Ambulocetus
Ambulocetus (meaning walking whale) was an early
cetacean with short limbs and large feet used for swim-
ming. Along with other members of Ambulocetidae, it is
a transitional fossil that shows how whales evolved from
land-living mammals. While its name stems from the his-
torical hypothesis that it was capable of walking on land,
more recent research suggests that it was fully aquatic like
modern cetaceans.[1]
1 Description
Life reconstruction of Ambulocetus natans
Ambulocetus was probably fully aquatic like modern
cetaceans, with a similar thoracic morphology, and it
probably swam by undulating its back vertically.[1] Chem-
ical analysis of its teeth shows that it could move between
salt and fresh water. It also lacked external ears. Its skull
had a long snout and eyes facing sideways (they faced up-
ward in pakicetids), located high on the skull like in mod-
ern hippos.[2]
Several features shared with other basal cetaceans indi-
cate the close anities of Ambulocetus with these ani-
mals; it had an adaptation in the nose that enabled it to
swallow underwater, and its periotic bone's structure was
like those of whales, enabling it to hear well underwater.
In addition, its teeth are similar to those of other early Size comparison between Ambulocetus and a human.
cetaceans. [3]
Ambulocetus had a feeding morphology similar to that of
crocodiles: a long snout, pointed teeth, and strong jaw ad-
ductor muscles. Like crocodilians, Ambulocetus probably
killed its prey by holding it in its jaw and either drowning
it or thrashing it with violent motions. Similar to larger
1
crocodilians, adult Ambulocetus probably were ambush
predators that fed on larger shes, aquatic tetrapods and
possibly terrestrial animals near the water. In contrast to
crocodilians, it may have chewed its prey but probably did
minimal food processing with its teeth.[3]
The short forelimbs of Ambulocetus had ve ngers on
each hand and its long hindlimbs had four toes on each
foot. It had dense osteosclerotic limb bones, suggest-
ing it was well-adapted for living in water but moved
slowly, probably hunting as an ambush predator. Its pelvis
was attached to its spine, like land mammals and un-
like later whales.[4] Its powerful tail, which lacked a tail
uke,[4] was apparently used for locomotion, and it prob-
ably moved similar to a modern river otter. Pakicetids
and ambulocetids used their large feet and hind limbs for
propulsion; morphologically, the thigh and leg of Am-
bulocetus were shortened, but the feet stayed large; this
resulted in a reduction in lever arm but a retention of
a large propulsive surface, indicating that the hind limb
functioned as an oar. In later Eocene cetaceans, such as
the basilosaurids and remingtonocetids, the tail gained a
uke and became the dominating source of propulsion,
while the leg became more reduced and rudimentary.[5]
1.1 Size
Ambulocetus was the size of a male sea lion, much larger
than Pakicetus. Thewissen et al. estimated the body
weight of Ambulocetus at 141235 kg (311518 lb),[3]
while Philip D. Gingerich estimated it at 720 kg (1,590
lb).[6]
2 6 EXTERNAL LINKS

2 Discovery from Pakistan (PDF). Courier Forschungsinstitut Senck-

Ambulocetus was recovered from the Early Eocene
(47.8-41.3 Ma) Kuldana Formation of Punjab, Pakistan
(3336N 7212E / 33.6N 72.2E, paleocoordinates
1418N 6818E / 14.3N 68.3E)[7] in 1993 by Jo-
hannes G.M. Thewissen and Sayed Taseer Hussain, and
was described by Thewissen, Hussain, and Mohammad
Arif in 1994.[8] It is believed to be from the Lutetian
age of the Paleogene period (48.6 to 40.4 million years
ago).[9]
Fewer than ten ambulocetid fossils have been found, all in
shallow sea or coastal swamp environments. Ambulocetus
is the only virtually complete skeleton known from the
group. When the animal was alive, Pakistan was a coastal
region of India, which was then an island continent in the
Tethys Ocean.
enberg. 191: 186. ISBN 9783929907322. OCLC
36463214.
[4] Kemp, T. S. (2005). The Origin and Evolution of
Mammals (PDF). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-
850760-7. OCLC 232311794.
[5] Thewissen, J. G. M.; Cohn, M. J.; Stevens, L.
S.; Bajpai, S.; Heyning, J.; Horton, W. E. (2006).
Developmental basis for hind-limb loss in dolphins and
origin of the cetacean bodyplan (PDF). PNAS. 103
(22): 84148418. PMC 1482506 . PMID 16717186.
doi:10.1073/pnas.0602920103.
[6] Thewissen, J. G. M. (2013). Cetacean Origins: Evolu-
tionary Turmoil during the Invasion of the Oceans. In
Thewissen, J. G. M. The Emergence of Whales: Evolu-
tionary Patterns in the Origin of Cetacea. Springer. pp.
451460. ISBN 9781489901590.

[7] H-GSP 9210 (Eocene of Pakistan)". Paleobiology

Database. 2005.
3 Classication
[8] Thewissen, J. G. M.; Hussain, S. T.; Arif, M. (1994).
Fossil evidence for the origin of aquatic locomotion in
Ambulocetus is classied under the monophyletic family
archaeocete whales. Science. 263 (5144): 210212.
Ambulocetidae. The family is believed to have di-
PMID 17839179. doi:10.1126/science.263.5144.210.
verged from the more terrestrial Pakicetidae. The fam-
ilies Protocetidae and possibly Remingtonocetidae, are [9] Ambulocetus in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved
believed to have arisen from a common ancestor with September, 2013
[10]
ambulocetids. Together with Basilosauridae, the ve
[10] Uhen, M. D. (1998). Phylogenetic relationships of
families are classied under the suborder Archaeoceti.[11]
Basilosaurids. In Thewissen, J. G. M. The Emergence
of Whales: Evolutionary Patterns in the Origin of Cetacea.
Springer. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-306-45853-8.
4 See also [11] Rose, K. D. (2006). The Beginning of the Age of Mam-
mals. JHU Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8472-6.
Evolution of cetaceans

Pakicetus
6 External links
Rodhocetus
Ambulocetus. BBC Nature.
Takracetus
Whale Origins. Thewissen Laboratory.
Kutchicetus

5 References
[1] Ando, K.; Fujiwara, S.-I. (2016). Farewell to life on
land thoracic strength as a new indicator to determine
paleoecology in secondary aquatic mammals. Journal
of Anatomy. 229 (6): 768777. PMID 27396988.
doi:10.1111/joa.12518.

[2] Thewissen, J. G. M.; Cooper, Lisa Noelle; George,

John C.; Bajpai, Sunil (2009). From Land to Water:
the Origin of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises (PDF).
Evolution: Education and Outreach. 2 (2): 272288.
doi:10.1007/s12052-009-0135-2.

[3] Thewissen, J. G. M.; Madar, S.I.; Hussain, S.T. (1996).

"Ambulocetus natans, an Eocene cetacean (Mammalia)
 3

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