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Ambulocetids had relatively long limbs with particularly strong hind legs, and they retained a tail with no sign of a fluke. [17] The hindlimb structure of Ambulocetids shows that their ability to engage in terrestrial locomotion was significantly limited compared to that of contemporary terrestrial mammals, and likely did not come to land at all.
Baleen whales (/ b ə ˈ l iː n /), also known as whalebone whales, ... The hind legs are enclosed inside the body, and are thought to be vestigial organs.
Ambulocetus (Latin ambulare "to walk" + cetus "whale") is a genus of early amphibious cetacean [a] from the Kuldana Formation in Pakistan, roughly 48 or 47 million years ago during the Early Eocene . It contains one species , Ambulocetus natans (Latin natans "swimming"), known solely from a near-complete skeleton.
[3] [4] Parts recovered include the jaw, front and hind legs, bits of spine, and tail. Olivier Lambert, a scientist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and lead author of the study, noted that Peregocetus "fills in a crucial [knowledge] gap" about the evolution of whales and their spread.
Sperm whales have the largest brain mass of any animal on Earth, averaging 8,000 cm 3 (490 in 3) and 7.8 kg (17 lb) in mature males. [24] The brain to body mass ratio in some odontocetes, such as belugas and narwhals, is second only to humans. [25] In some whales, however, it is less than half that of humans: 0.9% versus 2.1%. [citation needed]
The two common whales are the large Basilosaurus, and the smaller (3- to 5-metre) Dorudon. [10] At least two other species are known from rarer remains. The whales possess small hind limbs, that are not seen in modern whales, and a powerful skull with teeth similar to those of carnivorous land mammals. [9]
Pelvis, vertebrae, and hind limb of Rodhocetus. Rodhocetus was a small whale measuring 2–3 m (6.6–9.8 ft) long. [4] Throughout the 1990s, a close relationship between cetaceans and mesonychians, an extinct group of cursorial, wolf-like ungulates, was generally accepted based on morphological analyses. In the late 1990s, however, cladistic ...
The family Balaenidae, the right whales, contains two genera and four species. All right whales have no ventral grooves; a distinctive head shape with a strongly arched, narrow rostrum, bowed lower jaw; lower lips that enfold the sides and front of the rostrum; and long, narrow, elastic baleen plates (up to nine times longer than wide) with fine baleen fringes.