histriophoca †Nanophoca Pagophilus Phoca †Planopusa †Praepusa Pusa Otarioidea see below↓
Otarioidea †Desmatophocidae Allodesmus Atopotarus Desmatophoca Eodesmus Odobenidae †Archaeodobenus †Imagotaria †Kamtschatarctos †Nanodobenus †Neotherium †Osodobenus †Pelagiarctos †Pontolis †Proneotherium †Prototaria †Pseudotaria †Titanotaria Neodobenia †Dusignathinae Dusignathus Gomphotaria Odobeninae †Aivukus Odobenus †Ontocetus †Pliopedia †Protodobenus †Valenictus Panotariidae †Eotaria Otariidae Callorhinae Callorhinus †Pithanotaria Otariinae †Thalassoleon Zalophini Eumetopias †Oriensarctos †Proterozetes Zalophus Otariini Arctocephalus Arctophoca †Hydrarctos Neophoca Otaria Phocarctos
Lists List of pinnipeds List of fossil pinnipedimorphs

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• Miocene pinnipeds
• Monotypic prehistoric carnivoran genera
• Prehistoric pinnipeds of North America
• Odobenids
• Fossil taxa described in 1991
• Prehistoric carnivoran stubs