In the process he has shown that whales, once celebrated by creationists as the best evidence against evolution, may be evolution's most elegant proof. "Complete specimens like that Basilosaurus ...

As evolutionary biologist Neil Shubin points out, "In one sense, evolution didn't invent anything new with whales. It was just tinkering with land mammals. It's using the old to make the new." ...

A recent research revealed a remarkable story of whale evolution—how these magnificent marine mammals transitioned from land-dwelling creatures to ocean rulers through three distinct and rapid ...

On 4 July, the spade-toothed whale (Mesoplodon traversii), which has never been seen alive, washed up on a beach in Otago, ...

For several years now, Coombs has been studying whale skull peculiarities—such as the structure’s unusual asymmetry in some species—and their implications for cetacean evolution. She first started ...

Understanding human evolution through the study of whale evolution Brief definition and history of mammals How did land-based mammals return to the sea? Fossils from "transitional species" trace ...

Early ancestors of the ocean's biggest animals once walked on land. Follow their extraordinary journey from shore to sea. Although whales are expert swimmers and perfectly adapted to life underwater, ...

A reconstruction of the fossil whale Kutchicetus, which lived about 45 million years ago in India, is behind him. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news ...

The evolution of modern cetaceans (including whales, dolphins, and porpoises) from terrestrial ancestors required many drastic anatomical, physiological, and behavioral changes. The development of an ...