|“||This is Odobenocetops.||„|
|— Korrina, about Odobenocetops|
Odobenocetops (name meaning "Whale that Walks on its Teeth") is a genus of small, Odobenocetopsidae toothed whale that originated during the Middle Miocene epoch in what is now South America. Measuring 4 meters in long and weighing 650 kilos, it is significant for its long, conical tusks that protruded from the sides of its face. This strange sea lion-like creature had lopsided tusks, no teeth, and sucked its food out of hiding places. It was a prey item of juvenile Megalodon.
In the episode "The Meg Jaws", a small pod of Odobenocetops was brought back to the park from Miocene Peru 15 million years ago. They reside in the Whale Watching exhibit. However, their enclosure also leads into the Primeval Aquarium of the marine exhibit of the park.
Era & Discovery Edit
Physical Attributes Edit
Odobenocetops was a small, marine mammal, measuring 13 feet (4 m) long and weighing almost 1500 pounds, the size of a dolphin. Odobenocetops also had a short and robust body, a short tail with a proportionally small fluke and a pair of two, large fins.
The males of the species had a large head with two tusks - one in the left small (only a foot), the other on the right large (about 3 feet long) - each protruding from each side. The females looked similar, but both of their tusks were small. It had a pair of large lips, which were used to hold onto the shells of its prey. This made Odobenocetops look more like a modern dugong, or even a walrus, rather than like the other whales, whether modern or extinct.
Behavior & Traits Edit
Odobenocetops were solitary animals. They lived within the thick fields of kelp in the shallow seas of Pliocene Peru. There, they would slowly swim or even just hover over one spot of the seabed to find suitable prey. They would use their large mouth to hold onto shelled prey whilst sucking the animal from its shell.
The tusks of Odobenocetops were present in both genders. However, the males possessed a longer right tusk. They were most likely used for jousting during courtship but not for defense as the tusk was relatively brittle. Other theories include a non-violent demonstration before the females or a possible sensory organ, as it is in the case of the modern male narwhals.
Odobenocetops were preyed upon by juvenile Megalodon. However, as their habitat contained thick forests of kelp, they could easily hide from the shark.
- Odobenocetops is the one of the last prehistoric whales brought to the park.
- Odobenocetops does have some tiger sounds but also was given additional sounds, such as crocodile, walrus, manatee, and sea lion sounds.