Explorer Lecture Series: The Walking Whales October 26, 2012

Dr. Hans Thewissen
October 26, 2012 at 7:30pm

Dr. Thewissen will present an overview of the first 13 million years of whale evolution, a period when the ancestors of whales, which looked like tiny deer, became aquatic. He will introduce a variety of early whales, some resembling otters, others alligators or seals. Thewissen has conducted fossil digs in India and Pakistan, where he has unearthed the fossils of the earliest relatives of today’s whales. These fossils provide a powerful way to study evolution. His research also involves the study of how the embryos of whales and dolphins develop their unique shapes. He travels to Alaska to study modern whales and their adaptations to the changing arctic climate.

This program is in conjunction with the exhibition Whales Tohorā.