catulli Molin 1859 Squalodon is an extinct genus of whales of the Oligocene and Miocene epochs, belonging to the family Squalodontidae.

Named by Jean-Pierre Sylvestre de Grateloup in 1840,[1] it was originally believed to be an iguanodontid dinosaur but has since been reclassified.

[2] Species of Squalodon are odontocetes that lived during the late Oligocene into the middle Miocene, about 28 to 15 million years ago.

Hypotheses of why this family lead to extinction have to deal with competition of other groups of dolphins as well as climate change.

At this time in history other toothed whales were evolving simple conical teeth while Squalodontidae retained their primitive dentition that their ancestors (the archaeocetes) had developed.

Their crania were well compressed, their rostrums were telescoped outward, and their skulls show proof of the origin of echolocation.

[6] Fossils of this genus are identified mainly by the teeth but several different species have been named based on skull characteristics and size (the biggest being S. whitmorei).

These odontocete fossils have been discovered in Europe, eastern North America, New Zealand, and Argentina.

Because isolated teeth are insufficient for species identification, most specimens lacking the skull can only be identified to genus.