Basilosaurus

Information about the Basilosaurus:

The Basilosaurus is an extinct genus of cetaceans - which are marine mammals such as whales, dolphins and porpoises) - that lived during the late Eocene period (40 to 34 million years ago) When they were first discovered in the southern area of the United States it was believed to be a reptile, and that is why they have the suffix "saurus." But later on it was determined to be a marine mammal. Some of the genus grew to be about 60 feet long (18 meters) and believed to be the largest animal living at that time. It was a top predator and would have feared nothing in the ocean, except for those of it's own kind. Fossil specimens have been found having smaller Basilosauruses in their stomachs. The shape of the head wouldn't allow for a large brain, so it's likely that Basilosaurus didn't have the same heightened intelligence or social structures of modern whales. Basilosaurus is the state fossil of both Mississippi and Louisiana.

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