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Becoming Whales. What type of creature is a whale?. Video. Diversity of Whales Today. Mysticetes (baleen whales):. Diversity of Whales Today. Odontocetes (toothed whales):. But Where Did They Come From?. ONE OF DARWIN ’ S IDEAS….
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Diversity of Whales Today Mysticetes (baleen whales):
Diversity of Whales Today Odontocetes (toothed whales):
But Where Did They Come From? ONE OF DARWIN’S IDEAS… … I can see no difficulty in a race of bears being rendered, by natural selection, more and more aquatic in their structure and habits, with larger and larger mouths, till a creature was produced as monstrous as a whale. Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species, 1859 (first edition), Chapter 6: Difficulties on Theory
Whale Fossils Diagrams… • Work in pairs • On the whiteboard create an Eocene Timeline (55 mya to 34 mya) • Remove whale strips from envelope • Read descriptions and place whale strip on timeline
Early Whale Teeth in Dorudon ~ 36 mya 1936
Early Whale Teeth…in a 4-legged mammal? a Mesonychid - called Pachyaena ~ 55 mya … with tiny hooves!
Early Whale Teeth WITH LEGS ! …and hooves, too! Pakicetus - an early whale ~50 mya 1983 - Gingerich - Pakistan
Early whale teeth in… Basilosaurus ~37mya and LEGS, too… 1990 Gingerich - Egypt
Early Whale Teeth Rodhocetus - an early whale And tiny hooves, too ! ~46 mya early 1994 - Gingerich - Pakistan
On your white board draw a prediction for the animal you would expect to find between 50 mya and 46 mya.
Early Whale Teeth… in Pakistan With tiny hooves, too ! Ambulocetus - the “walking whale” ~48 mya late 1994 Thewissen
Ambulocetus Carl Buell
PerissodactylsOdd-Toed Ungulates Rhinos & Tapirs Horses & Zebras
But WHICH Hooved animals? Is there a way to demonstrate relatedness between hoofed animals and whales?