Valenictus is an extinct genus of Odobenidae from the Pliocene of California.
Discovery and naming
Valenictus sheperdi was discovered in 2024 from the Purisima Formation in Santa Cruz, California.
The fossil was discovered by thirteen-year old, amateur paleontologist Forrest Sheperd, from whom the specific name is derived.
Description
Valenictus is related to the modern-day
walrus, but lacked all teeth both in the lower and upper jaw except for the two tusks.
