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Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises: Origin and Evolution of the Cetacea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2017

Lawrence G. Barnes
Lawrence G. Barnes*
Affiliation:
Vertebrate Paleontology Section, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, California 90007
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Extract

The order Cetacea was the earliest, and is the most diverse mammalian group to adapt to a marine existence. The first fossil whales appear in the fossil record in the Middle Eocene. Interestingly, cetaceans developed in some ways that are parallel to earlier marine reptiles and appear to have filled some of their niches. Some cetaceans later re-adapted to fresh water.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Series in Geology, Notes for Short Course , Volume 8: Mammals , 1984 , pp. 139 - 154
Copyright
Copyright © 1984 University of Tennessee, Knoxville 

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