Saurocetes

Saurocetes is an extinct genus of probable iniid river dolphins from South America. Two species have been described: S. argentinus and S. gigas. It has been suggested that Saurocetes is a synonym of the possible platanistid Ischyrorhynchus.

Description

Saurocetes remains are fragmentary, consisting of isolated teeth, rostral fragments and mandibular fragments.

Taxonomy

Typically, Saurocetes is regarded as a member of the Iniidae, a family represented by one extant genus, Inia. However, it was noted as far back as 1926 that the taxonomy of Saurocetes is highly unstable, even at a family level. Several specimens referred to the possible platanistid genus Ischyrorhynchus closely resemble Saurocetes in many respects, and it is possible that the two genera are synonymous.