A Whale with Legs...

[yellowdingo]

Walking Whale Fossil found in Peru

[Slaunyeh]

yellowdingo wrote:

Walking Whale Fossil found in Peru

The more obvious explanation is usually the correct one. In this case, clearly the whale fell on someone with legs.

True story.

[jocundthejolly]

Some whales have vestigial hind limbs.

[LazarX]

It's an accepted theory that whales and dolphins evolved from land dwelling ancestors.

Keep in mind that much of their present shape and size evolved from after entering the sea.(a blue whale would simply collapse under it's own weight on land) Their land dwelling ancestors would have been more like present day polar bears in general shape and proportions.

[Tiny Coffee Golem]

I though this was going to be about anthromorphic animal

[Icyshadow]

Intriguing, yet also rather frightening.

[BigNorseWolf]

ONLY A THEORY!!!

[DungeonmasterCal]

Hmm, at 40 million years it's actually sort of a leftover in whale evolution as fully aquatic whales had evolved by then.

[BigNorseWolf]

DungeonmasterCal wrote:

Hmm, at 40 million years it's actually sort of a leftover in whale evolution as fully aquatic whales had evolved by then.

Thats the thing people don't get about evolution: Its not a telephone pole, its a tree thats had a lot of pruning.

[MMCJawa]

Not much info given. I assume it is a protocetid, as I know there is unpublished material from that group from Peru. Although I will note that the specimen they were showing in the field was almost certainly a mysticete and not what they were talking about.