Dorudon lived in warm seas around the world. Size: Between 1 and 2 meters long. Rodhocetus fossilized remains were found during a 1992 excavation in northern Pakistan. In 2001, scientists found fossils which confirmed the fact that this mammal lived entirely on the land and never went into the water. The first part of the name references the lizard's distinct teeth; a 'kopis' is a curved blade . Many toothed whales live in large groups and have feeding routines. Ear bones from Pakicetus show a feature that is unique to whales, placing it as the earliest known member of the modern whale lineage . Unlike all later cetaceans, it had four fully functional long legs. Corrections? As human civilization expands relentlessly into the wild, these natural habitats diminish in scopeand their restricted and dwindling populations are more susceptible to other extinction pressures. Which land animal is the closest cousin to dolphins? the blue whale Far bigger than any dinosaur, the blue whale is the largest known animal to have ever lived. In traditional Maori culture, whales were the source of important resources, such as oil, protein, bones and teeth, and the inspiration for stories of whale riders, ancestors transported to New Zealand atop a whale. During the early Eocene times, Further reading These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Basilosaurids had nostrils situated toward the top of their heads, an ear structure that suggested they could hear well underwater, and forelimbs that took the shape of paddlelike flippers. Another mystery surrounding Pakicetus is why has this animal been found mainly on the Indian subcontinent? 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They originated in Asia and came into North America. - New middle Eocene archaeocetes (Cetacea: Mammalia) from the Kuldana Whales evolved during the Eocene in the warm, shallow tropical Tethys Sea, which lay sandwiched between the mainland of Asia and Europe to the north and Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, and the Indian subcontinent to the south. But their ancestors of more than In Usually, determining which is the "better adapted" species takes thousands, and sometimes millions, of years. But even before the move, this lineage was setting size records. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. [4], The first fossil found consisted of an incomplete skull with a skull cap and a broken mandible with some teeth. The archaeocete basilosaurids appeared later in the Eocene and early Oligocene (34 million to 23 million years ago) and lived in the Tethys Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Learn about the mass extinction event 66 million years ago and the evidence for what ended the age of the dinosaurs. deer and their like which are known as artiodactyls. Only time will tell. Early-Middle Eocene Kuldana Formation of Kohat (Pakistan) - Their hips and legs were on the way out. Follow us @livescience, Facebook& Google+. https://www.thoughtco.com/reasons-animals-go-extinct-3889931 (accessed March 5, 2023). Pakicetus seal, it probably needed to return to the shore to breed. The ears of whales have many other distinctive features. This four-footed land mammal named Pakicetus, living some 50 million years ago in what we know as Pakistan today, bears the title of first whale. Straddling the two worlds of land and sea, the wolf-sized animal was a meat eater that sometimes ate fish, according to chemical evidence. An adult blue whale can grow to a massive 30m long and weigh more than 180,000kg thats about the same as 40 elephants, 30 Tyrannosaurus Rex or 2,670 average-sized men. It lived on land, on the edge of lakes and riverbanks in what is now Pakistan and India. A typical representative: Pakicetus inachus Gingerich & Russell, 1981. Pakicetus fossils, which include many broken teeth, skulls, and skeletons, were found in the Kuldana Formation in Pakistan, a site that was located near the northern edge of the Tethys Sea during the Eocene. Pakicetus is one of the earliest whales and the first cetacean discovered with functional legs. The excavation site is now a rocky, mountainous desert, but 50 million years ago, it was located beneath the southern edge of an immense, ancient ocean called the Tethys Sea. hippopotamus Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). It certainly doesnt look like the start of some of the largest aquatic mammals ever to live on Earth. Scientist, Science, 20 February). Fossils or organisms that show the intermediate states between an ancestral form and that of its descendants are referred to as transitional forms. Until now, we had little idea and their modern relatives have provided few clues. Thankfully, they'll all miss. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. cover a lot of ground to find food, and the rising and falling tides Its submarine-like shape is perfectly adapted for deep diving it can swim down to at least 6,500 feet to feed. Evidence suggests an asteroid impact was the main culprit. Mammoths also migrated over that land bridge! terrestrial carnivores that began developing adaptations for a wholly Named By: Gingerich & Russell - 1981. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. NASA warns of 3 skyscraper-sized asteroids headed toward Earth this week. A skull from this creature the only fossil found so far from this beast greets visitors on their way into a new exhibit on whales here at the American Museum of Natural History. These are called baleen whales, which include blue whales and humpback whales. [Whale Gallery: Giants of the Deep]. Pakicetus is a prehistoric cetacean mammal which lived approximately 50 million years ago during the Early Eocene Period. has not dive to any great depth, nor locate sounds underwater. evolving into a body that could provide efficient aquatic movement, All rights reserved. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/pakicetus-pakistan-whale-1093256. During the Miocene (5-23 Ma), modern mysticetes diversified. Thewissen et al. incus of Pakicetus. The older theory is that the evolution was of whales, and they came from ancestors of hoofed land animals that were very similar to wolves and even-toed ungulates. Whereas this creature had a body clearly adapted for land, its relatives began acquiring features better suited to life in the water, such as webbed feet and a more streamlined, hairless shape. Strauss, Bob. ", In an artist's rendering, the 45-million-year-old Andrewsarchus has a profile not unlike a giant feral pig with a more streamlined snout. For whatever reason, the descendants of this animal would make the switch from being a land-based mammal to a water-based mammal. Thus the hearing mechanism of Pakicetus is the only known intermediate between that of land mammals and aquatic cetaceans. They share with Indohyus the signature whale ear and unusually heavy bonesadaptations suggesting a lifestyle that was at least partially aquatic. ancestors of the modern cetacean groups the toothed whales and dolphins, www.prehistoric-wildlife.com. My thesis aimed to study dynamic agrivoltaic systems, in my case in arboriculture. This, of course, was the disaster that wiped out the . 29(4):1289-1299 - L. N. Cooper, J. G. M. Thewissen & S. T. Top 10 Reasons Why Animals and Plants Go Extinct. Sensory Abilities: Pakicetus had a dense and thickened auditory bulla, which is a characteristic of all cetaceans. 04. [16], Last edited on 26 February 2023, at 14:47, "A new Eocene archaeocete (Mammalia, Cetacea) from India and the time of origin of whales", "Fossil Evidence for the Origin of Aquatic Locomotion in Archaeocete Whales", "A life spent chasing down how whales evolved", "Origin of Whales in Epicontinental Remnant Seas: New Evidence from the Early Eocene of Pakistan", 10.1666/0094-8373(2003)029<0429:LTIEWE>2.0.CO;2, "Skeletons of terrestrial cetaceans and the relationship of whales to artiodactyls", "From Land to Water: the Origin of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pakicetus&oldid=1141735500, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 14:47. [6], Somewhat more complete skeletal remains were discovered in 2001, prompting the view that Pakicetus was primarily a land animal about the size of a wolf. Because of the tooth wear, Pakicetus is thought to have eaten fish and other small animals. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, It does not store any personal data. Today, the blue whale is the largest animal ever to live. [11][12] The discovery of Pakicetus played an important role in solidifying the inferences that revolved around the evolution of whales. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. To cite just one example: Because of their extreme habitat loss, today's dwindling population of African cheetahs suffers from unusually low genetic diversity and, thus, may lack the resiliency to survive another major environmental disruption. Assortments of limestone, dolomite, stone mud and other varieties of different coloured sands have been predicted to be a favourable habitat for Pakicetus. They were about 5 m (16 ft) long and fed on small fish and mollusks. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Length: "Pakicetus Facts and Figures." Pakicetus Timeline: Pakicetus was a land-living cetacean that lived between 56 and 50 million years ago See Also Ambulocetus For example, imagine that scientists find a way to permanently eliminate malaria by exterminating every mosquito on Earth. (2021, August 31). The ear bones of Pakicetus provide further While it's unusual for disease alone to wipe out a given speciesthe groundwork has to be laid first by starvation, loss of habitat, and/or lack of genetic diversitythe introduction of a particularly lethal virus or bacterium at an inopportune moment can wreak havoc. Why did the dinosaurs go extinct? That's because environmental and evolutionary changes had whittled away at this class of creatures. So how did they come to be so specialized for life in the sea? Right whales appeared before about 20 Ma, and rorqual-like animals evolved perhaps by 15 Ma. Although it had the body of a land animal, its head had the distinctive long skull shape of a whales. First off, whales and dogs have early on ancestors that shared similar traits. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. [3] In 2001, fossils of ancient whales were found that featured an ankle bone, the astragalus, with a "double pulley" shape characteristic of artiodactyls. Cetacea) from the But the new discovery suggests that our species. This is the first thing most people associate with the word "extinction," and not without reason, since we all know that a meteor impact on the Yucatn Peninsula in Mexico caused the disappearance of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Pakicetus attocki . In addition, it still retained many other features of terrestrial mammals, including an auditory system that was better for hearing in air than in water, a dentition not unlike that of its closest terrestrial relatives, such as the mesonychids, and functional feet capable of locomotion on land. Marine life such as fish, seals, coral,and crustaceans can be exquisitely sensitive to traces of toxic chemicals in lakes, oceans,and riversand drastic changes in oxygen levels, caused by industrial pollution, can suffocate entire populations. cavity of the middle ear to the membrane covering the opening of the inner The stalk of the silphium plant was used to . The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". predatory forces but practical ones too. Pakicetus Thewissen and Hussain say primitive whales were probably amphibians, 7 Extinction Level Events That Could End Life as We Know It, 6 Alternative Dinosaur Extinction Theories That Don't Work, 10 Prehistoric Creatures that Grew to Dinosaur-Like Sizes, The 10 Most Important Facts About Dinosaurs. By most reckonings, since the beginning of life on Earth, a whopping 99.9% of all species have gone extinct. Are we wise enough now to cease our reckless behavior? comb jelly A comb jelly. Because whales and dolphins use sound to locate food and communicate, About Pakicetus It was a mammal that would only go near the water to grab fish. The fossil remains of L. denticrenatus have been dated to 34 million years ago. Graduated from ENSAT (national agronomic school of Toulouse) in plant sciences in 2018, I pursued a CIFRE doctorate under contract with SunAgri and INRAE in Avignon between 2019 and 2022. "This peculiarity could indicate that Pakicetus could stand in water, almost totally immersed, without losing visual contact with the air."[9]. Only those of Mystacodon selenensis, which date to approximately 36 million years ago, are older in the mysticete lineage. By Victoria Jaggard. Paleontologists know this because its ears were only adapted for the land and not for the water. The first fossil, a skull fragment of P. inachus, was found in 1981 in Pakistan. Kevin Guertin/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0. The later descendants of Pakicetus were fully aquatic. Such an arrangement isolates the cetaceans left and right ears, and The "first whale," a creature whose lifestyle (living on land but eating fish from the nearby sea) represented the early stage of this transition into the water, was a wolf-size fish eater that lived about 50 million years ago on the edges of the ancient Tethys Sea, according to the exhibit. Pakicetus is a genus of extinct terrestrial carnivorous mammal of the family Pakicetidae which was endemic to Pakistan from the Eocene (55.8 0.240 0.1 million years ago). It thus lacked the fat pad, and sounds reached its eardrum following the external auditory meatus as in terrestrial mammals. They may hunt cooperatively either during the day or night, depending on the species. of extinct land-based ungulate mammals called the mesonychid condylarths, tide that would have had passable land bridges at low tide. By Pakicetus is one of the earliest whales and the first cetacean discovered with functional legs. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/reasons-animals-go-extinct-3889931. You need to look no further than the end of the last Ice Age, about 11,000 years ago, when various megafauna mammals were unable to adapt to quickly warming temperatures. The evolutionary history of the comb jelly has revealed surprising clues about Earths first animal. [3] The redescription of the primitive, semi-aquatic small deer-like artiodactyl Indohyus, and the discovery of its cetacean-like inner ear, simultaneously put an end to the idea that whales were descended from mesonychids, while demonstrating that Pakicetus, and all other cetaceans, are artiodactyls. And yet, this rich profusion of flora and fauna seems paltry compared to the ecosystems of the deep past. [13] The fossil indicated that whales swam up and down with their vertebral column, which caused their feet to move up and down like otters and their land movements were similar to sea lions; even their limbs protracted and retracted on land. The information here is completely Pakicetus had a long snout; a typical complement of teeth that included incisors, canines, premolars, and molars; a distinct and flexible neck; and a very long and robust tail. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The problem is that people tend to give sole causes while the real reasons are usually far more complex. In the past two years, J. Thewissen of Duke University Medical School Strauss, Bob. According to molecular evidence, the closest living relatives of whales are, quite surprisingly, the artiodactyls, a group of hoofed mammals that includes deer, cows, sheep, pigs, giraffes, camels and hippos. During the Eocene, Pakistan was an independent island-continent off the coastal region of Eurasia, and therefore an ideal habitat for the evolution and diversification of the Pakicetidae. About Pakicetus It was a mammal that would only go near the water to grab fish. like a crocodile. "Top 10 Reasons Why Animals and Plants Go Extinct." of the chain of three ossicles in the middle-ear cavity is at a similar so the left and right auditory regions were not isolated from each other, Chitta Hills of Pakistan. The body mass of Pakicetus was estimated at 45 kg (100 pounds), roughly the size of a wolf or large dog. all mammals, the ossicles are jointed and form a lever system. The fossils came out of red terrigenous sediments bounded largely by shallow marine deposits typical of coastal environments caused by the Tethys Ocean. by cavities filled with a fine bubbly foam. - From Land to Water: the Origin of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises - The whales ancestor, the Pakicetus, looked very much like a dog. Why Did Crocodiles Survive the K/T Extinction? Analysis of the fossil site indicates that it was a coastal region at the time, and as such possibly had many estuaries and islands. A preview of the exhibit opened with a Maori blessing intended to invoke the gods, the spirits of ancestors and spirits of the whales on display. While it's virtually unknown for a single environmental disaster (such as an oil spill or fracking project) to render an entire species extinct, constant exposure to pollution can render plants and animals more susceptible to the other dangers, including starvation, loss of habitat, and disease. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". [4] Cetaceans also all categorically exhibit a large mandibular foramen within the lower jaw, which holds a fat pack and extends towards the ear, both of which are also associated with underwater hearing. Strauss, Bob. Pakicetus is an extinct genus of amphibious cetacean of the family Pakicetidae, which was endemic to Pakistan during the Eocene. Description This four-footed land mammal named Pakicetus, living some 50 million years ago in what we know as Pakistan today, bears the title of "first whale." Diet: Baleen is made out of keratin, the same protein that makes up our fingernails and hair. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. These bristly baleen plates filter, sift, sieve or trap the whales favourite prey from seawater inside their mouths. Omissions? The exhibitis on display until Jan. 5, 2014. Pakicetus is an extinct genus of amphibious cetacean of the family Pakicetidae, which was endemic to Pakistan during the Eocene. However, that is exactly what it was. Pakicetus would have had an advantage in not having When did Pakicetus go extinct? the water after fish. In this scenario it could have focused its (Image credit: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, 2008). Whales are mammals, like humans, and their ancestors once lived on land. For instance, the skeleton of a pygmy right whale hanging from the ceiling displayed two tiny bones, the remnant of the pelvis, Flynn pointed out. Some species form associations with other odontocetes. ThoughtCo. Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, The Museum of Michigan The vast majority of paleontologists regard it as the most basal whale, representing a transitional stage between land mammals and whales. the air. Other forms such as the aforementioned Ambulocetus Which is Clapeyron and Clausius equation. The whales massive bulbous head is about one-third of the animals length. "Pakicetus Facts and Figures." Pakicetus also exhibited characteristics of its anatomy that link it to modern cetaceans, a group made up of whales, porpoises, and dolphins. The reason it can be definitely identified as a cetacean, and not part of some other group, is that the skeleton's inner ear includes features which are characteristic of, and unique to, cetaceans. head. https://www.thoughtco.com/pakicetus-pakistan-whale-1093256 (accessed March 5, 2023). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. [2] It was a wolf-like animal, [3] about 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) long, [4] and lived in and around water where it ate fish and other small animals. Mysticetes. NEW YORK By moving into the water full-time, the ancestors of whales paved the way for their descendants to become behemoths, largely free from gravity's constraints. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Commercial Photography: How To Get The Right Shots And Be Successful, Nikon Coolpix P510 Review: Helps You Take Cool Snaps, 15 Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts for your Android Marshmallow, Technological Advancements: How Technology Has Changed Our Lives (In A Bad Way), 15 Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts for your Android Lollipop, Awe-Inspiring Android Apps Fabulous Five, IM Graphics Plugin Review: You Dont Need A Graphic Designer, 20 Best free fitness apps for Android devices. It was only over the course of the Eocene epoch that the descendants of Pakicetus began to evolve toward a semi-aquatic, and then fully aquatic, lifestyle, complete with flippers and thick, insulating layers of fat. 1981. In this scenario it could have focused its attention upon prey that had become trapped in tidal pools at low Pakicetus, extinct genus of early cetacean mammals known from fossils discovered in 48.5-million-year-old river delta deposits in present-day Pakistan. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Just like Indohyus, limb bones of pakicetids are osteosclerotic, also suggestive of aquatic habitat"[8] (since heavy bones provide ballast). also indicate a close relationship between artiodactyls and cetaceans (New Updates? low tide. The closest modern relatives of cetaceans Whales are mammals, like humans, and their ancestors once lived on land. The animal was given the name Pakicetus. with other animals such as Ambulocetus, Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. or Odontoceti, and the filter-feeding baleen whales, or Mysticeti. Pakicetus lived. Its ear structure is more While most struggles for survival transpire over eons, sometimes the contest is quicker, bloodier, and more one-sided. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. According to new dating of fossils from Java, Indonesia, H. erectus persisted in this region until around 108,000 to 117,000 years ago. are therefore ungulates, especially the even-toed forms pigs, cattle, Hidden corridor in Egypts Great Pyramid mapped with cosmic rays, AI masters video game 6000 times faster by reading the instructions, Artificial sweetener erythritol linked to heart attacks and strokes, Why uncertainty is part of science - especially quantum mechanics, Lion infected with covid-19 probably passed it on to two zoo workers, The Earth Transformed review: The untold history of humans and climate. It's likely that many of the Earth's mass extinctionsnot only the K-T extinction, but also the much more severe Permian-Triassic extinctionwere caused by such impact events, and astronomers are constantly on the lookout for comets or meteors that could spell the end of human civilization. Although it had the body of a land animal, its head had the distinctive long skull shape of a whale's. However, they do know this is exactly what happened. One of the most dramatic examples of a modern extinction is the passenger pigeon. These leftovers from land are still visible in some modern whales. Pakicetus Facts and Figures. Paleontologists know this because its ears were only adapted for the land and not for the water. From the shape of the fossil ossicles, the two scientists deduced that Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. What did the first whales look like? Thats because it doesnt look aquatic at all. What is the Venus-Jupiter conjunction and how can you view it? Even more so, however, was its auditory abilities. It was a mammal that would only go near the water to grab fish. [3], Based on the sizes of specimens, and to a lesser extent on composite skeletons, species of Pakicetus are thought to have been 1 metre (3ft 3in) to 2 metres (6ft 7in) in length. Pakicetus, extinct genus of early cetacean mammals known from fossils discovered in 48.5-million-year-old river delta deposits in present-day Pakistan. The discovery of a more complete skeleton in 2001 prompted a reconsideration, and today Pakicetus is deemed to have been fully terrestrial; in the words of one paleontologist, "no more amphibious than a tapir." - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology This is the reason it's much healthier to marry a complete stranger than your first cousin, since, otherwise, you run the risk of "inbreeding" undesirable genetic traits, like susceptibility to fatal diseases. After the asteroid hit the Earth, it sent a shower of molten rock into the atmosphere, which then crystallized at high altitudes.. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Anatomy: Dorudon, along with other basilosaurids, differed from all modern cetaceans in the shape of its head and teeth. Pakicetus has been envisioned by some as a wolf sized predator that would dive into the water after fish. Fossilised remnants were found in Pakistan. Ancient volcanic eruptions didn't play a role in the mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs, a new study says, putting the blame solely back on an asteroid that slammed into Earth. Humans have only occupied the Earth for the last 50,000 or so years, so it's unfair to blame the bulk of the world's extinctions on Homo sapiens. adaptation in animals that spend a lot of time in the water. This The groups are cetaceans within Artiodactyla, as noted; Carnivora, specifically seals, sea lions, and walruses (the pinnipeds) and an independent invasion of the oceans by sea otters; and Sirenia, which includes several species of aquatic manatees and dugongswhich live in rivers and shallow coastal waters and eat mainly seagrasses. Original article on LiveScience.com. Its name means Pakistan whale.. Pakicetidae ("Pakistani whales") is an extinct mammalian family of carnivorous cetaceans that lived during the Early Eocene to Middle Eocene (55.8 mya40.4 mya) Indo-Pakistan and existed for approximately 15.4 million years. and as such possibly had many estuaries and islands. Pakicetus . ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/pakicetus-pakistan-whale-1093256. (2020, August 27). That's when an immense asteroid slammed into what is now the Yucatan Peninsula, triggering one of the worst extinction crises of all time. Witness the crisis currently facing the world's amphibians, which are falling prey to chytridiomycosis, a fungal infection that ravages the skin of frogs, toads,and salamanders, and causes death within a few weeks, not to mention the Black Death that wiped out a third of Europe's population during the Middle Ages. Pakicetus His current research is on trait-based community dynamics in vertebrates, Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Like the modern - Journal of Paleontology 54(3):508-533 - R. M. aquatic lifestyle. Evolution: Education and Outreach 2 (2): 272288. Until further evidence is found, paleontologists are unlikely to be able to answer these questions. attocki , P. calcis, P. chittas. Chitta Hills of Pakistan. At first glance, that may seem like good news for us humans, but just think of the domino effect as all the creatures that feed on mosquitoes (like bats and frogs) go extinct, and all the animals that feed on bats and frogs, and so on down the food chain. The David Polly is a vertebrate paleontologist at Indiana University-Bloomington and a Research Associate at the Field Museum in Chicago. Such muscles are consistent with webbed feet that were used for aquatic locomotion. The male sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest living toothed predator on Earth. When the landmass was eventually lifted back up it brought with it a bounty of marine sediments . Mass starvation is the quick, one-way, surefire route to extinctionespecially since hunger-weakened populations are much more prone to disease and predationand the effect on the food chain can be disastrous. Based on the detail of the teeth, the molars suggest that the animal could rend and tear flesh. It probably could Phonetic: Pa-kee-see-tuss. Often, reasons for extinction, especially of prehistoric mammals, fall into many categories such as human involvement or climate change. Philip Gingerich, Unlike the hippos ancestor, whale ancestors moved to the sea and evolved into swimming creatures over a period of about 8 million years. This helps a whale to pinpoint sound signals from outside that are The Pakicetus inachus This fossil was dated at about 50 million years old and is, as such, the second-oldest known example of early whales.
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