Going Out on a Limb: Evolution of the Whale

Creodont, 50 million years ago The creodont doesn’t look much like a whale, but 50 million years ago this wolf- like mammal roamed the Earth on four legs, with hair/fur, nursing it’s young, and breathing air with lungs.

Ambulocetus, the “Walking Whale” Furry Crocodile? Giant Otter? The wolf-like creodont slowly, over millions of years, began to adapt to the water and its body became more streamlined, feet became webbed, swimming ability improved. Why? Perhaps it had much more food to find, and much less competition for that food!

Rodhocetus, 47 MYA a larger, more streamlined mammal that spent most of its time in the water rather than on land (though its splay-footed posture demonstrates that it was capable of walking, the hip bones of Rodhocetus weren't fused to its backbone, which gave it improved flexibility when swimming.

Basilosaurus: Almost there! About 47 million years ago… This early whale is well known from a large number of fossils. It must have been common in the warm shallow sea between Africa and Europe, and around North America. One skeleton had a ball of fish and sharks inside it, the remains of its last meal. The skeletons also show a reminder of its land animal ancestors - a pair of tiny legs.

Killer Whale today: well-adapted to sea life but origins come from land! Killer whales have the second- largest brains among marine mammals. [ They can be trained in captivity and are often described as intelligent, [] although defining and measuring "intelligence" is difficult in a species whose environment and behavioral strategies are very different from those of humans. They move like land mammals, feed young milk, have a placenta, and some fur or hair. [ ]

Graph of Whale Evolution

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