In Depth Attockicetus was a remingtonocetid whale that lived in Pakistan during the Eocene. The known partial remains of the genus make reconstructing Attockicetus difficult, however the genus is expected to have been similar to its relatives Remingtonocetus, Andrewsiphius and Kutchicetus. Further Reading - Attockicetus praecursor, a new remingtonocetid cetacean from marine Eocene sediments of … Read more
In Depth Artiocetus was an important transisitional find because individuals of this genus still possessed artiodactyl-like ankles. In modern palaeontology whales have long been thought to have descended from land living artiodactyl ancestors, specifically anthracotheres, and the observation of artiodactyl ankles in a primitive whale is further proof of this theory. Although a whale ancestor, … Read more
In Depth The change from a terrestrial to more aquatic life that began with Pakicetus through Ambulocetus continued with the further developments of Protocetus. The front limbs still had webbed toes, but the rear limbs were already greatly reduced in size to the point of them being vestigial. The caudal vertebrae towards the end of … Read more
In Depth Originally described as a species of Gaviacetus, Kharodacetus is a genus of protocetid whale known to have inhabited the coastal waters of India during the Eocene. Further Reading - Protocetid cetaceans (Mammalia) from the Eocene of India. - Palaeontologia Electronica 17 (3, 34A): 19 p. - Sunil Bajpai & J. G. M. Thewissen … Read more
In Depth Gandakasia is a little known genus of primitive whale from Pakistan, and not surprising given that the genus was named only upon the description of teeth. Further Reading - Pal�ontologische und geologische Untersuchungen im Terti�r von Pakistan. - Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften Mathewmatisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse 91:1-54. - R. Dehm & T. Oettingen-Spielberg - 1958.
In Depth Just one of many primitive whale forms from Pakistan, Takracetus is related to other primitive forms such as Rodhocetus and Protocetus amongst others. Further Reading Further reading- New archaeocetes (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Middle Eocene Domanda Formation of the Sulaiman Range, Punjab (Pakistan). – Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan … Read more
In Depth Pakicetus may well be the oldest known ancestor to modern whales, and along with other animals such as Ambulocetus, represent the group of terrestrial carnivores that began developing adaptations for a wholly aquatic lifestyle. Due to its transitional nature, it is hard to say with certainty how Pakicetus lived. Its ear structure is … Read more
In Depth The name Maiacetus means ‘good mother whale’ and this is a reference to the fact that the holotype of Maiacetus was composed of a skull with post cranial skeletal remains, and inside of the post cranial skeleton there appears to be the remains of a fossilised foetus. If this interpretation is correct then … Read more
In Depth Stromerius is a genus of basilosaurid whale that has been discovered in the world famous fossil deposits of Egypt, some of which are well known for turning up the fossils of whales. Unfortunately the harsh environmental conditions there can quickly erode exposed fossils, and as for the case of Stromerius, only some of … Read more
In Depth Georgiacetus is one of the most primitive whale genera to be discovered in the United States, with the holotype fossils discovered in the state of Georgia during the construction of a nuclear power station. New fossil material discovered in 2008 resulted in confirmation that Georgiacetus did not have a fluked tail like modern … Read more