Whales and Basilosaurus

James Davis
Basilosaurus

The Basilosaurus was an ancestor of modern

day whales that lived from 66 million years ago
to 15 million years ago. They reached a length
of around 49 feet up to around 59 feet. It is
known today to be one of the largest toothed
predators of their time period.

Their social skills are unknown but were most

likely either nonexistent or underdeveloped.
Basilosaurus anatomy

While there naturally some similar physical features between whales and the
basilosaurus, the basilosaurus had different features. The skull was much
smaller and that means the brain was smaller as well. Their spine also worked
differently compared to the modern day whale. They could only swim in two
different positions which meant that their spines were underdeveloped
compared to modern day whales.

A basilosaurus skeleton
Basilosaurus behavior

Basilosaurus hold the record of being the largest toothed predator. This means
they were able to chew up their food before swallowing. Their bite force was an
overwhelming 3500 pounds of force.

Basilosaurus had a very interesting way of swimming that is no longer used in

whales. They would move in a horizontal fashion. This type of swimming is
used most often by eels.
Basilosaurus diet

Basilosaurus were carnivorous

hunters, this means they would
only eat meat. Due to their size
they would eat large fish and
sharks.
Where did they go?

Scientists believe that Basilosaurus died out due to the water temperature
decreasing to the point where they couldnt hunt due to the fish dying out and
eventually a mixture of both cold and hunger the Basilosaurus died out.
Whales

The modern day whale is smaller than the basilosaurus was but is still a
predator of the seas. The average whale is about 30-40 feet long with the
longest being the blue whale at 82 feet and the smallest being the dwarf sperm
whale at 8 feet.
Whale anatomy

The anatomy of the whale is of

course similar to the Basilosaurus,
with albeit a few differences. The
brain of the modern day whale is
larger than a basilosaurus
meaning the skull is also larger.
Whale behavior

Whales are considered to be extremely social creatures that do everything with

the pod. Pods are groups of whales that hunt, migrate, and live together at all
times. They also watch over each others young.

Unlike the Basilosaurus, whales swim by moving their tail up and down.
Whale diet

The diets of modern day whales differ by the animal but most either eat squid
and fish while the larger whales simply eat a lot of krill, over 4 tons in fact.

The killer whale also eats seals and penguins.

Whales advantage?

It is considered by scientists that whales have a distinct advantage of their

ancestor the Basilosaurus. It is most likely their ability to survive in colder
temperatures plus having prey that can also survive the cold temperatures.