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Why did whales evolve to be so large?
The authors determined that it was a bit of both. Once whales evolved from eating one prey at a time to filter feeding many at once, the rise of gigantism was likely driven by an abundance of krill in prehistoric oceans, which favored their feeding style.Pyenson and Vermeij hypothesize that marine gigantism was set on a fast track because of a particularly productive ocean during the onset of the Pleistocene, roughly 2.5 million years ago. Giant ice sheets ground the earth into nutrient rich bits that found their way into the sea, potentially helping whales gain mass.The largest animals to ever live owe their enormous size to feeding on the tiniest creatures in the sea, but their survival requires a minimum body size, Stanford-led research has found.

What was a whale before it was a whale : Surprisingly, whales weren't always gargantuan water-dwelling mammals. In fact, their ancestor Pakicetus, was the size of dog and walked on land. Pakicetus was a shore-dwelling creature with webbed feet that lived around 49 million years ago.

Were prehistoric whales bigger

Unlike their modern descendants, early whales were no gentle giants: they were smaller and considerably meaner, and at least some of them seem to have been ferocious predators.

Are whales as big as dinosaurs : Share: Far bigger than any dinosaur, the blue whale is the largest known animal to have ever lived. An adult blue whale can grow to a massive 30m long and weigh more than 180,000kg – that's about the same as 40 elephants, 30 Tyrannosaurus Rex or 2,670 average-sized men.

The first mysticetes measured 5 to 9 metres in length (approximately the size of today's minke whale). Whales are believed to have reached the size we know today only about 4.5 million years ago.

Instead, Thewissen and his colleagues conclude, whales' hind limbs regressed over millions of years via "Darwinian microevolution": a step-by-step process occurring through small changes in a number of genes relatively late in development.

Are big whales friendly

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Historical research paints a much different picture, but today, modern research shows us that whales are and always have been typically a friendly species. Today when whales are spotted, their relationships with humans are now amicable, social, and inquisitive.Without a population of whales, the krill on which they feed would multiply exponentially; in turn, krill will deplete the populations of phytoplankton and algae on which they feed, causing an imbalance in the marine ecosystem. Whales also play a role in carbon capture and help regulate the planet's climate.The Origin of Whales or the Evolution. The first whales appeared 50 million years ago, well after the extinction of the dinosaurs, but well before the appearance of the first humans. Their ancestor is most likely an ancient artiodactyl, i.e. a four-legged, even-toed hoofed (ungulate) land mammal, adapted for running.

Given temporally and spatially aggregated prey, filter feeding provides an evolutionary pathway to extremes in body size that are not available to lineages that must feed on one prey at a time. Maximum size in filter feeders is likely constrained by prey availability across space and time.

Was a Megalodon bigger than a blue whale : Answer and Explanation: No, a megalodon is not bigger than a blue whale. The blue whale is the largest animal to have ever lived. Female blue whales reach a length of about 82 feet, and males are typically about 79 feet on average. However, megalodons were large, probably about 59 feet in length.

Did whales used to be bigger : The first mysticetes measured 5 to 9 metres in length (approximately the size of today's minke whale). Whales are believed to have reached the size we know today only about 4.5 million years ago.

Why did they stop killing whales

By the late 1930s, more than 50,000 whales were killed annually. In 1982, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) decided that there should be a pause on commercial whaling on all whale species from 1986 onwards because of the extreme depletion of most of the whale stocks.

Although whales are expert swimmers and perfectly adapted to life underwater, these marine mammals once walked on four legs. Their land-dwelling ancestors lived about 50 million years ago.Historical research paints a much different picture, but today, modern research shows us that whales are and always have been typically a friendly species. Today when whales are spotted, their relationships with humans are now amicable, social, and inquisitive.

Is it OK to pet a whale : Some whales experience less stress or are more used to humans. However it is safest to keep your distance from this marine mammals and never to touch it. Remember, you're only a guest in their home.