3 ms·
The ancestral precursor to modern orcas is a pig? Really? Fascinating. What creature does the fossil record point to as the orca ancestor? (Legitimately curiou
by cushychicken 7y ago
The ancestral precursor to modern orcas is a pig? Really? Fascinating. What creature does the fossil record point to as the orca ancestor?
(Legitimately curious. Rereading before posting makes me realize that I sound like an anti-evolution troll XD )
- detaro 7y agoNot directly a pig, but a land-living mammal where a different evolutionary branch developed into pigs (and cows, and a bunch more) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Even-toed_ungulate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Even-toed_ungulate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_cetaceans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_cetaceans
- fmela 7y agoSee also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakicetus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakicetus
- mixmastamyk 7y agoThe hippo is a another close relative of the first water-loving mammals.
- joejerryronnie 7y agoThe docile hippo - one of the most dangerous animals in the world
- stjohnswarts 7y agoDon't they kill more people annually than any other mammal?
- blotter_paper 7y agoI'd bet good money that humans have them beat.
- billfruit 7y agoI'd guess the ancestor was some thing resembling a hippo, like these sea surfing hippos from West Africa: https://youtu.be/ZvyBmXn7Euc https://youtu.be/ZvyBmXn7Euc Also see this informative graphic: https://www.juneauwhalewatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Whippos.jpg https://www.juneauwhalewatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/...
- mkl 7y agoNot a pig. Here is a fascinating article about how it seems to have happened: http://www.eartharchives.org/articles/the-evolution-of-whales/ http://www.eartharchives.org/articles/the-evolution-of-whale...