Whales are absolutely fascinating right?!
A giant animal that comes up to the surface every 15 minutes or so and blows up a fountain of air and water. Must be a treasure to watch.
Whales are of course different that other marine species, but I never wondered *why *on earth they are.
It turns out whales evolved from living on land to living in water. The opposite of almost all the species we know of. 🤯
When when think of evolution, we always perceive it one direction. Start from water (fish), learn to live in both water and land (amphibians) and start to live solely on land (all known terrestrial animals).
Whales along with others like dolphins, porpoises etc went the other way around. To adapt to water, their feet gradually morphed into flippers and breath-holding improved.
This also explains how some evolutionary changes are easier to come by than others. It is easier to morph a foot into a fin (structural change) than morph a lung to a gill (functional change).
The most revealing evidence presents itself when we compare the interior anatomy of a whale with a shark and a bear.
On the outside whales and sharks look similar. On the inside whales and bears look similar.
Next time you see a whale, don’t forget to appreciate how similar you both are on the inside! And maybe ask them if we can do something to bring them back. 🙂