Evolution of Whales

By Caden Maire
 The First Whale
The earliest whales where the Pakicetus
attocki that lived about 50 million years ago.

The Pakicetus had a long skull and large

sharp teeth. It resembles as if it was a wolf,
but it is the ancestor of whales. In addition,
the Pakicetus was a carnivore.

From the outside you can tell that it looks

completely different than whales today.
However, their skulls in the ear region, which
is surrounded by a bony wall, strongly
resembles those of living whales.
 What is the Ambulocetus Natan?

The Ambulocetus Natan lived 49 million years ago. It is likely that the
Ambulocetus lived a more aquatic lifestyle than the Pakicetus. This animal could
grow to a whopping 11 or 12 feet long. Though, it had strong limbs, the
Ambulocetus really could not walk that well on land. Their legs were bent and
extended from the body, which meant that most likely the Ambulocetus waddled
with its forelimbs, like sea lions do.
 What is the difference between the Ambulocetus
Natans and the Pakicetus?

Though the Ambulocetus and the Pakicetus have many similar traits, they are different in
many ways. For example, the Ambulocetus legs are starting to turn to flippers and the back legs
are more adapted to water. One of the most obvious differences between these creatures is that
the Ambulocetus is much larger than the Pakicetus. When the Ambulocetus was alive, it lived in
water biomes and could live in ether salt or fresh water. One similar trait is that the Ambulocetus
still has the same skull as the Pakistan. Lastly, this is only one of many different examples of
natural evolution.
The Dorudon
The Dorudon lived about 41 million
years ago. The Dorudon was a carnivore
who ate small fish and mollusks. These early
whales grew to around 16 feet long. They
weighed around a half a ton, or 1,000
pounds. The Dorudon lived in salt water
only.

As you can see, the Dorudon looks like

a completely different species compared to
the Ambulocetus Natans. Some major
adaptations of the Dorudon includes a fin
like tail, the blow hole on the top of their
head, and their eyes shifted more to the
side.
 Modern Whales
After about 40 million years, there are many
different species of whales. Some whales include
the Humpback whale, Killer whale, Blue whale and
the Beluga whale.

Whales have adapted in many different ways,

such as the Blue whale weighs about 200 tons and
and can be up to 105 feet long. The most deadly
whale is the Killer whale. This species is the
ultimate predator, it can eat almost any sea
creature.

The Beluga whale is the only species of a

whale to be bright white. Another fact is that the
Beluga whale has a very flexible head that can turn
in any direction.
How Did Whales Evolve?
Whales evolved by the process of natural selection,
which was theorised by Darwin. Natural evolution is the
process in which organisms change over time, due to
changes in physical or behavioral traits. Thus, these
changes allow an organism to better adapt to its
environment in order to help it survive. To put it more
simply, natural evolution is just adaptation. In some cases,
a species can just change a different color. If the species
has been given enough time of changes, natural selection
can create a completely different species. One example is
how the Pakicetus evolved to be the Ambulocetus. You
may be asking how does the whole species adapt? The
answer is that it is created by natural selection. Natural
selection states that animals in the same species will mate
to the animal with the best traits. This will produce
offspring that will have the same traits and the process will
go on.
How Did We Discover How Whales Evolved?

Of course we found many different

fossils and remains of ancient whales, but
how did we know that they were related to
current whales today? The first piece of
evidence showing that whales were on land,
was the discovery of tiny bones found by a
whale's remains. First Archaeologists thought
the bones were not part of the animal, but
eventually they discovered it was. After that,
scientists used the fossil records to trace the
whales ancestors. Lastly, the proof that
whales walked on land is a strong piece of
evidence to back up the theory of natural
evolution.
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