Morawanocetus

{{Automatic Taxobox

| name = Morawanocetus

| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Chattian}}

| taxon = Morawanocetus

| authority = {{Harvnb|Barnes|Kimura|Furusawa|Sawamura|1995}}

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision =

†M. yabukii (type)
{{Harvnb|Barnes|Kimura|Furusawa|Sawamura|1995}}

}}

Morawanocetus is a genus of extinct primitive baleen whale from the family Aetiocetidae that existed during the Chattian stage of the Oligocene epoch.{{Cite web

| title = Morawanocetus | work = Fossilworks

| url = https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=63479

| access-date = 17 December 2021}}

Its fossils have been found in the North Pacific.{{cite web|url=http://www.vertpaleo.org/publications/jvp/supplemental_data/26_3/SVP2006Abstracts.pdf |title=The Family Aetiocetidae as a Model For Evolution of Stem Mysticeti |publisher=Lawrence Barnes, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, and James Goedert, Univ. of Washington, Wauna, WA |date=September 2006 |access-date=2008-07-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715231431/http://www.vertpaleo.org/publications/jvp/supplemental_data/26_3/SVP2006Abstracts.pdf |archive-date=July 15, 2010 }}

Morawanocetus was named by Barnes et al. in 1995, who described the species, M. yabukii. Three new species, dating from 17 to 19 million years ago, were unearthed between 2000 and 2005 in a road-widening project in California.{{Cite web | title = New whale species unearthed in California highway dig | author = Gramling, C. | date = 2013-02-17 | url = http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/02/new-whale-species-unearthed-in-c.html | publisher = AAAS | access-date = 2013-02-18 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130219220416/http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/02/new-whale-species-unearthed-in-c.html | archive-date = 2013-02-19 | url-status = dead }} These three new specimens of Morawanocetus, a genus thought to have gone extinct some five million years earlier, were discovered next to a fourth specimen, still under preparation, which clearly has archaeocete dentition.{{Cite web

| title = Ancient Whale Fossils Recorded in Orange County | date = 18 February 2013 | publisher = CSUF

| url = http://news.fullerton.edu/2013sp/Ancient-Whale-Fossils.asp | access-date = 11 January 2014}}{{YouTube|sFKC1IU0eFQ|CSUF: Discovery of New Whale Species|link=no}}. CSUF. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

Morawanocetus was divergent, with wide crania, elaborate cheek, tooth crowns, and short necks. The first fossils of Morawanocetus were found in the Chattian-aged Morawan Formation of Upper Oligocene Hokkaido. The more recent findings are the first Morawanocetus fossils found in California, a genus more commonly known to Japan.

Morawanocetus is a sister taxa to: Aetiocetus, Ashorocetus, Chonecetus, and Willungacetus.