WHALE EVOLUTION - Critical Thinking
WHALE VIDEO
BIOLOGY 11
1. What subdivision of Biology does evolution
explain when we compare whales with land mammals?
2. What basis did Darwin have for hypothesizing that
whales evolved from a bear-like animal?
3. WHY are transitional animals vauable to evolutionary
biology?
3b. WHY are transitional fossils rare?
4. WHY was Darwin attacked by fundamentalists
in the newspapers in 1859?
5. How is a theory valuable in the future?
6. Why is Basilosaurus called an intermediate
(transitional animal)?
7. WHY are presesnt day whale hindleg bones
refered to as being vestigial?
8. What problem did paleontologists have for
over 100 years in studying whale evolution.
9. Basilosaurus had very tiny rear legs. WHY
was it still useful to Biologists? (1989)
10. 1983 Tethys Sea - WHY did the sea become
shallow and a suitable place for whale evolution?
11. WHY was it valuable for the reptiles to
become extinct in the Tethys Sea?
12. 1993 - Pakicetus discovered. However, the
paleontologists still needed an animal which could
BOTH w_____ and s_______ .
13. 1994 - (Hans Thewissen) Ambulocetus: WHY
did this specimen show that the theory developed
in the 1980's could be a powerful predictor and
point the way for research?
14. 1994 - (Hans Thewissah) Ambulocetus: Why did this specimen show that the theory
developed in the 1980's could be a powerful predictor and point the way for research?
