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Basilosaurus ("King Lizard") was a genus of cetacean that lived from 40 to 37 million years ago in the Eocene. Its fossilized remains were first discovered in the southern United States (Alabama), and were initially believed to be some sort of reptilian sea monster, hence the suffix -"saurus". Fossils from at least two other species of this taxon have been found in Egypt and Pakistan. Basilosaurus averaged about 18 meters (60 feet) in length, and displayed an unparalleled degree of elongation compared with modern whales. Their very small vestigial hind limbs have also been a matter of interest for paleontologists. The species is the state fossil of Alabama. The Eocene epoch (55. ...
Image File history File links Basilosaurus_illustration. ...
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In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ...
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Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with...
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Suborders Mysticeti Odontoceti Archaeoceti (extinct) (see text for families) The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. ...
Families and Clades see text Archaeoceti, or ancient whales are a paraphyletic group of cetaceans that gave rise to Autoceti - the new cetaceans. ...
Species Basilosaurus cetoides Basilosaurus hussaini Basilosaurus isis Basilosaurus was a genus of cetacean that lived from 40 to 37 million years ago in the Eocene. ...
For other uses of the word, please see Genus (disambiguation). ...
Suborders Mysticeti Odontoceti (see text) The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. ...
The Eocene epoch (55. ...
An ammonite fossil Eocene fossil fish of the genus Knightia Petrified wood fossil formed through permineralization. ...
Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area Ranked 30th - Total 52,419 sq mi (135,765 km²) - Width 190 miles (306 km) - Length 330 miles (531 km) - % water 3. ...
Picture taken from a Hetzel copy of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Sea monsters are sea-dwelling, mythical or legendary creatures, often believed to be of immense size. ...
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ...
A taxon (plural taxa), or taxonomic unit, is a grouping of organisms (named or unnamed). ...
A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ...
Though every state in the United States has a State Bird and a State Flower, not every state in the United States has a State Fossil. ...
Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area Ranked 30th - Total 52,419 sq mi (135,765 km²) - Width 190 miles (306 km) - Length 330 miles (531 km) - % water 3. ...
Fossil finds During the early 19th century in Louisiana and Alabama, Basilosaurus cetoides fossils were so common (as well as large) that they were regularly used as furniture. One vertebra was sent in to the American Philosophical Society by a Judge Bry, who was concerned that the unique finds were being destroyed by the locals. The fossils ended up in the hands of the anatomist Dr. Richard Harlan, who proclaimed it to be reptilian (and 45 m [150 ft] long) and gave it the name Basilosaurus, the name meaning "King reptile". When the British anatomist Sir Richard Owen studied the spine, mandibular fragments, arms, and ribs (recently found) he proclaimed them to be mammalian. Owen proposed renaming the find to Zeuglodon cetoides (Yoked-tooth), which is now a junior synonym; though the latter is considered by many to be a more fitting name, the first-published name always takes precedent. Zeuglodon name is in reference to the double rooted teeth typical of marine mammals. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans [1] Area Ranked 31st - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²) - Width 130 miles (210 km) - Length 379 miles (610 km) - % water 16 - Latitude 29°N to 33°N - Longitude 89°W...
Richard Harlan (September 19, 1796 - September 30, 1843) was an American naturalist, zoologist, physicist and paleontologist. ...
Sir Richard Owen KCB (July 20, 1804–December 18, 1892) was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist. ...
In 1845, "Dr." Albert Koch heard stories of giant bones in Alabama, and went down to cobble together a full skeleton. He eventually created a huge 114 foot skeleton of a "sea serpent", which he displayed in New York City, and later Europe. It was eventually shown to come from 5 different individuals, some of which were not Basilosaurus. The remains were eventually destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire. Loch Ness Monster (Painting) by Heikenwaelder Hugo Sea serpents are a kind of sea monster either wholly or partly serpentine. ...
Artists rendering of the fire, by John R Chapin, originally printed in Harpers Weekly The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Oct. ...
 A skull of Basilosaurus cetoides. Fossil finds of another species, Basilosaurus isis, have been found in the aptly named Zeuglodon valley in Egypt. The fossils were very well preserved, hind limbs included, and were rather numerous. Paleontologist Phillip Gingerich, who organized several expeditions to the valley, speculated that Egyptian crocodile worship may have been inspired by the huge skeletons that lay there. Fossil remains of another species, Basilosaurus drazindai, have been found in Pakistan. Another fossilized species named Basiloterus husseini was its closest known relative, but was not as large or elongated. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1823x1425, 1791 KB) Basilosaurus cetoides skeleton at the Smithsonian museum of Natural History File links The following pages link to this file: Basilosaurus Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1823x1425, 1791 KB) Basilosaurus cetoides skeleton at the Smithsonian museum of Natural History File links The following pages link to this file: Basilosaurus Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or...
Biology
 Reconstruction of Basilosaurus The most notable physical feature of Basilosaurus is the great deal of elongation it possessed. It accomplished this through an unparalleled elongation of its vertebrae, and has been described as being the closest a whale ever came to a snake. It is also believed to have had unusual locomotion, compared with all other cetaceans; similarly sized thoracic, lumbar, sacral and causal vertebrae imply that Basilosaurus moved in an anguilliform (eel-like) fashion, only vertically. Even more oddly, paleontologist Philip Gingerich theorized that it may also have moved in a horizontal anguilliform fashion to some degree, something completely unknown in cetaceans. The skeletal anatomy of the tail suggests that a small fluke was probably present, which would have only aided vertical motion. Most reconstructions show a small, speculative dorsal fin similar to a rorqual whale's, but other reconstructions show a dorsal ridge. Image File history File links Basilosaurus. ...
Image File history File links Basilosaurus. ...
The most famous part of the whale's anatomy are the 0.6 meter (2 foot) hind limbs, which clearly cannot aid locomotion on a 15-25 meter (50-85 foot) animal. Analysis has shown that the reduced limbs could only snap between two positions. They appear similar to the reduced legs used as copulatory guides on boas, and might have been used in the same manner. Boa Kwon (born November 5, 1986 in Guri, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea) is an iconic Korean singer. ...
The vertebrae of the whale appear to have been hollow, and it is likely that they were fluid filled as well. This would imply that Basilosaurus typically only fuctioned in two dimensions at the sea's surface, compared with the three dimensional habit of most other cetaceans. Judging from the relatively weak axial musculature and the thick bones in the limbs, Basilosaurus is not believed to have been capable of sustained swimming or deep diving. It is also believed that the primitive whale did not have any competency at terrestrial locomotion.
The head of Basilosaurus did not have room for a melon organ like modern day toothed whales, and the brain was smaller in comparison as well. It is believed that they did not have the social capabilities of modern whales, possibly as a result of that. The melon is a oily, fatty lump of tissue found at the centre of the forehead of most dolphins and toothed whales. ...
 Albert Koch's 114-foot long "Hydrarchos" fossil skeleton from 1845. It was found to be an assembled collection of bones from at least five fossil specimens of Zeuglodon. At one point of time it was believed that Basilosaurus had some sort of armor plating, but it was likely the misidentification of turtle shells. Some Cryptozoologists believe that either Basilosaurus or an evolved relative is currently alive and responsible for sea serpent sightings, but its fossil record appears to end 37 million years ago, so there is no evidence to support that claim. Cryptozoology is the study of rumored or mythological animals that are presumed to exist, but for which conclusive proof does not yet exist; or are generally considered extinct, but occasionally reported. ...
Loch Ness Monster (Painting) by Heikenwaelder Hugo Sea serpents are a kind of sea monster either wholly or partly serpentine. ...
See also The cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) are descendants of land-living mammals, and remnants of their terrestrial origins can be found in the fact that they must breathe air from the surface; in the bones of their fins, which look like huge, jointed hands; and in the vertical movement of...
Phocodontia is a group of extinct carnivorous whales. ...
External links
Sources - Perrin, William and Wursigm Bernd, and Thweissen, J.G.M. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press, 2002.
- Thewissen, J. G. M. (editor). The Emergence of Whales: Evolutionary Patterns in the Origin of Cetacean. Plenum Press, New York and London, 1998. ISBN 0-306-45853-5
- Zimmer, Carl. At the Water's Edge. Free Press, 1998.
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