Pakicetus being presented with webbed feet.

quote:

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Nearly always found near water, the Brazilian tapir is a good swimmer and diver but also moves fast on land, even over rugged, mountainous country

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from: http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/rforest/animals/tapir.htmThis is to compliment: In other words the source given is telling us that the Pakicetus could have been just exactly what one would expect for the earliest transitions. Something that had cetacean characteristics in a "primative" form and lived around water.Only a closed-minded individual would suggest that it is a big deal that the first reconstructions made perfectly reasonable (based on available data) but incorrect judgements as to how far along the evolutionary path this particular species was. What we have now is a transitional that even more firmly links whales to a land animal. In other words a better transitional for the discussion at hand.This message has been edited by NosyNed, 11-21-2005 01:46 AM

and it seems to be working!! I'd like to point to everyone (a relative of kermit's especially) that it works best when everyone minds their manners and keeps to the points.This way folks like Rand and Faith dig their own holes and I must confess to enjoying watching it from the sidelines.

LOL, took you awhile to figure that out. Congratulations!(don't feel bad, I still post once in awile expecting some different result; fat chance! )

This can be corrected by a biologist who actually understands the details. I'm willing to bet that it was called a whale because it IS a cetacean. Since most of the general public would go "huh" at cetacean but many living cetaceans are whales that is the word used. It could have been dophin as well I suppose but whale is the best colloquial term available.In the way that the man-on-the-street understands the term Pakicetus was a whale.