The history of whales is an odd one indeed, and even in the Pliocene, the weirdness wasn't over. If you looked at Odobenocetops, you might mistake it for a walrus or dugong, but it was in fact a type of whale with tusks. Odobenocetops preferred to live in shallower waters, where it could be safe from large predators by hiding in the kelp.

Basic info

Meaning of name: Odobenocetops means "cetacean that seems to walk on its teeth".

Time of existence: Odobenocetops lived from the late Miocene to the Pliocene, 7.2 million to 3.6 million years ago.

Diet: Odobenocetops fed similarly to a walrus, combing the sea floor for molluscs to suck from their shells.

Threats: Odobenocetops was seen as a prey item by juvenile Megalodon, who would use ambush to severely injure and kill them.

Size: Odobenocetops grew to 6.9 feet long.

Attributes: Odobenocetops had a blowhole, which they used to breathe like modern whales. They also had specially adapted mouths so they could still feed without their giant tusks getting in the way. However, the most notable attribute for this creature was its tusks. One tusk was extremely long, about three feet, while the other was smaller. These tusks were most likely used to fight each other during mating season.

An Odobenocetops flees from a young Megalodon

Appearances in the Walking with... series

Chased by Sea Monsters

Episode 2-Into the Jaws of Death

Odobenocetops plays a minor role in the Pliocene segment of the episode. After Nigel Marven agrees to do one dive with the juvenile Megalodon in the shallows, Nigel dives and searches for what they prey on, while clinging to the kelp. Soon, he finds what he's searching for-a lone male Odobenocetops swimming along the seabed, spitting up dust in search of mollusks as Nigel describes their tusks. However, this is interrupted by the arrival of a juvenile Megalodon, who frightens the Odobenocetops. The strange whale swims into the kelp where the shark can't follo, and swims to safety. Although Odobenocetops does not appear in the episode again, Nigel and his crew do construct a fake one to see how Megalodon hunted. The false Odobenocetops is split completely in half by a hungry Megalodon.

Odobenocetops searching for food