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New whale from the Eocene of Pakistan and the origin of cetacean swimming

Nature volume 368, pages 844–847 (1994)Cite this article

Abstract

MODERN whales (order Cetacea) are marine mammals that evolved from a land-mammal ancestor, probably a cursorial Palaeocene–Eocene mesonychid1–3. Living whales are streamlined, lack external hind limbs, and all swim by dorsoventral oscillation of a heavily muscled tail4,5. A steamlined rigid body minimizes resistance, while thrust is provided by a lunate horizontal fluke attached to the tail at a narrow base or pedicle6. We describe here a new 46–47-million-year-old archaeocete intermediate between land mammals and later whales. It has short cervical vertebrae, a reduced femur, and the flexible sacrum, robust tail and high neural spines on lumbars and caudals required for dorsoventral oscillation of a heavily muscled tail. This is the oldest fossil whale described from deep-neritic shelf deposits, and it shows that tail swimming evolved early in the history of cetaceans.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109–1079, USA

    Philip D. Gingerich & Xiaoyuan Zhou

  2. Paleontology and Stratigraphy Branch, Geological Survey of Pakistan, 84 H-8/1, Islamabad, Pakistan

    S. Mahmood Raza, Muhammad Arif & Mohammad Anwar

Authors
  1. Philip D. Gingerich
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  2. S. Mahmood Raza
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  3. Muhammad Arif
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  4. Mohammad Anwar
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  5. Xiaoyuan Zhou
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Gingerich, P., Raza, S., Arif, M. et al. New whale from the Eocene of Pakistan and the origin of cetacean swimming. Nature 368, 844–847 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/368844a0

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