Bebej: A Maiacetus Fossil

@rmbebej, thanks for joining us! It is a pleasure to have you with us.

My first question concerns this. Can you help me understand why this is a valid inference?

It seems that the chances of seeing a pregnant Maiacetus are very, very low. I wonder if the only reason we see this fossil is because there was something wrong with the pregnancy, say, that the little one was oriented in correctly. This would explain why we even see this fossil. I am filling some details here, assuming that pregnant Maiacetus fossils are rare. I also do not know nearly enough to speak confidently here. This is really an opportunity for us to probe how paleontologists think through questions like. How do you know that this is really the normal orientation of delivery for Maiacetus?

Before you answer, it might be worth explaining to everyone why this is consider an important step in the evolution of mammals. This has to do with fully aquatic births right? Breech birth means that the newborn’s nostrils and lungs are not exposed to the sea till the very last second, when the mother can help the little one to the air. Note, of course, that whales are not mouth breathers, because their esophagus is not connected to their windpipe. Do we even know this is the case for Maiacetus too? I digress. Did I get that explanation right?

Finally, once we get a bit into this, I’m curious to go a bit deeper on other questions about whales with you too, that have come up on other threads. For example, we’ve been in an exchange with the Discovery Institute about this thread: Molecular Genetics of Whale Evolution. You might also be uniquely qualified to answer this question too: Is Evolution a Great White Whale?

Thanks for joining us. Looking forward to learning from you.