Wednesday, January 16, 2008

The Precursor to Wales?

Indohyus, a small 48-million year old animal from India, may be the link between land animals and whales, according to researchers.

The key finding connecting Indohyus to the whale is its thickened ear bone, something only seen in cetaceans.

An examination of its teeth showed that the land-dwelling creature spent lots of time in the water and may have fed there, like hippos.

Also, the specific positioning and shape of certain molars connects Indohyus to the earliest whales, which are about 50 million years old, [Hans] Thewissen said.

Nifty.

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