Get Whale Evolution Internet Lesson

34 million years ago: modern whales Their common ancestor, which lived about 34 million years ago, probably lacked baleen and could not use echolocation. In just 5 million years, whale species have diversified, probably due to rapid ecological changes in the oceans.

Looking at a whale's body and biology, there are plenty of clues that their ancestors lived on land. They breathe air and nurse their young with their own milk, they also have paddle-shaped flippers which encase hand bones with five 'fingers'. As embryos, whales have tiny back limbs which disappear before birth.

The whales with this mutation were more suited to the sea environment (where the food was) than "normal" whales, so they thrived and reproduced, passing on this genetic mutation to their offspring: Natural selection "chose" this trait as favorable.

The theory is that some land-living ungulates favoured munching on plants at the water's edge which had the added advantage of allowing them to easily hide from danger in shallow water. Over time their descendants spent more and more time in the water and their bodies became adapted for swimming.

Unlike the hippo's ancestor, whale ancestors moved to the sea and evolved into swimming creatures over a period of about 8 million years. Fossils of gigantic ancient whales called Basilosaurus were first mistaken for dinasaur fossils but were later recognised as mammals.

One of the best examples scientists have of natural selection, is the evolution of whales. By using Darwin's theory as a guide, and understanding how natural selection works, biologists determined that the transition of early whales from land to water occurred in a series of predictable steps.

The evolution of whales from land to sea. Whales and their kin evolved from land-dwelling mammals, a transition that entailed major physiological and morphological changes — which geneticists have begun to parse.

Meet Pakicetus, a goat-sized, four-legged creature that scientists recognise as one of the first cetaceans (the group of marine animals that includes dolphins and whales). How Pakicetus' descendants evolved into whales is one of the most intriguing evolutionary journeys known to science.

From land to water, whales evolved rapidly in response to a changing environment. [The Pakicetus changes into the Ambulocetus, then the Maiacetus, the Dorudon, and the Llanocetus. The view changes to a video from behind the tail of a large whale.] Today's whales all spring from one common ancestor ...

One of the best examples scientists have of natural selection, is the evolution of whales. By using Darwin's theory as a guide, and understanding how natural selection works, biologists determined that the transition of early whales from land to water occurred in a series of predictable steps.

Meet Pakicetus, a goat-sized, four-legged creature that scientists recognise as one of the first cetaceans (the group of marine animals that includes dolphins and whales). How Pakicetus' descendants evolved into whales is one of the most intriguing evolutionary journeys known to science.

To help them adapt to the ocean, whales developed echolocation, thick layers of blubber, modified lungs, better hearing, and larger arteries, among other things, to ensure their survival and prosperity.

34 million years ago: modern whales Their common ancestor, which lived about 34 million years ago, probably lacked baleen and could not use echolocation. In just 5 million years, whale species have diversified, probably due to rapid ecological changes in the oceans.

Looking at a whale's body and biology, there are plenty of clues that their ancestors lived on land. They breathe air and nurse their young with their own milk, they also have paddle-shaped flippers which encase hand bones with five 'fingers'. As embryos, whales have tiny back limbs which disappear before birth.

The whales with this mutation were more suited to the sea environment (where the food was) than "normal" whales, so they thrived and reproduced, passing on this genetic mutation to their offspring: Natural selection "chose" this trait as favorable.

The theory is that some land-living ungulates favoured munching on plants at the water's edge which had the added advantage of allowing them to easily hide from danger in shallow water. Over time their descendants spent more and more time in the water and their bodies became adapted for swimming.

Unlike the hippo's ancestor, whale ancestors moved to the sea and evolved into swimming creatures over a period of about 8 million years. Fossils of gigantic ancient whales called Basilosaurus were first mistaken for dinasaur fossils but were later recognised as mammals.

One of the best examples scientists have of natural selection, is the evolution of whales. By using Darwin's theory as a guide, and understanding how natural selection works, biologists determined that the transition of early whales from land to water occurred in a series of predictable steps.

The evolution of whales from land to sea. Whales and their kin evolved from land-dwelling mammals, a transition that entailed major physiological and morphological changes — which geneticists have begun to parse.

Meet Pakicetus, a goat-sized, four-legged creature that scientists recognise as one of the first cetaceans (the group of marine animals that includes dolphins and whales). How Pakicetus' descendants evolved into whales is one of the most intriguing evolutionary journeys known to science.

From land to water, whales evolved rapidly in response to a changing environment. [The Pakicetus changes into the Ambulocetus, then the Maiacetus, the Dorudon, and the Llanocetus. The view changes to a video from behind the tail of a large whale.] Today's whales all spring from one common ancestor ...

One of the best examples scientists have of natural selection, is the evolution of whales. By using Darwin's theory as a guide, and understanding how natural selection works, biologists determined that the transition of early whales from land to water occurred in a series of predictable steps.

Meet Pakicetus, a goat-sized, four-legged creature that scientists recognise as one of the first cetaceans (the group of marine animals that includes dolphins and whales). How Pakicetus' descendants evolved into whales is one of the most intriguing evolutionary journeys known to science.

To help them adapt to the ocean, whales developed echolocation, thick layers of blubber, modified lungs, better hearing, and larger arteries, among other things, to ensure their survival and prosperity.

34 million years ago: modern whales Their common ancestor, which lived about 34 million years ago, probably lacked baleen and could not use echolocation. In just 5 million years, whale species have diversified, probably due to rapid ecological changes in the oceans.

Looking at a whale's body and biology, there are plenty of clues that their ancestors lived on land. They breathe air and nurse their young with their own milk, they also have paddle-shaped flippers which encase hand bones with five 'fingers'. As embryos, whales have tiny back limbs which disappear before birth.

The whales with this mutation were more suited to the sea environment (where the food was) than "normal" whales, so they thrived and reproduced, passing on this genetic mutation to their offspring: Natural selection "chose" this trait as favorable.

The theory is that some land-living ungulates favoured munching on plants at the water's edge which had the added advantage of allowing them to easily hide from danger in shallow water. Over time their descendants spent more and more time in the water and their bodies became adapted for swimming.

Unlike the hippo's ancestor, whale ancestors moved to the sea and evolved into swimming creatures over a period of about 8 million years. Fossils of gigantic ancient whales called Basilosaurus were first mistaken for dinasaur fossils but were later recognised as mammals.

One of the best examples scientists have of natural selection, is the evolution of whales. By using Darwin's theory as a guide, and understanding how natural selection works, biologists determined that the transition of early whales from land to water occurred in a series of predictable steps.

The evolution of whales from land to sea. Whales and their kin evolved from land-dwelling mammals, a transition that entailed major physiological and morphological changes — which geneticists have begun to parse.

Meet Pakicetus, a goat-sized, four-legged creature that scientists recognise as one of the first cetaceans (the group of marine animals that includes dolphins and whales). How Pakicetus' descendants evolved into whales is one of the most intriguing evolutionary journeys known to science.

From land to water, whales evolved rapidly in response to a changing environment. [The Pakicetus changes into the Ambulocetus, then the Maiacetus, the Dorudon, and the Llanocetus. The view changes to a video from behind the tail of a large whale.] Today's whales all spring from one common ancestor ...

One of the best examples scientists have of natural selection, is the evolution of whales. By using Darwin's theory as a guide, and understanding how natural selection works, biologists determined that the transition of early whales from land to water occurred in a series of predictable steps.

Meet Pakicetus, a goat-sized, four-legged creature that scientists recognise as one of the first cetaceans (the group of marine animals that includes dolphins and whales). How Pakicetus' descendants evolved into whales is one of the most intriguing evolutionary journeys known to science.

To help them adapt to the ocean, whales developed echolocation, thick layers of blubber, modified lungs, better hearing, and larger arteries, among other things, to ensure their survival and prosperity.