Block, Siteadmin, SkipCaptcha, Upload, Automoderated users, delete, edit, move, nsTeam2RO, nsTeam2RW, nsTeam2_talkRO, nsTeam2_talkRW, protect, rollback, Administrators, template
293,005
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 1:
Line 1: − + − + Line 42:
Line 42: − + − + − + Line 61:
Line 61: − + Line 115:
Line 115: − + Line 138:
Line 138: − + − + − In more recent times evolutionists have suggested that modern whales and their relatives arose from ancient [[Artiodactyla|artiodactyls]] (even-toed ungulates such as [[deer]] and [[hippopotamus|hippopotami]]).<ref>[http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/41080/molecular_clock_divergence_estimates_and_the_fossil_record_of_cetartiodactyla/index.html] Theodore, JM (2004) Molecular Clock Divergence Estimates And The Fossil Record Of Cetartiodactyla <i> The Journal Of Paleontology</i> <b>78</b>:39-44</ref>+ − + − Evolutionary biologists estimate the last ancestor of whales and hippos lived about 25 million years ago<ref> [http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/lines/IAtransitional.shtml] UCLA Berkley Understanding Evolution for Teachers website</ref>. This theory of cetacean origins contrasts with the [[Young earth creationism|young earth creationist]] position that whales were [[creation|created]] about 6000 years ago, ''before'' land animals .<ref>Sarfati, Jonathan [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3834/106/ Whale evolution?] ''Refuting Evolution'', Chapter 5.</ref><ref>Batten, Don, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1776 A whale of a tale?] ''Journal of Creation'' 8(1):2–3, April 1994.</ref><ref>Williams, Alexander, and Sarfati, Jonathan, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1862 Not at all like a whale], ''Creation'' 27(2):20–22, March 2005.</ref>+ + + + + + + + + + Line 165:
Line 174: − + − + − + − + − +
→Toothed whales
{{Taxonomy
{{Taxonomy
|name=Whale
|name=Whale
|image=
|image=SoRightWhale.jpg
|caption=
|caption=<small>Southern right whale<br/>''Eubalaena australis''</small>
|domain=Eukaryota
|domain=Eukaryota
|kingdom=Animalia
|kingdom=Animalia
|conservation=
|conservation=
}}
}}
'''Whales''' are marine mammals of the order [[Cetacea]].
'''Whales''' are marine mammals of the order [[Cetacea]], and a clear [[counterexample to the Theory of Evolution]].
== Description ==
== Description ==
Whales are separated into the toothed whales, ''Odontocetes'' (which includes [[dolphin]]s, [[porpoise]]s, [[narwhal]]s, beaked whales and [[sperm whale]]s), and the whalebone, or baleen, whales, also called ''Mysticetes''. The latter are mostly very large, which, instead of teeth, have baleen (whalebone) to filter small prey from the water; they are what people generally think of when the word whale is used. The whalebone whales include the rorquals - the [[blue whale]], fin whale, sei whale, Bryde's whale, [[minke whale]], and humpback whale; the [[grey whale]]; and the various [[right whale]]s.
Whales are separated into the toothed whales, ''Odontocetes'' (which includes [[dolphin]]s, [[porpoise]]s, [[narwhal]]s, beaked whales and [[sperm whale]]s), and the whalebone, or baleen, whales, also called ''Mysticetes''. The latter are mostly very large, which, instead of teeth, have baleen (whalebone) to filter small prey from the water; they are what people generally think of when the word whale is used. The whalebone whales include the rorquals - the [[blue whale]], fin whale, sei whale, Bryde's whale, [[minke whale]], and humpback whale; the [[grey whale]]; and the various [[right whale]]s.
Although whales are famed for the massive size reached by some species, such as the blue whale (the largest animal to ever live), others are relatively small, like the pygmy right whale which grows to about 20 feet<ref>[http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/PygmyRightWhale.htm]American Cetacean Society website</ref>. Though whales have many traits in common with fish (including fins and tails) they are [[classification system|classified]] as [[mammal|mammals]] under the [[Linnaean taxonomy]] classification system because they breathe air and lactate. Whales have a number of remarkable features including:
Although whales are famed for the massive size reached by some species, such as the blue whale (the largest animal to ever live), others are relatively small, like the pygmy right whale which grows to about 20 feet.<ref>[http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/PygmyRightWhale.htm] American Cetacean Society website</ref> Though whales have many traits in common with fish (including fins and tails) they are [[classification system|classified]] as [[mammal]]s under the [[Linnaean taxonomy]] classification system because they breathe air and lactate. Whales have a number of remarkable features including:
* they decide when to breathe, rather than breathing unconsciously
* they decide when to breathe, rather than breathing unconsciously
* they sleep 8 hours a day, yet need to be conscious to breathe
* they sleep 8 hours a day, yet need to be conscious to breathe
* they can communicate with each other by making remarkably loud noises
* they can communicate with each other by making remarkably loud noises
* these extraordinary noises can travel for miles under water
* these extraordinary noises can travel for miles underwater
* the females nurse their calves while swimming underwater
* the females nurse their calves while swimming underwater
* the males have a unique cooling system for their internal reproductive organs, involving the circulation of cooled blood from the extremities directly around the [[testes]] before returning to the [[heart]]
* the males have a unique cooling system for their internal reproductive organs, involving the circulation of cooled blood from the extremities directly around the [[testes]] before returning to the [[heart]]
== Taxonomy ==
== Taxonomy ==
Two distinct kinds of whales exist world-wide: toothed whales of the suborder Odontoceti, and whalebone, or baleen, whales of the suborder Mysticeti.
Two distinct kinds of whales exist worldwide: toothed whales of the suborder Odontoceti, and whalebone, or baleen, whales of the suborder Mysticeti.
===Baleen whales===
===Baleen whales===
:::::Southern bottlenose whale, ''Hyperoodon planifrons''
:::::Southern bottlenose whale, ''Hyperoodon planifrons''
::::Genus ''Indopacetus''
::::Genus ''Indopacetus''
:::::Indo-Pacific beaked whale, ''Indopacetus pacificus''
:::::[[Indo-Pacific]] beaked whale, ''Indopacetus pacificus''
::::Genus ''Mesoplodon''
::::Genus ''Mesoplodon''
:::::Andrews' beaked whale, ''Mesoplodon bowdoini''
:::::Andrews' beaked whale, ''Mesoplodon bowdoini''
::'''Family ''Phocoenidae'''''
::'''Family ''Phocoenidae'''''
== Origins ==
==Evolutionary claims==
The question of how whales and their relatives could have evolved from terrestrial [[mammal]]s has taxed evolutionary biologists since [[Charles Darwin|Darwin's]] suggestion that they may have evolved from ancient bears. <blockquote>"In North America the black bear was seen . . . swimming for hours with widely open mouth, thus catching, like a whale, insects in the water. Even in so extreme a case as this, if the supply of insects were constant, and if better adapted competitors did not already exist in the country, I can see no difficulty in a race of bears being rendered, by natural selection, more and more aquatic in their structure and habits, with larger and larger mouths, till a creature was produced as monstrous as a whale."</blockquote><ref>Charles Darwin, [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1228 Origin of species] 1st edition </ref>
The question of how whales and their relatives allegedly evolved from terrestrial [[mammal]]s has intrigued evolutionary biologists since [[Charles Darwin]]'s suggestion that they may have evolved from ancient mammals. He suggested that their development may have been started by something similar to a behavior observed in bears. <blockquote>"In North America the black bear was seen . . . swimming for hours with widely open mouth, thus catching, like a whale, insects in the water. Even in so extreme a case as this, if the supply of insects were constant, and if better adapted competitors did not already exist in the country, I can see no difficulty in a race of bears being rendered, by natural selection, more and more aquatic in their structure and habits, with larger and larger mouths, till a creature was produced as monstrous as a whale."</blockquote><ref>Charles Darwin, [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1228 Origin of species] 1st edition</ref>
Evolutionary biologists estimate the last ancestor of whales and hippos lived about 25 million years ago.<ref>[http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/lines/IAtransitional.shtml] UCLA Berkley Understanding Evolution for Teachers website</ref>, with a more recent suggestion that modern whales and their relatives arose from ancient [[Artiodactyla|artiodactyls]] (even-toed ungulates such as [[deer]] and [[hippopotamus|hippopotami]]).<ref>[http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/41080/molecular_clock_divergence_estimates_and_the_fossil_record_of_cetartiodactyla/index.html] Theodore, JM (2004) Molecular Clock Divergence Estimates And The Fossil Record Of Cetartiodactyla '' The Journal Of Paleontology'' '''78''':39-44</ref>
This kinship has been termed the whippo hypothesis.<ref>http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/pdfs/data/1999/15619/15619-10.pdf</ref>
More specifically, they believe that whales evolved from ''[[Pakicetus]]'' through ''Aetiocetus'', because of the similarities in their bone structure. For example, ''Pakicetus'' has nostrils at the front of its skull, ''Aetiocetus'' has nostrils in the middle of its skull, and the modern gray whale has nostrils at the top of its skull<ref>[https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/lines_03]University of California, Berkeley, ''Understanding Evolution''</ref>. This kinship has been termed the whippo hypothesis.<ref>http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/pdfs/data/1999/15619/15619-10.pdf</ref>
This theory of cetacean origins contrasts with the [[Young earth creationism|young earth creationist]] position that whales were [[creation|created]] about 6000 years ago, ''before'' land animals<ref>Sarfati, Jonathan [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3834/106/ Whale evolution?] ''Refuting Evolution'', Chapter 5.</ref><ref>Batten, Don, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1776 A whale of a tale?] ''Journal of Creation'' 8(1):2–3, April 1994.</ref><ref>Williams, Alexander, and Sarfati, Jonathan, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1862 Not at all like a whale], ''Creation'' 27(2):20–22, March 2005.</ref>. The various theories regarding evolutionary origins, such as Darwin's "thought experiment"<ref>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-did-whales-evolve-73276956/</ref> about a bear-like ancestry, the modern "deer ancestry" theory, as well as the above ''Pakicetus'' to ''Aetiocetus'' to gray whale descent requires direct observation under the first step of the [[scientific method]]. To further compound the difficulties in the theory of evolution, it was recently discovered that rorqual whales possess a sensory organ at the front of their lower jaws, informing the brain of stresses and pressure of water when the mouth is open to collect food. This organ, according to the demands of evolution, would have to appear at the same time as the following:
*an increase in size of the upper and lower jaws;
*a change in the lower jaw structure and the addition of chin grooves to allow the intake of large amounts of water;
*the addition of vibrissae (touch-sensitive organs) to detect krill;
*the addition of counter-current heat exchange organs within the tongue, preventing heat loss when feeding in arctic waters<ref>https://www.icr.org/article/ways-that-whales-display-their-creator</ref>.
Whales in their current form also appear suddenly in the fossil record, something that cannot be explained by current evolutionary science<ref>https://creation.com/refuting-evolution-chapter-5-whale-evolution</ref>. With that sudden appearance is also the trait that cannot be explained by anything other than a deliberate act of creation: baleen filter plates. Gray whales, right whales, and rorquals carry these filters; to do so according to evolution requires an intentional act, in this case a change in diet to smaller prey and the realization that it needs a filtering system to catch that prey<ref>http://creationstudies.org/articles/science/life-science/206-whales-lose-teeth</ref>. As it remains, the descent of whales from terrestrial ancestors according to evolution cannot be proved.
=== Whales and intelligent design theory criticism of evolutionary origins ===
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=591IqiNMd1k Killer Whales -- Zombie Science Author Explains a Fatal Challenge to Evolution] by biologist [[Jonathan Wells]]
==Whaling industry==
==Whaling industry==
Arguably the most famous book about whales is [[Herman Melville]]'s ''[[Moby-Dick|Moby Dick]]'', about a whaling-ship captain obsessed with hunting down the sperm whale (Moby Dick) which had bitten off one of his legs.
Arguably the most famous book about whales is [[Herman Melville]]'s ''[[Moby-Dick|Moby Dick]]'', about a whaling-ship captain obsessed with hunting down the sperm whale (Moby Dick) which had bitten off one of his legs.
== See Also ==
== See also ==
*[[Orca]]
*[[Orca]]
*[[Dolphin]]
*[[Dolphin]]
==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* Carwardine, Mark. ''Whales & Dolphins'' (Smithsonian Handbooks) (2002) [http://www.amazon.com/Whales-Dolphins-Smithsonian-Handbooks-Carwardine/dp/0789489902/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226789849&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Carwardine, Mark. ''Whales & Dolphins'' (Smithsonian Handbooks) (2002) [https://www.amazon.com/Whales-Dolphins-Smithsonian-Handbooks-Carwardine/dp/0789489902/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226789849&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Creighton, Margaret S. ''Rites and Passages: The Experience of American Whaling, 1830-1870.'' (1995). 233 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/Rites-Passages-Experience-American-1830-1870/dp/0521484480/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207603299&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Creighton, Margaret S. ''Rites and Passages: The Experience of American Whaling, 1830-1870.'' (1995). 233 pp. [https://www.amazon.com/Rites-Passages-Experience-American-1830-1870/dp/0521484480/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207603299&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Dolin, Eric Jay. ''Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America'' (2007) 480 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/Leviathan-History-Eric-Jay-Dolin/dp/0393060578/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207596886&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
* Dolin, Eric Jay. ''Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America'' (2007) 480 pp. [https://www.amazon.com/Leviathan-History-Eric-Jay-Dolin/dp/0393060578/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207596886&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
* Ellis, Richard. ''Men and Whales.'' (1991). 542 pp.
* Ellis, Richard. ''Men and Whales.'' (1991). 542 pp.
* Papastavrou, Vassili. ''Whale'' (DK Eyewitness Books) (2004) [http://www.amazon.com/Whale-Eyewitness-Books-Vassili-Papastavrou/dp/0756607396/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226789849&sr=1-3 excerpt and text search]
* Papastavrou, Vassili. ''Whale'' (DK Eyewitness Books) (2004) [https://www.amazon.com/Whale-Eyewitness-Books-Vassili-Papastavrou/dp/0756607396/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226789849&sr=1-3 excerpt and text search]
* Stoett, Peter J. ''The International Politics of Whaling'' (1997) [http://www.questia.com/read/57120862?title=The%20International%20Politics%20of%20Whaling online edition]
* Stoett, Peter J. ''The International Politics of Whaling'' (1997) [http://www.questia.com/read/57120862?title=The%20International%20Politics%20of%20Whaling online edition]
*Berta, Annalisa ''Return to the Sea: The Life and Evolutionary Times of Marine Mammals'' 2012
*Berta, Annalisa ''Return to the Sea: The Life and Evolutionary Times of Marine Mammals'' 2012