With much gratitude to Professor Hans Thewissen for his many contributions of information and enlightening constructive criticism which helped make this collection of articles possible.

You may also want to visit Prof. Thewissen's new site "Digital Library of Dolphin Development" which includes images of tiny limb buds on dolphin embryoes.

Special Featured Articles

Pelvic bone on modern whales
Photographs of Humpback and Pilot Whale mounts contributed by the Milwaukee Public Museum with commentary by Professor Hans Thewissen.

Hind Limb Bud Images, Dolphin Embryo and Fetus Development
Photographs of hind limb buds on a five week old Pantropical Spotted Dolphin embryo, and 1.5 to 4 month fetus development. Images courtesy of Professor J.G.M. Thewissen.

Sirenian Evolution
(Manatee, Sea Cow, Dugong)
Sirenians and Elephants are evolved from a common ancestor. Like whales, sirenians returned to the water. Though hind limbs on whales may be rare and difficult to witness, many sirenians (not all) still retain vestigial toenails like their elephant cousins, and share other traits in common with modern elephants. Includes commentary between LeVar Burton and Dr. Mark Lowe, Veterenary Science. Contains images courtesy of Reading Rainbow, PBS Television. (GPN/Nebraska Educational Telecommunications and WNED-TV, Buffalo NY).

Sea Cows, Manatee and Sirenia Evolution
Up Close and Personal with LeVar Burton and Manatees. Photographs and WMV / Flash Format, discussing multiple similarities between Elephant and Manatee, eating habits, habitat and lifestyle of Manatee, with additional manatee and dugong links.

Some of them have even lost their toe nails, and developed smooth paddles like Cetaceans. "The smallest member of the family Trichechidae, the Amazonian manatee has smooth skin and no nails on its flippers and feeds on freshwater vegetation."

Photographs of hind limb buds on a five week old Pantropical Spotted Dolphin embryo, and 1.5 to 4 month fetus development. Images courtesy of Professor J.G.M. Thewissen.

CONTENTS:

• INTRODUCTION: The Evolution of Whales
  Introduction into the controversy over the origins of modern whales which retain vestigial hind limb rudiments. Cladogram of early whales to modern whales.
• REVIEW OF Strange Tale of the Leg on the Whale
  Vestigial pelvises on whales, denial of femurs by Creationists (calling it bone disease). Creationists say these remnants were designed for copulation only, but science says this is how Evolution works --finding new purpose for old structures.
• REVIEW OF Strange Tale of the Leg on the Whale
  Out of date information published by Creationists. New fossil finds of early whales. Contains image of complete leg bones from basilosaurus, and reconstruction of the creature's likely appearance.
• REVIEW OF A Whale of a Tale? (Ambulocetus) Don Batten
  The whale tail and Ambulocetus' lack of a fluke, nasal drift and canine teeth in early whales. Image showing nasal drift from early to modern whales.
• REVIEW OF Overselling of Whale Evolution
  Questions on the dating of varied early whales, and further suggested reading on whale evolution. The evolution of eco-location, nursing young (suggesting common ancestry with land mammals), and the brain of humans vs. cetacea.
• Land to Sea: Inner Ear Transitions in Whales
  Images of transitional inner ear of whales, as they evolved from land to sea mammals. Professor Hans Thewissen explains the differences of earbone fossils, the incus and tympanic.
• Pelvic Bones on Whales, Ambulocetus
  Answers in Genesis knowingly placed out of date information on the web to refute up to date information. An example of blatant non-scientific misrepresentation of fossil evidence in an attempt to discredit evolutionary fact as speculative theory.
• Example One of Hind Limb Rudiments
  1958, caught in the Bering Sea - An X-Ray revealing bone structures and a photograph taken of the protrusions on the whale's body.
• Example Two of Hind Limb Rudiments
  1919 Historical record and photos of a female humpback with protruded hind limbs including femur, tibia and tarsus, and 1914 report of protruded limbs on embryoes. Images of protruded limb on Cachalot.
• Example Three of Hind Limb Rudiments
  Female Sperm Whale, caught in 1956. Upon examining the interior of the limb three partially cartilaginous bones were found. Corresponding to the pelvis, femur, and possibly to the tibia.
• Example Four of Hind Limb Rudiments
  A list of catches between 1956 and 1963 of whales caught and discovery of hind limb protrustions, including the approxiamate percentage of whales.
• Example Five of Hind Limb Rudiments
  Struthers' commentary on the dissection of a right whale and photos from the Museum of Zoology, including further diagrams. Some interesting facts concerning the pelvic anatomy of the majority of modern day whales.

TOKYO Nov 5, 2006 (AP), Japanese scientists reported a bottlenose dolphin, has an extra set of fins that could be the remains of hind limbs. The dolphin was captured alive in western Japan on Oct. 28, by Fishermen. "I believe the fins may be remains from the time when dolphins' ancient ancestors lived on land," said Seiji Osumi, of Tokyo's Institute of Cetacean Research. The hind fins are much smaller than the front fins and are about the size of human hands, protruding near the tail. The dolphin measured approx 9 feet in length.

Dolphin May Have 'Remains' of Legs, Evidence Ocean Mammals Lived on Land

A Dolphin with Hind Limbs, Science Blogs

Dolphin May Have 'Remains' of Legs, Associated Press

Answers In Genesis Response to Dolphin Hind Limb Discovery

Response to AiG's Response on Dolphin Hind Limbs

Answers in Genesis' Response on Evidence for Whale Evolution
Dr. Sarfati's response to a simple request to examine the evidence of hind limb rudiments on modern day whales.

British Creation Society vs. Whale Evolution
Criticisms of several beliefs Creationists hold; evolution, flood geology, young earth creationism.

Photos of hind limb rudiments on modern day whales (and creationist "answers")
Addressing some more of the arguments made by Creationists on whale evolution, from "creation science" theories and hypothesis.

Cetacean Evolution - Whale Evolution - Whale Anatomy
List of Articles on Cetacean - Whale Evolution.

Whale Anatomy and photos of limb rudiments on modern day whales
Photographs from the Milwaukee Public Museum, of their Humpback and Pilot Whale skeletons exhibit. With comments by Professor Hans Thewissen, Ph.D.

Whale Evolution - Struther's Dissection of Whale Pelvis, Femur and Tibia
Diagram of a dissection that was done on a hind limb from a whale by Struthers in 1881.

LENNY FLANK WRITES: "As an aside, we now know, from genetic analysis, why snakes don't have vestigial FRONT limbs. During the evolutionary appearance of snakes, there was a change in one of the HOX genes that shifted the body plan forward a bit. As a result, snakes now have no neck vertebrae --- they are all thoracic and abdominal. Since, genetically, front limbs appear right where the cervical vertebrae begin, snakes can't have front limbs. The vestigial rear limbs appear where the abdominal vertebrae meet the tail. As photos show, the tail of a snake is extremely short. So, even though a snake LOOKS like it is all neck or all tail, in reality, it is all body."
From Snake Evolution - Photos of Vestigial Hind Limbs on Snakes

RECOMMENDED READING

The Emergence of Whales, Evolutionary Patterns in the Origin of Cetacea (Advances in Vertebrate Paleobiology) (Hardcover)
by J. G. M. Thewissen (Editor)

Review from Journal of Mammology, August 6, 2002
Reviewer: Jasmine Benzvi (New York, NY)
'Up to now, a 'state of the art' summary of research on whale origins has not been available. This book admirably fills that void and should be added to the library of any serious mammologist or paleomammalogist.'
- by Annalisa Berta

Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (Hardcover)
by William F. Perrin (Editor), Bernd Wursig (Editor), J.G.M. Thewissen (Editor)

"This impressive reference would make an excellent addition to any library..."-ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DINOSAURS AND VOLCANOES (February 2003)

"Very highly recommended for students, professionals, researchers and lay people with an interest in marine mammals." WILDLIFE ACTIVIST (Fall 2002)

"...an excellent resource for beginning research. ...This encyclopedia is very highly recommended for all academic and larger public libraries." Teresa Bowden, Villanova University Falvey Memorial Library for E-STREAMS (September 2002)

"...students beginning postgraduate study on marine mammals and researchers and academics working on marine mammals will find it indispensable."

Additional Links of Interest
Digit Numbering and Limb Development

Shore Whaling: A World Industry
A guide through the grisly slaughter of whales, an industry that flourished between the nineteenth and even, twentieth century. Photographs by the author.

Carl Zimmer - A Question For the President
On George Bush expressing belief in the Intelligent Design Hypothesis and teaching it in the classrooms.

Genetic Mutations in Humans: From Feet to Flippers
Photographs of a genetic mutation that was passed from mother to daughter. As was the case with land mammal to sea mammal webbing on feet to flipper, these are photographs of webbed toes on humans.

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Article last updated October 22, 2005
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