Callophoca is an extinct genus of earless seals from the late Miocene to early Pliocene of Belgium and the US Eastern Seaboard.
| Callophoca Temporal range:
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Clade: | Pinnipedia |
| Family: | Phocidae |
| Subfamily: | Monachinae |
| Genus: | †Callophoca van Beneden, 1876 |
| Species | |
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The type and only species of Callophoca is C. obscura.[1] Mesotaria ambigua, based on the lectotype humerus IRSNB 1156-M177, is a synonym. Although numerous non-humeral bones have been assigned to Callophoca, they are best considered Monachinae indet. pending further study because they have been found, isolated, leaving the M. ambigua lectotype, IRSNB 1116-M188, IRSNB VERT-17172-301b, and USNM 186944 the only unambiguous referred specimens of Callophoca.[2]
References
edit- ^ Yarlagadda, Tara (13 November 2020). "Unusual Teeth Reveal A New Species And A Twist On Evolution". Inverse. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ Dewaele, Leonard; Peredo, Carlos Mauricio; et al. (2018). "Diversity of late Neogene Monachinae (Carnivora, Phocidae) from the North Atlantic, with the description of two new species". Royal Society Open Science. 5 (3): 172437. doi:10.1098/rsos.172437. hdl:1854/LU-8564329.