Notes

Outline

How the Whale Got its Fluke! The walking whales of Pakistan:  Pakicetus An ambulatory whale that paddles about:  Ambulocetus A tale of flattening tails:  Rodhocetus and Basilocetus Morris and Horace and the Artiodactyl Are whales hippos?

Pakicetus More than 50 million years ago

Ambulocetus 48 million years ago

Rodhocetus & Basilosaurus 46 million years ago       37 million years ago

"Horace looked at the picture..." Horace looked at the picture of Very Great Uncle Basilosaurus. Morris was correct. It was indeed a huge creature with a streamlined body and tiny limbs, especially the hind ones. Definitely not a walker, let alone a runner—some sort of weird, mutant whale. “You said that running makes the moose a moose. Very Great Uncle Basilosaurus looks like a whale with tiny feet to me.” “Good point,” admitted Morris. “But I think the running is in the bones, no matter how much they have faded away. Look here at Very Great Aunt Rodhocetus. She lived some time before Very Great Uncle Basilosaurus. Take a look at her hind legs!” Horace stared at the picture of Very Great Aunt Rodhocetus’ hind leg. To his astonishment, the ankle bone looked exactly as Morris had bragged about: two rounded ends, just right for a runner’s leg motion. Yet, according to a note below her picture, Very Great Aunt Rodhocetus was remembered as a champion swimmer. She had a long body and a powerful tail, though not flattened like a fluke. Her leg and arm bones were limbs, not flippers, but they were flattened and paddle-like.

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