Babiacetus

Babiacetus is an extinct genus of early cetacean that lived during the late Lutetian middle Eocene of India (48.6 to 40.4 million years ago). It was named after its type locality, the Harudi Formation in the Babia Hills (23°30′N 68°48′E / 23.5°N 68.8°E / 23.5; 68.8: paleocoordinates 5°54′N 61°48′E / 5.9°N 61.8°E / 5.9; 61.8), Kutch District, Gujarat, India.

Babiacetus was named by Trivedy & Satsangi 1984 in an abstract based on the type specimen (GSI 19647, left and right dentaries with cheek teeth). Gingerich and colleagues found a skull (GSP-UM 3005, much of a skull and lower jaws) while collecting a skeleton of a new species of Protosiren (Protosiren sattaensis) in the Drazinda Formation (30°48′N 70°30′E / 30.8°N 70.5°E / 30.8; 70.5, paleocoordinates 16°54′N 67°06′E / 16.9°N 67.1°E / 16.9; 67.1) in the Sulaiman Range of Punjab, Pakistan. Gingerich et al. 1995 described both the original find and their new specimen.Bajpai & Thewissen 1998 described B. mishrai from the specimen (RUSB 2512, a partial skull) collected in the Harudi Formation.