The walking whales : from land to water in eight million years / J. G. M. Thewissen ; with illustrations by Jacqueline Dillard.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Thewissen, J. G. M., author.

Contributor:

Dillard, Jacqueline, illustrator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Whales, Fossil--Pakistan.

Whales, Fossil.

Whales, Fossil--India.

Whales--Evolution.

Whales.

Paleontology--Pakistan.

Paleontology.

Paleontology--India.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (257 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oakland, California : University of California Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Hans Thewissen, a leading researcher in the field of whale paleontology and anatomy, gives a sweeping first-person account of the discoveries that brought to light the early fossil record of whales. As evidenced in the record, whales evolved from herbivorous forest-dwelling ancestors that resembled tiny deer to carnivorous monsters stalking lakes and rivers and to serpentlike denizens of the coast. Thewissen reports on his discoveries in the wilds of India and Pakistan, weaving a narrative that reveals the day-to-day adventures of fossil collection, enriching it with local flavors from South Asian culture and society. The reader senses the excitement of the digs as well as the rigors faced by scientific researchers, for whom each new insight gives rise to even more questions, and for whom at times the logistics of just staying alive may trump all science. In his search for an understanding of how modern whales live their lives, Thewissen also journeys to Japan and Alaska to study whales and wild dolphins. He finds answers to his questions about fossils by studying the anatomy of otters and porpoises and examining whale embryos under the microscope. In the book's final chapter, Thewissen argues for approaching whale evolution with the most powerful tools we have and for combining all the fields of science in pursuit of knowledge.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

1. A Wasted Dig

2. Fish, Mammal, or Dinosaur?

3. A Whale with Legs

4. Learning to Swim

5. When the Mountains Grew

6. Passage to India

7. A Trip to the Beach

8. The Otter Whale

9. The Ocean Is a Desert

10. The Skeleton Puzzle

11. The River Whales

12. Whales Conquer the World

13. From Embryos to Evolution

14. Before Whales

15. The Way Forward

Notes

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780520959415

0520959418

OCLC:

886107788