A few days ago I wrote about evolution and how it works over the millennia, often abandoning certain traits only to revisit them later on when the proper circumstances arise.
Like for example sea mammals that evolved from land mammals that evolved from an ancestor that originally lived in the sea!
So today I'd like to talk a bit about the first whale, which on the outside looked more like a wolf/rodent thing! And unlike modern whales it was more amphibious in nature.
Meet the Pakicetus, the world's earliest known whale:
Of course the species no longer exists, for at least the last 50 millions. It was about 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) long and is widely regarded as the most basal whale.
Essentially a transitional stage from land to sea, the creature was found in Pakistan, hence the genus name, paki for Pakistan and cetus for whale.
Although it had mostly the body of a land mammal, it was well-adapted to life near water, featuring long legs and webbed feet, capable of both walking and swimming.
Despite its looks, it did have dumb characteristics found in modern whales, although less pronounced, including a large auditory bulla (a bone in the ear) and an enlongated skull.
The discovery of the animal in the 1980s was a major breakthrough as it provided concrete evidence that whales evolved from land-dwelling ancestors.
Here's a link to Wikipedia if you would like to learn more about them. And here's a video on them by the e Smithsonian institute
Ok, I think I will conclude today's post with this quick dumb yet hilarious video. It sums up everything in a kinda.. unique way lol
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
