This family tree shows how the ancestors of whales moved gradually from land to sea. Early whales took advantage of abundant marine resources, feeding on the ocean's fish, squid and other larger food.

Cetacea is an infraorder that comprises the 94 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises. It is divided into toothed whales (Odontoceti) and baleen whales (Mysticeti), which diverged from each other in the Eocene some 50 million years ago (mya).

A team of researchers from the University of Otago created a comprehensive guide to the history of baleen whales based on the most complete family tree ever made for the group. Whales have baffled scientists for centuries.

Whales, dolphins and porpoises belong to the order Cetartiodactyla, which consists of even-toed ungulates. Their closest non-cetacean living relatives are the hippopotamuses, from which they and other cetaceans diverged about 54 million years ago.

Hippos likely evolved from a group of anthracotheres about 15 million years ago, the first whales evolved over 50 million years ago, and the ancestors of both these groups were terrestrial. …

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The two modern parvorders of cetaceans – Mysticeti (baleen whales) and Odontoceti (toothed whales) – are thought to have separated from each other around 28–33 mya in a second cetacean radiation, the first occurring with the archaeocetes. [6] .

CAPTIVE ORCA FAMILY TREE SEAWORLD PARKS & ENTERTAINMENT, U.S.A TILIKUM TREE: DAMS KATINA & KALINA SUSPECTED INBREEDING HEALTHY LINEAGE UNCONFIRMED PATERNITY INBREEDING PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT INFORMATION SOURCE WHALE AND DOLPHIN CONSERVATION 27/2/1997 Heather Murphy, Jeff Ventre Zhong Wei Fan Jiang, National Marine Fisheries Service, Park Regulars

It’s relatively easy to make a maternal family tree for whales. A maternal family tree includes a mother and all of her offspring. Depending on the species, most baleen whale calves spend the first year of life with their moms.

BACKGROUND ON THE FAMILY TREE The family tree goes back about 50 millions years ago. It all started from the pakicetus the land whal  e.Then it developed to a land and water and is called the Ambulocetus. Next  came the Rodhocetus the whale that was only in water.The next whale is the Basilosaurus the closest to the common whale that we ...