Orcinus citoniensis
| Orcinus citoniensis Temporal range: Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
| Skeleton at the Museo Capellini di Bologna | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Suborder: | Whippomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | Delphinidae |
| Genus: | Orcinus |
| Species: | †O. citoniensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Orcinus citoniensis Capellini, 1883 | |
| Synonyms | |
Orcinus citoniensis is an extinct species of orca identified in the Late Pliocene of Italy and the Early Pleistocene of England. It was smaller than the modern killer whale (O. orca), 4 m (13 ft) versus 7 to 10 m (23 to 33 ft), and had around 8 more teeth in its jaw. It may have resembled the modern killer whale in appearance, and could represent a transitional species between the modern killer whale and other dolphins. O. citoniensis could have hunted fish and squid in pods, and coexisted with other large predators of the time such as the orcinine Hemisyntrachelus and the extinct shark Otodus megalodon.