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Early whales gave birth on land
Date:2/4/2009

Such size discrepancies are not uncommon among whales and their kin; in some species the females are larger, while in others the males are slightly to considerably bigger. The size difference of male and female Maiacetus is only moderate, hinting that the males didn't control territories or command harems of females.

The whales' big teeth, well-suited for catching and eating fish, suggest the animals made their living in the sea, probably coming onto land only to rest, mate and give birth, said Gingerich.

Like other primitive archaeocetes, Maiacetus had four legs modified for foot-powered swimming, and although these whales could support their weight on their flipper-like limbs, they probably couldn't travel far on land.

"They clearly were tied to the shore," Gingerich said. "They were living at the land-sea interface and going back and forth."

Compared with previous fossil whale finds, Maiacetus occupies an intermediate position on the evolutionary path that whales traversed as they made the transition from full-time land dwellers to dedicated denizens of the deep.

As such, it offers invaluable, new information on structural and behavioral changes that accompanied that transition, scientists say.

"Specimens this complete are virtual 'Rosetta stones'," Gingerich said, "providing insight into the life history of extinct animals that cannot be gained any other way."


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Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation
Source:Eurekalert

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