Evolution of Whales

Woo! Bastardizing science for fun and profit! You'll probably want to download this, it's really fucking huge.

Quick science-y lesson to make up for my transgressions:

1. Pakicetus inachus: Freshwater wader, probably stuck around the water waiting for prey to pop around for a drink. As whales were once upon a time even toed ungulates he should be hooved, but the image I based his design off of gave him adorable paws so I replicated it. These guys were the earliest whales as far as we can tell, living about 50 million years ago.

2. Ambulocetus natus: Fossils for these guys indicate they were a transitional phase between fresh and salt water. They could walk as well as swim, but weren't particularly good either way. It's been speculated that they hunted similarly to modern day Crocodiles. These guys existed about 49 million years ago.

3. Kutchicetus minimus: Kutchicetus was a very diverse genus. They lost their dependance on fresh water soon after evolving to this point. While likely still amphibious, these guys are much more adapted to the aquatic lifestyle than Ambulocetus was. They existed from 49-43 million years ago.

4. Protocetus avatus: The first whale. Protocetus' nasal openings are starting to move back and become blowholes. Unlike their ancestors, these guys could properly hear underwater. The shape of their tail bones suggest they've evolved a tail fluke, which I've drawn him with. These guys existed approximately 45 million years ago.

5. Basilosaurus cetoides: I cheated, and I am aware I cheated. Basilosaurus is not a direct ancestor of the modern whale. It's more likely that a member of the Dorudon genus is the direct ancestor. Nonetheless, Basilosaurus evolved from the same shared ancestor, and existed 41 to 35 million years ago.

6. Cetotherium riabinini: The Cetotherium genus are the ancestors of the modern Mysticetes- the filter feeding or Baleen whales. They lived approximately 14 million years ago.