Aegicetus holotype and tail-driven transition model
Holotype CGM 60584 combines a long posterior trunk, unfused sacrals, no weight-bearing sacroiliac joint and reduced limbs in a model of increasing tail propulsion.
Represented range37.71–37.71 Ma
RegionsLower Gehannam Formation, WH-203, Wadi Al Hitan, Fayum, Egypt
CladesAegicetus gehennae · Protocetidae · Cetacea
Claim ledger
event-mechanism · medium
Aegicetus holotype CGM 60584 records loss of a weight-bearing sacroiliac joint, posterior vertebral elongation and limb reduction; a shift toward mid-body-and-tail propulsion is inferred, not directly observed, and a fluke is not preserved.