Ichthyolestes
| Ichthyolestes Temporal range: Early Eocene, circa
| |
|---|---|
| Ichthyolestes life restoration, pencil drawing | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | †Pakicetidae |
| Genus: | †Ichthyolestes Dehm & Oettingen-Spielberg 1958 |
| Type species | |
| †Ichthyolestes pinfoldi | |
Ichthyolestes (meaning "fish robber" from Ancient Greek ἰχθύς (ikhthús), meaning "fish", and λῃστής (lēistḗs), meaning "robber") is an extinct genus of pakicetid cetacean endemic to the northern Indian subcontinent during the Lutetian age of the Eocene. It is monotypic, with I. pinfoldi as the only species.
Similar to other pakicetids, which are considered the earliest and least specialized of the archaic cetaceans, Ichthyolestes represents an early quadrupedal phase in the land-to-sea transition in cetaceans.