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Line 1: − A whale (cetacean) is a massive mammal that lives in the ocean. It relies on fresh air just like other mammals, and unlike fish. The whale is warm-blooded like animals, and unlike fish. But whales have many extraordinary features that are ''not like'' other mammals, including:+ Line 19:
Line 19: − Whales were [[creation|created]] about 4000 year ago when [[God]] createed the [[earth]], only 24,999,600 years after creating it's nearest relative [http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/lines/IAtransitional.shtml|relative]. − + + + − [[http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/lines/IAtransitional.shtml]]+
Pretty big edit to make this page resemble some facts
The term whale refers to all [[Cetacean|Cetaceans]] that are not [[dolphin|dolphins]] or [[Poprpoise|porpoises]] or more informally to only the very largest [[Cetacean|Cetaceans]]. Although whales are famed for the massive size reached by some species, like the largest animal to ever live the [[Blue Whale]], others are relatively small like the pygmy right whale which grows to about 20 feet <ref> American Cetacean Society website [http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/PygmyRightWhale.htm]</ref>. Though whales have many traits in common with fish (including fins and tails) they are in fact mammals and accordingly breath air and lactate. Whales have a number of remarkable [[adaptation|adaptations]] including:
* they decide when to breathe, rather than breathing unconsciously
* they decide when to breathe, rather than breathing unconsciously
* they have massive brains, much larger than the brains of other mammals
* they have massive brains, much larger than the brains of other mammals
The [[Public Broadcasting Service]], known for airing pro-evolution shows, stated, "The evolution of whales has been a mystery...Some details remain fuzzy and under investigation. But we know for certain that this back-to-the-water evolution did occur, thanks to a profusion of intermediate fossils that have been uncovered over the past two decades"<ref>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/03/4/l_034_05.html</ref> This is largely inconclusive however as we do not understand much about whales, especially the giants of the ocean [[Blue Whales]] for which scientists have not yet discovered where they travel to breed.
== Evolution and taxonomy ==
The question of how whales and their relatives could have evolved from terrestial [[mammall|mamalls]| has taxed evolutionary biologists since [[Darwin|Darwin's]] suggestion that may have evolved from ancient bears. In more recent times molecular and fossil evidence has combined to suggest that modern whales and their relatives arose from ancient [[Artiodactyla|artiodactyls]] (even-toed ungulates) with the cloest living relative of all whales being hippos<ref> Theodore, JM (2004) Molecular Clock Divergence Estimates And The Fossil Record Of Cetartiodactyla <i> The Journal Of Paleontology 78:39-44[http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/41080/molecular_clock_divergence_estimates_and_the_fossil_record_of_cetartiodactyla/index.html]</ref>. This kinship has been termed the whippo hypothesis. Evolutionary biologists believe the last commen ancestor of whales and hippos lived about 25 million years ago <ref> UCLA berkley "Understanding Evolution for Teachers" website [http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/lines/IAtransitional.shtml]</ref>, which is contrast with the [[Young earth creationism|young earth creationist]] position that that whales were [[creation|created]] about 4000 years ago when [[God]] created the [[earth]].
== References ==
== References ==
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[[Category:Mammals]]
[[Category:Mammals]]