Table 5.
Fossil calibrations used to anchor molecular date estimates.
| Divergence | Date | Source(s) | Node |
| Canids from arctoid carnivores | 43.5 | [127] | 1 |
| Pinniped and ursid split | 19.5 | [17] | 2 |
| Split between Phocidae and Otariidae + Odobenidae | 23 | [2] | 3 |
| Odobenoids first evolved | 18 | [2] | 4 |
| Monachinae-Phocinae split | 16 | [1, 55, 128] | 18 |
| Split between Monachus and other southern phocids | 8 | [71, 128] | 28 |
| Split between Mirounga + Lobodontini | 7 | [71, 128] | 29 |
| Origin of Callorhinus | 6 | [56] | 5 |
All dates (in millions of years ago) also represent minimum age constraints.