文章基本信息

标题：From Land to Water: the Origin of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises
其他标题：From Land to Water: the Origin of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises
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作者：J. G. M. Thewissen ; Lisa Noelle Cooper ; John C. George 等
期刊名称：Evolution: Education and Outreach
印刷版ISSN：1936-6434
出版年度：2009
卷号：2
期号：2
页码：272-288
DOI：10.1007/s12052-009-0135-2
出版社：BioMed Central
摘要：Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) are an order of mammals that originated about 50 million years ago in the Eocene epoch. Even though all modern cetaceans are obligate aquatic mammals, early cetaceans were amphibious, and their ancestors were terrestrial artiodactyls, similar to small deer. The transition from land to water is documented by a series of intermediate fossils, many of which are known from India and Pakistan. We review raoellid artiodactyls, as well as the earliest families of cetaceans: pakicetids, ambulocetids, remingtonocetids, protocetids, and basilosaurids. We focus on the evolution of cetacean organ systems, as these document the transition from land to water in detail.
关键词：Dolphins;Whales;Porpoises;Evolution;Cetacea;Mammals