The Evolution of the Whale

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The evolution of the whale is one of the greatest success stories in the history of mammals. It’s a grand epic that takes place over the course of over 50 million years. How did these animals first make it to the seas, and how did they become the biggest animals to have ever lived? In this video, we'll be exploring how whales changed throughout the Cenozoic.
Sources:
evolution.berkeley.edu/what-a...
Image Sources:
David Arruda
Sara draws paleoart
Gabriel n.u.
Atolm
Twitter: / animalorigins
This video was sponsored by Brilliant

[@animalorigins]

Keep exploring at brilliant.org/AnimalOrigins/. Get started for free, and hurry-the first 200 people get 20% off an annual premium subscription.

[@fernandosalazar3366]

G BB mm mm moon mm

[@markholton4663]

Evolution is not fact. Even when I was an atheist I didn't believe in evolution

[@edoart3722]

Hi great Video like always. There is a reason why these animals changed their diet? Why they became carnivorous?

[@Banana_vhddcn]

@@edoart3722 cause that diet was more efficient

[@edoart3722]

@@Banana_vhddcn oh yeah true...but even if it so efficient, it is not so easy to change your body standards. For a cow would be harder to change its body internts build for a mostly herbivores grass diet to a meat diet. And by the way...evolution does not happen, because it is most "efficient". But because external influences pressure the individual to become more efficient in the relative subject. Example. Flying is more efficient than walking...why the hell do many animals not fly?

[@dinomation]

Whales are definitely some of the most interesting animals on earth and definitely deserve respect!

[@Zoe_Tastic]

Too bad they’re dying and going extinct at the hands of humans.

[@JamariusPharrel]

@@Zoe_Tastic that's what we do

[@GigaGorilla348]

Hehe big fish dog

[@SweetNSourAngel]

ᴬᵍʳᵉᵉ

[@thatPSNguy99]

Whale said.

[@robokill387]

I just want to point out, that some of those whale ancestors look weird because the artists are shrinkwrapping them, not because they looked like that in life.

[@peterstoric6560]

Oh yeah, basilosaurus used to be like a sea serpent (because when it was first discovered it was thought to be a reptile) but now it’s more like a big toothy potato in shape

[@tomdangelo]

I just saw whales for the first time last weekend and I'm amazed with these creatures. I clicked right away to see the video but I'll have to wait haha.

[@frostedhams]

you just saw whales for the first time? tf

[@tomdangelo]

@@frostedhams like in real life haha

[@frostedhams]

@@tomdangelo oh alright. I thought you meant you never knew they existed

[@fudomyoo9762]

What does that even mean

[@fudomyoo9762]

What does that even mean

[@k_schreibz]

I have a weird phobia of whales. I don't know if its just their size and shape, but even looking at their land-based ancestors made me feel viscerally terrified. Any who, they are pretty majestic and a fantastic example of evolutionary prowess.

[@hannahnordby4125]

Their ancestors really freaked me out too for some reason. Maybe you were eaten by a whale in your previous life 😂

[@juniperrodley9843]

@@hannahnordby4125 happened to my homie Jonah

[@rajarsi6438]

Evolution from one species to the next is a joke, that's all.

[@Stoirelius]

Never heard of that phobia before, but if it exists, it could mean that whale ancestors were probably pretty aggressive back in the day and would pray on our own ancestors.

[@juniperrodley9843]

@@Stoirelius or it could just mean big animals scare people, and whales are pretty big

[@rgromes]

Just one small correction: Livyatan with 13-17m length is the larges fossil sperm-whale relative, but modern sperm whales can grow considerably larger (>20m) and on average are about the same size!

[@Thor-Orion]

Well we don't know exactly how big Lyviatan got, but because the averages in size are so close it's not hard to imagine some individuals growing just as big as the biggest extant sperm whales.

[@TasimanaOG]

@@Thor-Orion yes true, both are huge and i assume the livyatan was even similar weight due to the huge skull and similarly dense skeletal structure (35-45 tons for a bull)

[@oliviabean8264]

I take slight issue with how you described the feeding habits of Baleen whales, they are also known to use group hunting tactics to maximize the amount of food they can acquire from a single gulp. Also considering they communicate with each other from across the planet I'd be surprised if some of those vocalizations aren't being used in order to find krill and whatnot more efficiently.

[@dianebusby7047]

Such majestic creatures.

[@Zoe_Tastic]

They are all slowly dying and soon they will all be dead at the hands of humans.

[@dracodracarys2339]

The ancestors of dolphins used to have legs but evolved to lose them. It was defeeting the porpoise

[@gy2gy246]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

[@gandalf8674]

Ape: return to monke Whales: return to ocean

[@richardcarter5314]

What I am curious to learn about is breathing through nostrils in the middle of the face turning into breathing through blow holes in the back of the neck.

[@evenhartwick4422]

its crazy how much just a couple of million years can change an animal so drastically. its went from a little land dwelling dog thing to a giant fish-like mammal. i can't think of any creature that ever existed to go through such a drastic evolutionary change

[@dancingnature]

Go look at the skulls . You can see the nostrils moving back . Having facial bones in back of the nostrils stop growing would move them towards the eyes. Most evolutionary changes are thru genes that regulate growth rather than by mutations to the baseline genes.

[@pyrobeast_jack]

the bonk sound effect at the melon gave me emotional whiplash 🤣

[@charlottemacdonald7116]

Looking forward to watching. Whale evolution is my favourite 😊🐋

[@rajarsi6438]

Evolution from one species to the next is a joke, that's all.

[@Crakinator]

Pretty cool how ancient whales evolved convergently with mosasaurs. Also, considering there are giant whales AND sharks that use filter feeding today, I wonder how common of an occurrence it was throughout prehistory for animals to evolve filter feeding and attain huge sizes. It’s a big world, and I’m sure there are many fossils buried in places that aren’t easily accessible by humans, like deep within jungles or at the bottom of the sea. Maybe there was a huge suction feeding ichthyosaur we’ve yet to discover.

[@cactusgamingyt9960]

There were a few suction-feeding ichthyosaurs actually! Most notably Shonisaurus and Shastasaurus, but they fed on squid and cephalopods instead of krill.

[@miguelvargasaguilar3867]

The whales Is very awesome 😎👍

[@jurassicgamer8312]

Great video as always, really love them, I wish you could do a video talking about the evolution of wolfs, foxes, dogs, etc. And also a video talking about the evolution maybe of some type of bird, to change it up aside mammals :)

[@stevenschnepp576]

If birds wanted to win, they should've kept their tails instead of going with the pygostyle. "This tiny little prey animal turned into that tiny little prey animal" isn't exactly the most exciting thing ever.

[@jurassicgamer8312]

@@stevenschnepp576 some may be weird bit for example the family of eagles and ostriches

[@indyreno2933]

Both birds (class Aves) and mammals (class Mammalia) are equally divided into thirty extant orders, with the thirty extant orders of mammals being Tachyglossa (Echidnas), Platypoda (Platypus), Didelphimorphia (Opossums), Paucituberculata (Shrew Opossums), Microbiotheria (Shrew Opossums), Notoryctemorphia (Marsupial Moles), Dasyuromorphia (Carnivorous Marsupials), Peramelemorphia (Bilby and Bandicoots), Diprotodontia (Diprotodonts), Cingulata (Armadillos), Pilosa (Sloths and Anteaters), Tubulidentata (Aardvark), Macroscelidea (Elephant Shrews), Afrosoricida (Tenrecs, Otter Shrews, and Golden Moles), Hyracoidea (Hyraxes), Proboscidea (Elephants), Sirenia (Sirenians), Soricomorpha (Shrews, Moles, Desmans, and Solenodons), Chiroptera (Bats), Erinaceomorpha (Hedgehogs, Gymnures, and Moonrat), Pholidota (Pangolins), Carnivora (Carnivorans), Perissodactyla (Odd-Toed Hoofed Mammals), Artiodactyla (Even-Toed Hoofed Mammals), Cetacea (Whales), Lagomorpha (Lagomorphs), Rodentia (Rodents), Scandentia (Treeshrews), Dermoptera (Colugos), and Primata (Primates) and the thirty extant orders of birds being Tinamiformes (Tinamous), Rheiformes (Rheas), Struthioniformes (Ostriches), Apterygiformes (Kiwis), Casuariiformes (Cassowaries and Emu), Opisthocomiformes (Hoatzin), Falconiformes (Birds of Prey), Galliformes (Gamebirds), Anseriformes (Waterfowl), Gruiformes (Cranes, Limpkin, Trumpeters, Rails, Crakes, Sora, Gallinules, Nativehens, Swamphens, Moorhen, Watercock, Coots, Finfoots, Flufftails, Woodrails, and Forest Rails), Charadriiformes (Shorebirds), Ciconiiformes (Storks, Herons, Egrets, Bitterns, Ibises, and Spoonbills), Pelecaniformes (Pelicans, Cormorants, Shags, Darters, Frigatebirds, Boobies, Gannets, Tropicbirds, Shoebill, Hamerkop, Sunbittern, and Kagu), Procellariiformes (Petrels, Shearwaters, Fulmars, Prions, Albatrosses, and Storm Petrels), Podicipediformes (Grebes), Gaviiformes (Loons), Phoenicopteriformes (Flamingos), Sphenisciformes (Penguins), Pteroclidiformes (Sandgrouse), Columbiformes (Pigeons and Doves), Cuculiformes (Cuckoos, Turacos, Bustards, and Mesites), Caprimulgiformes (Nightjars, Nighthawks, Poorwills, Pauraques, Frogmouths, Potoos, Owlet Nightjars, and Oilbird), Apodiformes (Swifts and Hummingbirds), Strigiformes (Owls), Trogoniformes (Trogons), Piciformes (Woodpeckers, Honeyguides, Toucans, Barbets, Jacamars, and Puffbirds), Coraciiformes (Rollers, Kingfishers, Bee-Eaters, Motmots, Todies, Hornbills, Hoopoes, Woodhoopoes, and Scimitarbills), Coliiformes (Mousebirds), Psittaciformes (Parrots), and Passeriformes (Passerines).

[@tjarkschweizer]

@@stevenschnepp576 Birds have been winning for millions of years.

[@rajarsi6438]

Evolution from one species to the next is a joke, that's all.

[@jennifermommy9373]

GD!!! This is my new favorite channel! I'm about to binge. Schools should use these videos. Have you thought about advertising your channel to educational organizations?

[@nicholasleon7819]

when i was in third grade we had to do a report on a whale and i was assigned the narwhal. this started my love of whales in general and my favorite animal is the orca

[@Thedrunkape96]

The orca, also known as the killer whale, is actually the largest member of the dolphin family, Delphinidae. Despite its common name, it is not a whale. Instead, it's the largest species of dolphin.

[@Jonathan-bu7iv]

It baffles me, how smart some people are figure these things out. It’s amazing to me that we can sit here today and understand the evolutionary process of a species relatively well, even though it occured so long before our own time.

[@TorMax9]

A lot of assumptions, a lot of inferences, a lot of guesswork... The broad outlines are pretty convincing but not complete... Going into the far past, like going into the far future, involves a lot of straightforward extrapolation based on ceteris paribus (all else remaining the same)... These are all provisional models, in no way final, exclusive, complete... They are the best we have been able to come up with up to now... There are hidden variables - purpose, consciousness, design, etc. - we have yet to include in our models... Random mutation and natural selection is not the whole story. But it is all dramatic and fascinating and beautiful. And I'm glad we're here to experience it.

[@gy2gy246]

Paleontology and radiometric analysis.

[@benjaminisaksson1388]

Love your content, greetings from Sweden❤

[@fpcooper95]

Very nice! Whales are awesome.

[@patrickmuhwheeney6518]

Nice work and great narration, Thanks for the upload!

[@slyfoxxsr.941]

I never knew my mother in law had an extensive evolution history. Thanks for the info!

[@MomMom4Cubs]

Ah, you beat me to it! My MIL cheats with copious sums of charcoal-filtered vodka (the kind that comes in plastic 2 liter jugs) and whole milk. This bitch drinks more cheap liquor in a day than I could possibly stomach in a decade.

[@slyfoxxsr.941]

@@MomMom4Cubs 😄😄😄😄😄

[@genericanimecharacter430]

I love cetaceans. I remember people giving me shit for saying whales/mammals rule the sea because fish swim there.... I'd match a great white vs an orca

[@evolutionnick8446]

Keep up the good work

[@roronoazoro3558]

Just found your videos and they are great 👍 Love from up north 🇨🇦

[@orcinusvox5107]

I have been waiting for a new video like this for so long! Great info thank you!

[@Itried20takennames]

This just blows my mind, that with huge amount of time and evolutionary pressure, that a hoofed, land based dog-like creature would return to water, and eventually be…whales.

[@partiellementecreme]

That really struck me when I went whale-watching and saw wild whales for myself. I couldn’t stop thinking about how these enormous creatures right in front of me in their home, the ocean, coming up to breathe and check out the boat, had become what they now were from so many generations of moms, dads and calves living under natural selection. Time doesn’t care that you’re dead, it just keeps going and going until millions of years have gone by.

[@geckosruleall]

I'll comment it again because I really want to see it happen. Can you please do a video on the evolution of Suina? I just think pigs and peccaries are so cool! I'm really interested in how they evolved.

[@indyreno2933]

Even-toed hoofed mammals are placental mammals of the order Artiodactyla, there are over two-hundred and eighty extant species within eleven families, nine superfamilies, six infraorders, and two suborders, the eleven extant families of even-toed hoofed mammals are Tragulidae (Chevrotains), Hydropotidae (Water Deer), Moschidae (Musk Deer), Antilocapridae (Pronghorn), Giraffidae (Giraffes and Okapi), Cervidae (Deer), Bovidae (Bovids), Camelidae (Camels), Tayassuidae (Peccaries), Suidae (Pigs), and Hippopotamidae (Hippos), the nine extant superfamilies are Traguloidea (Chevrotains and Fossil Relatives), Moschoidea (Musk Deer and Water Deer), Giraffoidea (Giraffes, Okapi, and Pronghorn), Cervoidea (Deer and Fossil Relatives), Bovoidea (Bovids and Fossil Relatives), Cameloidea (Camels and Fossil Relatives), Tayassuoidea (Peccaries and Fossil Relatives), Suoidea (Pigs and Fossil Relatives), and Hippopotamoidea (Hippos and Fossil Relatives), the six infraorders are Tragulina (Chevrotains and Fossil Allies), Ceratodonta (Musk Deer, Water Deer, and Fossil Relatives), Pecora (Bovids, Deer, Giraffes, Okapi, and Pronghorn), Tylopoda (Camels and Fossil Allies), Hyomorpha/Suina (Pigs and Peccaries), and Ancodonta (Hippos and Fossil Allies), and the two suborders are Neoselenodontia (Bovids, Deer, Giraffes, Okapi, Pronghorn, Camels, Musk Deer, Water Deer, and Chevrotains) and Bunodontia (Pigs, Peccaries, and Hippos) List of even-toed hoofed mammal families: 1) Tragulidae (contains 4 genera: Moschiola, Hyemoschus, Muselaphus, and Tragulus) 2) Hydropotidae (contains 1 genus: Hydropotes) 3) Moschidae (contains 1 genus: Moschus) 4) Antilocapridae (contains 1 genus: Antilocapra) 5) Giraffidae (contains 2 genera: Okapia and Giraffa) 6) Cervidae (contains 20 genera: Elaphodus, Muntiacus, Rangifer, Capreolus, Alces, Axis, Hyelaphus, Ocellelaphus, Dama, Rucervus, Rusa, Cervus, Elaphurus, Przewalskium, Odocoileus, Mazama, Pudu, Blastocerus, Ozotoceros, and Hippocamelus) 7) Bovidae (contains 72 genera: Arabitragus, Nilgiritragus, Hemitragus, Rupicapra, Capricornis, Naemorhedus, Oreamnos, Budorcas, Ovibos, Oryx, Addax, Hippotragus, Beatragus, Elaphops, Damaliscus, Connochaetes, Alcelaphus, Pelea, Kobus, Adenota, Onotragus, Redunca, Tetracerus, Boselaphus, Nyala, Strepsiceros, Taurotragus, Tragelaphus, Bongo, Pseudoryx, Anoa, Bubalus, Syncerus, Bibos, Bos, Poephagus, Bison, Ammotragus, Pseudois, Ovis, Brachyceros, Aegoceros, Capra, Procapra, Trachelocele, Gazella, Tarandrovis, Eudorcas, Nanger, Ammodorcas, Litocranius, Pantholops, Saiga, Antilope, Antidorcas, Aepyceros, Sylvicapra, Cyanotragus, Philantomba, Merycotigris, Cephalophus, Eucephalophus, Neocephalophus, Raphicerus, Parvovis, Ourebia, Dorcatragus, Oreotragus, Nesotragus, Madoqua, and Neotragus) 8) Camelidae (contains 4 genera: Lama, Vicugna, Camelus, and Oreocamelus) 9) Tayassuidae (contains 3 genera: Parachoerus, Dicotyles, and Tayassu) 10) Suidae (contains 8 genera: Porcula, Sus, Chaetorhinus, Babyrousa, Verrucophorus, Potamochoerus, Hylochoerus, and Phacochoerus) 11) Hippopotamidae (contains 2 genera: Choeropsis and Hippopotamus) List of even-toed hoofed mammal superfamilies: 1) Traguloidea (contains 1 family: Tragulidae) 2) Moschoidea (contains 2 families: Hydropotidae and Moschidae) 3) Giraffoidea (contains 2 families: Antilocapridae and Giraffidae) 4) Cervoidea (contains 1 family: Cervidae) 5) Bovoidea (contains 1 family: Bovidae) 6) Cameloidea (contains 1 family: Camelidae) 7) Tayassuoidea (contains 1 family: Tayassuidae) 8) Suoidea (contains 1 family: Suidae) 9) Hippopotamoidea (contains 1 family: Hippopotamidae) List of even-toed hoofed mammal infraorders: 1) Tragulina (contains 1 family: Tragulidae) 2) Ceratodonta (contains 2 families: Hydropotidae and Moschidae) 3) Pecora (contains 4 families: Antilocapridae, Giraffidae, Cervidae, and Bovidae) 4) Tylopoda (contains 1 family: Camelidae) 5) Hyomorpha/Suina (contains 2 families: Tayassuidae and Suidae) 6) Ancodonta (contains 1 family: Hippopotamidae) List of even-toed hoofed mammal suborders: 1) Neoselenodontia (contains 8 families: Tragulidae, Hydropotidae, Moschidae, Antilocapridae, Giraffidae, Cervidae, Bovidae, and Camelidae) 2) Bunodontia (contains 3 families: Tayassuidae, Suidae, and Hippopotamidae)

[@geckosruleall]

@@indyreno2933 Was this really necessary? 😒

[@indyreno2933]

Apparently, there are nine extant superfamilies of living even-toed hoofed mammals, which are Traguloidea (contains 1 family: Tragulidae (Chevrotains)), Moschoidea (contains 2 families: Hydropotidae (Water Deer) and Moschidae (Musk Deer)), Giraffoidea (contains 2 families: Antilocapridae (Pronghorn) and Giraffidae (Giraffes and Okapi)), Cervoidea (contains 1 family: Cervidae (Deer)), Bovoidea (contains 1 family: Bovidae (Bovids)), Cameloidea (contains 1 family: Camelidae)), Tayassuoidea (contains 1 family: Tayassuidae (Peccaries)), Suoidea (contains 1 family: Suidae (Pigs)), and Hippopotamoidea (contains 1 family: Hippopotamidae (Hippos)), all these superfamilies are monotypic, except for Moschoidea and Giraffoidea, which both contain only two extant families.

[@tjarkschweizer]

@@geckosruleall He does this to everyone. Just ignore him. Also, everything he writes is horrifically outdated so don't memorize any of it.

[@rajarsi6438]

Evolution from one species to the next is a joke, that's all.

[@chessdad182]

Evolution is amazing.

[@Dr.IanPlect]

Absolutely.

[@squirbywormy787]

cetaceans are so cool i love them so much

[@koriw1701]

Thank you so much for this video. I have rarely heard a thesis with such a simple and direct explanation, including the "missing link" of whales. Outstanding! But I do have a question for all that: How did Indohyus go from being an even-toed ungulate to the Pakicetus; an odd-toed carnivore with splayed-toes and webbing between them? It seems like it misses a few steps in between the two creatures.

[@theangryholmesian4556]

Most likely there's an undiscovered fossil in between the two.

[@jelielliott3758]

As they spent more time in the water, the specimens that would do best and survive were probably ones with larger feet to allow easy movement - the more you can splay out your feet, the easier it is to swim, and those with more skin between their toes would move faster and have a better time evading predators. Also just to note: Pakicetus is still an even-toed ungulate, as the entire whale family falls under that category. They arent the only carnivorous animals in that catalog

[@robokill387]

It never stopped being an ungulate, also, many ungulates were carnivorous back then, it's just that most didn't survive into the modern day because they couldn't compete with modern carnivora (canids, bears and cats). Even today, there are some omnivorous ungulates like pigs and peccaries.

[@SomethingAboutSashimi]

These creationists in the comments are brainrotting

[@Lexi2019AURORA]

Ikr 🤣

[@scrunkus]

new favorite channel

[@jamesbaxster4756]

What a wonderful video. This is amazing

[@indyreno2933]

There are overall only thirty extant orders of mammals: 1) Tachyglossa (Echidnas) 2) Platypoda (Platypus) 3) Didelphimorphia (Opossums) 4) Paucituberculata (Shrew Opossums) 5) Microbiotheria (Colocolo) 6) Notoryctemorphia (Marsupial Moles) 7) Dasyuromorphia (Carnivorous Marsupials) 8) Peramelemorphia (Bilby and Bandicoots) 9) Diprotodontia (Diprotodonts) 10) Cingulata (Armadillos) 11) Pilosa (Sloths and Anteaters) 12) Tubulidentata (Aardvark) 13) Macroscelidea (Elephant Shrews) 14) Afrosoricida (Tenrecs, Otter Shrews, and Golden Moles) 15) Hyracoidea (Hyraxes) 16) Proboscidea (Elephants) 17) Sirenia (Sirenians) 18) Soricomorpha (Shrews, Moles, Desmans, and Solenodons) 19) Chiroptera (Bats) 20) Erinaceomorpha (Hedgehogs, Gymnures, and Moonrat) 21) Pholidota (Pangolins) 22) Carnivora (Carnivorans) 23) Perissodactyla (Odd-Toed Hoofed Mammals) 24) Artiodactyla (Even-Toed Hoofed Mammals) 25) Cetacea (Whales) 26) Lagomorpha (Lagomorphs) 27) Rodentia (Rodents) 28) Scandentia (Treeshrews) 29) Dermoptera (Colugos) 30) Primata (Primates)

[@_okoye9234]

Whales are technically under artiodactyla

[@SoulDelSol]

Diprotodon are extinct

[@indyreno2933]

Actually, diprotodonts are the order Diprotodontia as a whole, this is the largest extant order of marsupials (subclass Marsupialia) and is native exclusively to Oceania, the largest living diprotodont is the Red Kangaroo (Osphranter rufus), living diprotodonts include macropods, possums, wombats, and the koala.

[@SoulDelSol]

@@indyreno2933 oh I see, thank you for clarifying

[@tjarkschweizer]

This Indy Reno guy has posted similar comments on many videos about animals. He insists on outdated taxonomy and refuses to accept corrections. It is fruitless to argue with him. I have no idea why he does this and at this point I am too afraid to ask.

[@ArdennN21]

thank you for making this

[@Motiliok_3D]

отличное видео

[@indyreno2933]

A whale is any placental mammal that belongs to the order Cetacea, there are over one-hundred and two extant species within fourteen families, seven superfamilies, four infraorders, and two suborders, the fourteen extant families of whales are Eschrichtiidae (Grey Whale), Cetotheriidae (Pygmy Right Whale), Balaenidae (Bowhead Whale), Eubalaenidae (Right Whales), Balaenopteridae (Rorquals), Ziphiidae (Beaked Whales), Kogiidae (Pygmy and Dwarf Sperm Whales), Physeteridae (Sperm Whale), Orcinidae (Blackfish), Monodontidae (Narwhal and Beluga), Phocoenidae (Porpoises), Delphinidae (Dolphins), Iniidae (New World River Dolphins), and Platanistidae (Old World River Dolphins), the seven extant whale superfamilies are Cetotherioidea (Pygmy Right Whale and Grey Whale), Balaenoidea (Bowhead Whale and Right Whales), Balaenopteroidea (Rorquals and Fossil Relatives), Ziphioidea (Beaked Whales and Fossil Relatives), Physeteroidea (Spermaceti-Organed Whales), Delphinoidea (Oceanic Lesser Toothed Whales), and Platanistoidea (River Dolphins), the four infraorders of whales are Balaenicephalia (Suction-Feeding Baleen Whales), Balaenopterocephalia (Ram-Feeding Baleen Whales), Physeterimorpha (Great Toothed Whales), and Delphinomorpha (Lesser Toothed Whales), and the two suborders of whales are Mysticeti (Baleen Whales) and Odontoceti (Toothed Whales) List of whale families: 1) Eschrichtiidae (contains 1 genus: Eschrichtius) 2) Cetotheriidae (contains 1 genus: Caperea) 3) Balaenidae (contains 1 genus: Balaena) 4) Eubalaenidae (contains 1 genus: Eubalaena) 5) Balaenopteridae (contains 6 genera: Balaenoptera, Pterobalaena, Sibbaldius, Megaptera, Rudolphius, and Rorqualus) 6) Ziphiidae (contains 6 genera: Berardius, Hyperoodon, Mesoplodon, Indopacetus, Tasmacetus, and Ziphius) 7) Kogiidae (contains 1 genus: Kogia) 8) Physeteridae (contains 1 genus: Physeter) 9) Orcinidae (contains 5 genera: Peponocephala, Globicephala, Orcinus, Feresa, and Pseudorca) 10) Monodontidae (contains 2 genera: Delphinapterus and Monodon) 11) Phocoenidae (contains 5 genera: Phocoena, Boreophocaena, Phocoenoides, Australophocaena, and Neophocaena) 12) Delphinidae (contains 15 genera: Orcaella, Grampus, Lagenorhynchus, Leucopleurus, Cephalorhynchus, Lissodelphis, Stenella, Lagenodelphis, Sousa, Sotalia, Steno, Spilodelphis, Plagiodon, Tursiops, and Delphinus) 13) Iniidae (contains 2 genera: Pontoporia and Inia) 14) Platanistidae (contains 2 genera: Lipotes and Platanista) List of whale superfamilies: 1) Cetotherioidea (contains 2 families: Eschrichtiidae and Cetotheriidae) 2) Balaenoidea (contains 2 families: Balaenidae and Eubalaenidae) 3) Balaenopteroidea (contains 1 family: Balaenopteridae) 4) Ziphioidea (contains 1 family: Ziphiidae) 5) Physeteroidea (contains 2 families: Kogiidae and Physeteridae) 6) Delphinoidea (contains 4 families: Orcinidae, Monodontidae, Phocoenidae, and Delphinidae) 7) Platanistoidea (contains 2 families: Iniidae and Platanistidae) List of whale infraorders: 1) Balaenicephalia (contains 4 families: Eschrichtiidae, Cetotheriidae, Balaenidae, and Eubalaenidae) 2) Balaenopterocephalia (contains 1 family: Balaenopteridae) 3) Physeterimorpha (contains 3 families: Ziphiidae, Kogiidae, and Physeteridae) 4) Delphinomorpha (contains 6 families: Orcinidae, Monodontidae, Phocoenidae, Delphinidae, Iniidae, and Platanistidae) List of whale suborders: 1) Mysticeti (contains 5 families: Eschrichtiidae, Cetotheriidae, Balaenidae, Eubalaenidae, and Balaenopteridae) 2) Odontoceti (contains 9 families: Ziphiidae, Kogiidae, Physeteridae, Orcinidae, Monodontidae, Phocoenidae, Delphinidae, Iniidae, and Platanistidae)

[@eriksaari4430]

autism can be helped

[@ekosubandie2094]

And here I thought Cetotheres went completely extinct during Pleistocene, but I guess they're still around in form of Pygmy Right Whale

[@Coelacanth_yes]

@@ekosubandie2094 don't trust this dude he's an idiot in a lot of other comment he says very innacurate thing and even here he's says cetecea is an order when is actually a parvorder within Artiodactyla

[@tjarkschweizer]

@@ekosubandie2094 Please don't memorize anything this guy writes. It's all horribly outdated taxonomy.

[@kyleellis1825]

@@tjarkschweizer Not horribly outdated. Just outdated in general, not like they went back 70+ years for really horribly outdated info. This is more last 20 years kind of stuff.

[@kpg2758]

So excited!!

[@KarstenGerner]

Great video, love your channel. Very infromative and well written. You could do with speaking a little bit slower though.

[@girliboi]

hover over vid, click 'cog' icon for settings, select 'playback speed', then 'custom', and toggle bar to adjust speed of any yt vid as fast or as slow as you want (by increments of as little as .05X).. 👍

[@sociavibe5492]

‘Indohyus, my brother’ sent me here

[@foollin2170]

Same lol.

[@joshb7415]

great video, well done

[@fyhaskamdig]

Great video!

[@shawnohagan5503]

Great video

[@spontaneousbootay]

Definitely one of the most fascinating cases of species evolution

[@Zoe_Tastic]

Whales are slowly dying and eventually they will all die at the hands of humans.

[@I8thePizza]

Too bad it's all make believe. ha ha You've been punked.

[@I8thePizza]

@Alle Warten Auf Das Licht That's what I say. Prove this idiotic fairy tale about some stupid animal turning into a whale over billions of years. Only morons could believe it, and no one can prove it. It's not science, that's for sure.😆

[@I8thePizza]

@Alle Warten Auf Das Licht I don't have to prove it's a fairy tale. It's a fairy tale until it can be proven scientifically and it can't be, so it's a fairy tale.

[@I8thePizza]

@Alle Warten Auf Das Licht Look, I don't care if you want to believe in nonsense, it's your religion, so have at it. I won't do anything to hurt your belief in the evolution religion, I promise. I will pray that your eyes are open one day and you get some wisdom, but it's out of my hands now...

[@ruhampton8455]

awesome vid ty so much

[@hugoclarke3284]

Your accent is a bit like TierZoo. Great video btw!!

[@jrr7031]

Man....Indohyus looks like one of those in-between stages of an animorph or...whatever that crazy thing was called.

[@itzhellraptor._.9923]

Talk about the evolution of the dire wolf! (Aenocyon dirus)😗😗

[@n00n1n]

Wow this channel only has 44k subs? That was a fantastic documentary.

[@gy2gy246]

8/2023--717,000 subscribers and growing. I think because there are so many channels devoted to evolution. And then there are those KZbinrs who say evolution is a scam. Yes, I've seen a lot.

[@satanspawn66]

*sees a video about animal origins* Damnit. Alright. *Opens comment section by Newest first*

[@Crimsrn]

so true

[@1Nobody1]

Same

[@joeshmoe8345]

Awesome thanks a bunch big dog

[@Hiyjjbro]

Great video. Is this the same lineage from which dolphins emerged? Do seals/ sea lions/ walruses next. Then manatees.

[@MelLearning]

Yes, dolphins are whales - toothed whales or odontocetis. the lineage is one and the same.

[@ErinMott09]

I’ve heard that the blue whale is the largest animal to ever live but I see some comparisons to sauropods with many species growing to stupid sizes, much longer than the blue whale. Of course, I understand longer doesn’t necessarily mean bigger, but overall, I would say the blue whale is the largest MAMMAL to ever live? But I dunno, I could be wrong. Either way, great video!

[@terra_727]

Sauropods, being terrestrial species, had to develop ways to support their own weight, not just through strong muscular legs with large feet, but there were many holes in their skeleton that made them much lighter. Whales, on the other hand, are not confined to this restriction, so there is no need to account for making their bodies lighter.

[@kyleellis1825]

Sauropods length/height comes from limbs/neck/tails. Sure they are really tall but all the mass is in the body. Compare the Sauropod body to the whale body and it's a lot clearer how much bigger the whale is.

[@Crimsrn]

yes the blue whale is 33 metres long and the argentinosaurus was 44-45 metres long

[@mikesnyder1788]

Excellent content! I hope this video gets tens of thousands of more views! By the way, I live in N.E. Ohio and our nearby medical university, Northeast Ohio Medical University, has a mascot called "Nate" and the big guy is a Walking Whale! No sports teams on campus but just a cool idea to have a science based mascot for university functions.

[@rajarsi6438]

You folks don't understand time/space/movement. You're stuck in childish lala lands, that's all.

[@JJ-oq3tz]

Whales are the most fantastic animals in the world and they are the most beautiful creatures on the planet🐋

[@SM-be5dh]

I love this man

[@jjwrenmusic]

It'd be interesting to see how the tail fluke evolved. Did the tail gradually change? How did that happen?

[@AMC2283]

Same way all morphology changes. Mutation, genetic drift, natural selection.

[@jjwrenmusic]

@@AMC2283 I get that. I guess I mean it was it the tail that eventually flattened out and changed shape? Genuinely curious.

[@AMC2283]

@@jjwrenmusic the images I've seen show the tail getting longer, and then branching out, coinciding with the loss of legs

[@abbynormal5849]

Thanks!

[@stax6092]

Cool.

[@edger7425]

I shed a tear towards the end

[@niharg2011]

Kutchicetus is supposed to be pronounced as K-tchi-cetus. It's named after the Kutch area in India where it was discovered.

[@marioman2086]

Commenting for the algorithm

[@characterblub]

Must always feed the algorithm

[@duder7396]

Consider making a video on the origins of suids or maybe even ratites?

[@terra_727]

Part of me feels so bad for the original publisher of the video. This is a really well produced, researched, and presented video and then we have creationists pushing their personal opinions that just so happen to disagree.

[@Travissquid18]

When he said let’s hear a word from our sponsors I actually got a ad lol

[@yellowflowerorangeflower5706]

Cool

[@mrmosty5167]

Is there an explanation as to how baleen evolved? It seems an increase in size means they can exploit colder seas but maybe they got too big and cumbersome to hunt a single prey animal and so took to straining multiple smaller ones.

[@terra_727]

There are multiple possible scenarios that could explain how baleen evolved given the species we know of regarding the earliest Mysticetes. However, we know for a fact that the earliest baleen whales were completely toothed, but some earlier species could've been filter feeders for prey of certain sizes based on interlocking characteristics of the crowns of their teeth while others suction fed (pretty self-explanatory how this predation method works). We also have species known as Aetocetids that had both teeth and baleen, and other species like Maiabalaena lacked both teeth and baleen. Baleen is very complicated, but it seemed to be very complicated process (as everything is in evolution).

[@Abominationxx]

Anyone else just binge watching these at 3 am?

[@portillamail]

no, get a job

[@pauleohl]

1:58 Harder to hear underwater??? You need to stick your head underwater and listen for sounds that originated underwater. You do not hear sounds that are out of the water, like music played at an outdoor pool, but sounds that are generated underwater like bubbles from exhaling through a snorkel or blackfish chomping on mussels are heard distinctly.

[@angelmatesmolan]

I love whales* I love a lot of different animals Nature is great and amazing

[@lefaraone03]

4:15 COOCHIE-Cetus

[@glitteryvomitt]

4:14 i can't be only one laughing at this name

[@mistersir3020]

Explain "far more difficult to hear underwater"?! I thought the opposite was true; sound is much louder in a denser medium.

[@mistersir3020]

@@liryar123 That is pretty retarded. It may be more difficult for us, land animals, to make vocalizations underwater; but you hear a lot better. Have you ever been submerged in a bath and rubbed something or moved around? The sound is very loud.

[@I8thePizza]

It's more difficult for humans to hear underwater because we weren't designed that way. But you're right, sound travels faster through water.

[@kyleellis1825]

It gets distorted in the water. like the poster below stated, our eardrums are desgined to work in the air. Water pressure stops the eardrum from vibrating as much.

[@I8thePizza]

@@kyleellis1825 You're right. God designed our ears to work in the air not under water. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@mossyfriends1911]

Funny how something as cute looking as a dolphin came from a wacky dog/deer/crocodile/otter hybrid looking thing. I wonder if they were super intelligent back then as well.

[@Dr.IanPlect]

Moreso than...

[@chaotix5513]

my favourite animals

[@Lexi2019AURORA]

I love how the creationists in the comments like to quote-mine scientists.

[@purpleguydeadly4235]

Whales really took return to monke to the next level

[@suchendelokidottir5673]

Why did it never occur to me that narwhals are whales? I feel dumb

[@bennelong8451]

5:21 nightmare fuel

[@yungsquee1651]

What is the outro music?

[@frostbitetheannunakiiceind6574]

whales are amazing

[@SoulDelSol]

Cootchie-acetus?

[@jodikeen4623]

Hey there! I really love your videos. Evolution was my emphasis for my bachelor's so they're right up my alley. I wanted to mention that niche is pronounced 'neesh' and not 'nitch'. Just so you know!

[@CsprsSassyHrly]

It can be pronounced either way. In my profession, I typically hear it commonly pronounced “nitch”, though a few colleagues do pronounce it “neesh”. I’ve jokingly pronounced it “nee-shay” so many times, I worry I’m going to pronounce it like that during a presentation or at a conference. 😅

[@Spaghettineck]

Can u do skunks one day

[@stickplayer2]

Why do so many supposedly science-based youtubers present evolution as if it has intent? No, they didn't "have a plan" for their evolution.

[@TravisRiver]

You need to dumb this down a bit for it to really take off.

[@patrickbrown1727]

YESSSSSSSSS

[@TeethToothman]

❤❤❤

[@_Rustodian]

The video below this on my feed was titled "why is Stacey Abrams at a Lizzo concert?" 😂

[@mariebcfhs9491]

the whale evolution can be divided into the pre-legnoughts and the legnoughts, I mean losing hind limbs is a major step in evolution that makes all other ancient whales obsolete overnight innit?

[@vik_body_beld7294]

I was thinking mapusaurus , the giant aquatic being seen in jurassic world , dragging indominus Rex to its swimming pool. And in the next part , taking off like a rocket from water and opening it's wide mouth and devouring what ever was moving on the surface, humans or pterodactyl or helicopter.

[@ChangeNameEdits]

You mean Mosasaurus? Mapu is a Carchardontosaurid in South America

[@t-killa5754]

Intelligence is not dependent on brain size relative to body size. It's probably rather it's complexity and how wrinkled it is

[@Rittzz235]

1:18 coochiecetus

[@skybluskyblueify]

How many land-based prey animals jump underwater to escape predators? I know there are some small deer that do it but what else?

[@tjarkschweizer]

Iguanas

[@Lexi2019AURORA]

Where did the idea of "evolutionists believe cows turned into whales" come from? Some creationist troll was saying that in a Bill Nye video.

[@SomethingAboutSashimi]

Creationists will do anything to push their beliefs even if it means harassing others

[@kingrahzar9351]

Evolution of the bear please cuz i **REALLY** need to know if they had tails or not and Evolution of ratites cuz i wannna know if ostriches used to fly or not

[@terra_727]

Ratites evolved from flying birds, yes.

[@AvroBellow]

I wonder how carnivores evolve from herbivores. It seems like a really drastic change.

[@hadventures717]

perhaps an intermeditiary omnivore step?

[@AvroBellow]

@@hadventures717 Yeah, that's a possibility. It's just that the carnivore looks VERY carnivorous and those teeth... It just doesn't seem like enough time had passed going by the usual speed of evolution for that kind of drastic change to take place. Clearly it DID take place, I'm just wondering what conditions would have made the change so fast and so drastic. Remember that carnivores have completely different mindsets, digestive systems, nutritional requirements, etc. It's not just about the bones and teeth, it's a colossal change from one creature to another. It's either just incredible or it's very mysterious.

[@scottwells8064]

Considering animals we consider obligate herbivores (deer, horses, cattle) will sometimes, and occasionally often, eat small animals for calcium and other nutrients, I don't think it's as big of a leap as we tend to think.

[@alexandrep4913]

The question I have is why on earth are they so friendly to people?

[@AB-sw4kb]

Because they used to be dogs