evolutie

Explore the museum’s rich collection of prehistoric whale specimens in a 3D immersive environment accessible anywhere, any time! This virtual gallery unites information and fossils that are spread across museum exhibits, with a bit of additional information, to tell the story of how whales evolved from ancient land mammals into the water-adapted creatures we know … Meer lezen

The largest animals that have ever existed on our planet descended from a miniature deer-like creature that walked on four legs in the swamps of ancient India. >> read more …

Today, we know that the Basilosaurus is the first ancient whale humanity has ever found. But back when it was first described, the animal’s huge proportions earned it the name of ‘king lizard’. And although technically incorrect, the name isn’t undeserved; during its day, the Basilosaurus ruled the waters of Tethys with an iron flipper … Meer lezen

Almost 700 years ago, a Dutch naturalist envisioned a fish with arms that would enable it to climb out of the water, setting the stage for terrestrial life. Now, it turns out, his fantasy had roots in reality. Researchers studying skeletons of the finger-size zebrafish have discovered mutants that grow extra bones in their front … Meer lezen

A 24-million-year-old fossil of a giant tusked dolphin lacks several features common to modern dolphins and baleen whales. The discovery shows that the common ancestor of dolphins and whales lacked these features, meaning the same adaptations for swimming must have evolved independently in both lineages. >> read more … image credits: By PaleoGeekSquared – Own … Meer lezen