The Evolution of the Blue Whale

by Harry Miller December 17, 2019

 

Blue whale painting with ocean and sailing ship

The Pescatarian Pakicetus

The story of every type of whale started in what is now known as Pakistan some 50 million years ago.  In fact all of the cetaceans - the collective family name for whales, dolphins, and porpoises - started their pre-evolved existence there: all as one single mammal, the Pakicetus.

Being a fish lover, the dog sized Pakicetus was a true pescatarian, and just like a labrador, you just couldn’t keep them out of the water.  It took millions of years for life to crawl out of the wet stuff, only for the contrary creature to jump straight back in and ask for their flippers back: and yes, this may have taken a considerable amount of time to happen, but happen it did, and their perfectly fine land legs evolved back into sea legs.    

Once they were fully aquatic animals again, they were no longer subjected to the gravitational restrictions of land mammals and were able to grow to gigantic proportions; and some of them literally did, i.e., the evolution of the Blue Whale, which grew 10,000 times the size of a Pakicetus.

 




Harry Miller
Harry Miller

Author



Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.


Also in News / Work in progress / Mythology

Kingfisher - Halcyon Days

by Daniel Mackie March 12, 2021

In Greek mythology, Halcyone and Ceyx were lovers who incurred the wrath of the god Zeus by mocking him and his wife. Angered, Zeus killed Ceyx.

Read More

Belling The Cat- Aesop's Fable

by Daniel Mackie December 30, 2020

Ideas are nothing, execution is everything.
Belling the Cat is a fable first recored in the 12th ceuntry. A group of mice debate plans to neutralise the threat of a marauding cat. One of them has an idea of placing a bell around its neck, so that they will be warned of its approach. The others applaud the plan, until one mouse asks who will volunteer to place the bell on the cat. All of them make excuses!

Read More

Tiger in Buckinghamsire!

by Daniel Mackie June 14, 2020

This is Mack's Tiger. It was part of a school project based on my work and a theme of animals in the natural habitat.  Mack created this on Procreate on his mums iPad

Read More