Step-by-step: how nature evolved a ‘walking-whale’ skull
No one wants to admit
all these taxa (Fig 1) are related to one another, despite their similarities. These are the leptictid precursors to the famous ‘walking whales’, like Protocetus and Pakicetus taxa first described as ‘walking-whales’ by Gingerich and Russell 1981.
The large reptile tree (LRT, 2337 taxa) minimizes taxon exclusion. That’s all it take.
Figure 1. The skulls of Leptictis, Leptictidium, Hemicentetes and Remingtonocetus with scale bars.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/leptictis.leptictidium588.jpg?w=223″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/leptictis.leptictidium588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-91727″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/leptictis.leptictidium588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. The skulls of Leptictis, Leptictidium, Hemicentetes and Remingtonocetus with scale bars. ” width=”584″ height=”787″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/leptictis.leptictidium588.jpg?w=584&h=787 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/leptictis.leptictidium588.jpg?w=111&h=150 111w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/leptictis.leptictidium588.jpg?w=223&h=300 223w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/leptictis.leptictidium588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 1. The skulls of Leptictis, Leptictidium, Hemicentetes and Remingtonocetus with scale bars.
No one was interested in
the precursors to the ‘walking whales’ (Fig 1) until the LRT recovered them. Oh, some workers added hippos to their list of whale precursors, despite their distinctly dfferent morphology to these taxa (Fig 1). Whale workers glossed over the differences with a wave of their hand.
Turns out hippos are basal to desmostylians which are basal to mystictes.
These long-snouted taxa
(Fig 1) are basal only to archaeocetes and odontocetes. Google: Triple Origin of Whales for a ResearchGate.net manuscript on this recovery that referee Phillip Gingerich called a ‘just so story.’ No one wants anyone else to know they overlooked the obvious.
This is how paleontology works: slowly, no matter how strong the evidence (Fig 1).
Figure 1. Leptictis and Orycteropus (the extant aardvark) to scale and to size.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/leptictis-orycteropus-skeletons588.jpg?w=240″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/leptictis-orycteropus-skeletons588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-91731″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/leptictis-orycteropus-skeletons588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Leptictis and Orycteropus (the extant aardvark) to scale and to size.” width=”584″ height=”729″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/leptictis-orycteropus-skeletons588.jpg?w=584&h=729 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/leptictis-orycteropus-skeletons588.jpg?w=120&h=150 120w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/leptictis-orycteropus-skeletons588.jpg?w=240&h=300 240w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/leptictis-orycteropus-skeletons588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 2. Leptictis and Orycteropus (the extant aardvark) to scale and to size.
BTW
Leptictis and Leptictidium are also aardvark (Orycteropus) ancestors (Fig 2). Apparently no one connected aardvarks to odontocetes until the LRT did so.
Figure 3. Skeleton of Tenrec alongside restored skeleton model of Pakicetus.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/tenrec_pakicetus_skeleton588.jpg?w=278″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/tenrec_pakicetus_skeleton588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-59235″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/tenrec_pakicetus_skeleton588.jpg” alt=”Figure 3. Skeleton of Tenrec alongside restored skeleton model of Pakicetus.” width=”584″ height=”631″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/tenrec_pakicetus_skeleton588.jpg?w=584&h=631 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/tenrec_pakicetus_skeleton588.jpg?w=139&h=150 139w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/tenrec_pakicetus_skeleton588.jpg?w=278&h=300 278w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/tenrec_pakicetus_skeleton588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 3. Skeleton of Tenrec alongside restored skeleton model of Pakicetus.
Protocetus atavus
(Fraas 1904; Middle Eocene 45mya; skull length est. 60cm) was the first protocetid to be discovered. Here it nests with Zygorhiza, but had a longer snout, a slender, extended lacrimal and a low naris. Note the asymmetry of the skull, a trait in echolocating taxa.
Pakicetus inachus
(Gingerich & Russell 1981; middle Eocene) was originally hailed as “one of the oldest whales known anywhere.” Despite its lack of fins and flukes, Pakicetus was considered a whale based largely on the large posterior process of the periodic (near the ear region) and the thick, dense auditory bulla characteristic of all cetaceans. These traits indicate a underwater hearing and habitat even though Pakicetus had slender running legs and no flukes. The resemblance of Pakicetus to Tenrec is striking — except the long tail. Leptictium had the long thick tail. Tenrec and Hemicentetes losts the long thick tail.
References
Fraas E 1904.Neue Zeuglodonten aus dem unteren Mitteleocän vom Mokattam bei Cairo. Geologische und Paläontologische Abhandlungen. 6 (3): 199–220.
Gingerich PD and Russell DE 1981. Pakicetus inachus, a new archaeocete (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the early-middle Eocene Kuldana Formation of Kohat (Pakistan). Universityt of Michigan Contributions to the Museum of Paleonology 25:235-246.
wiki/Pakicetus
wiki/Ambulocetus
wiki/Rodhocetus
wiki/Remingtonocetus
wiki/Georgiacetus
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2025/02/15/step-by-step-how-nature-evolved-a-walking-whale-skull/
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