Transitional Fossils discovered: Whales that give birth on land.

**zachattack** · February 07, 2009, 08:05 PM

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2.../maiacetus.php

Maiacetus, as it's called.

Basically, it's a whale that lived in the sea, but it gave birth on land.

what

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/lo...ackward-whale/
http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketsci...th_on_land.php
http://scienceblogs.com/laelaps/2009...other_whal.php
http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/20...ng_proto_w.php

More info.

Interesting!

**CtrlAltDe1337** · February 10, 2009, 10:16 PM

Last time I checked whales didn't have huge legs :hmmm:

Interesting find nonetheless.

**zachattack** · February 10, 2009, 11:02 PM

Originally Posted by CtrlAltDe1337

Last time I checked whales didn't have huge legs :hmmm:

Interesting find nonetheless.

That's the point, but okay.

**MrMofo** · February 11, 2009, 12:00 AM

yeah it's cool how whales lived on land and then moved back to the sea. I guess it's sorta like sea lions. Where will they be in a million years? Probably any species that lives on the margins of habitats like that are the most likely to experience massive changes if they survive.

**Copperknickers II** · February 11, 2009, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by CtrlAltDe1337

Last time I checked whales didn't have huge legs :hmmm:

No, they have small legs now because they don't live on land anymore:

We have fossils for all of those, and sperm whales have small leg-like rear appendages even today.

**CtrlAltDe1337** · February 11, 2009, 05:22 PM

How do you know those aren't just another species/type of animal, then? I'm not an expert obviously, but I'd think you would want some tissue to test to confirm or deny that the animals are related biologically. Based on that diagram, the first 2 animals look like a different type of animal than the rest. And do we even have whole skeletons of all those (I'd assume we do of some, plus the ones that are still living)? I know that artists are fond taking a few bones and making a whole animal out of it

**~~removeduser_487563287433~~** · February 12, 2009, 03:26 AM

Originally Posted by CtrlAltDe1337

Last time I checked whales didn't have huge legs :hmmm:

Interesting find nonetheless.

Modern whales do have hind leg bones.

**DisgruntledGoat** · February 12, 2009, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by CtrlAltDe1337

I'm not an expert obviously

I think you answered your own question. You're not an expert and likely what you have thought has already been thought of by everyone else and addressed a million times over.

**chamaeleo** · February 13, 2009, 01:16 PM

Even more profound:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1015144123.htm

The paleontologists correctly predicted when in geologic time that Tiktaalik existed by bracketing its before/after relatives. They correctly predicted which rock type and what current geographical location it'd be found in, based on depositional environment, a sound interpretation of plate tectonics and the critter's lifestyle. Evolutionary theory allows researchers to make very accurate guesses regarding where their target fossils might be found, which by any other means would be searching for the needle in the haystack.

This is yet another reason why any rational being should conclude that creationist/ID "theory" is really a bunch of crap.

Happy 200th birthday, Darwin!!!

**zachattack** · February 13, 2009, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by chamaeleo

Even more profound:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1015144123.htm

The paleontologists correctly predicted when in geologic time that Tiktaalik existed by bracketing its before/after relatives. They correctly predicted which rock type and what current geographical location it'd be found in, based on depositional environment, a sound interpretation of plate tectonics and the critter's lifestyle. Evolutionary theory allows researchers to make very accurate guesses regarding where their target fossils might be found, which by any other means would be searching for the needle in the haystack.

This is yet another reason why any rational being should conclude that creationist/ID "theory" is really a bunch of crap.

Happy 200th birthday, Darwin!!!

Holy crap! That's just freaking awesome!!!

I was watching a documentary on evolution on discovery channel (or was it animal planet... eh who cares) yesterday... so interesting. Described how different types of bears exist (brown, black, panda, polar), how birds are descendants from dinosaurs (Turkey, anyone?) and all this great stuff, I wish I could have shared it with you all.