Information AboutAmbulocetus |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT AMBULOCETUS | |
| prehistoric cetaceans | |
| eocene mammals | |
Ambulocetus was an early Cetacean that could walk as well as swim. It is a transitional Fossil that shows how Whale s evolved from land-living Mammal s. Its name means 'walking whale'. Having the appearance of a three-metre long mammalian Crocodile , it was clearly Amphibious , as its back legs are better adapted for swimming than for walking on land, and it probably swam by undulating its back vertically, as Otter s, Seal s and Whale s do. It has been speculated that Ambulocetids hunted like crocodiles, lurking in the shallows to snatch unsuspecting prey. Chemical analysis of its teeth shows that it was able to move between salt and fresh water. Ambulocetus did not have external ears. To detect prey on land and in the water, they may have lowered their heads to the ground and felt for vibrations. The reason why scientists consider ''Ambulocetus'' to be an early whale is that it shares underwater adaptations with them: it had an adaptation in the Nose that enabled it to swallow underwater, and it shared ear structure with whales, enabling it to hear well underwater. In addition, its teeth are similar to those of cetaceans. The ''Ambulocetus'' fossils were found in Pakistan by anthropologist Johannes Thewissen. When the animal was alive, Pakistan was a coastal region bordering the ancient Tethys Sea . SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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