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Valenictus Temporal range: Pliocene
Underside of skull
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Clade:	Pinnipedia
Family:	Odobenidae
Subfamily:	Odobeninae
Genus:	†Valenictus Mitchell, 1961
Species
†V. chulavistensis †V. imperialensis †V. sheperdi

Valenictus is an extinct genus of Odobenidae from the Pliocene of California.

Discovery and naming

Valenictus sheperdi was discovered in 2024 from the Purisima Formation in Santa Cruz, California. The fossil was discovered by thirteen-year old, amateur paleontologist Forrest Sheperd, from whom the specific name is derived.

Description

Valenictus is related to the modern-day walrus, but lacked all teeth both in the lower and upper jaw except for the two tusks.

References

1. Boessenecker, Robert W.; Poust, Ashley W.; Boessenecker, Sarah J.; Churchill, Morgan (2023-05-04). "Tusked walruses (Carnivora: Odobenidae) from the Miocene–Pliocene Purisima Formation of Santa Cruz, California (U.S.A.): a new species of the toothless walrus Valenictus and the oldest records of Odobeninae and Odobenini". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 43 (3). doi:10.1080/02724634.2023.2296567. ISSN 0272-4634.
2. Bindman, Ariana (2024-02-01). "Striking fossil found along California coast reveals new mammal species". SF Gate. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
3. "Walrus". The Nat. San Diego Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 5 June 2022.

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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• Pliocene extinctions
• Prehistoric pinnipeds of North America
• Odobenids
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• Pliocene pinnipeds
• Pliocene mammals of North America
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