A cetacean limb from the Middle Eocene of Ukraine sheds light on mammalian adaptations to life in water
Svitozar Davydenko,
Eugene Solyanik,
Roman Tretiakov
et al.
Abstract:There are a few mammalian lineages secondarily adapted to life in water throughout their evolutionary history. Of them, only sirenians and cetaceans evolved as fully aquatic organisms. This transition was accompanied by changes in swimming mode, from foot paddling to tail-powered propulsion, with the forelimbs acting as efficient hydrofoils and the gradual loss of external hindlimbs. Here, we describe an isolated limb from the Middle Eocene of Ukraine, 43–42 Mya, identified as a hindlimb of a fully aquatic cet… Show more
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