The history of the whale began approximately 50 million years ago on land. Scientists have traced their ancestry back to small, four-legged mammals like Pakicetus , which lived near lakes and rivers. Over millions of years, these creatures adapted to a fully aquatic lifestyle, losing their hind legs and transforming their forelimbs into streamlined flippers for steering.
This group includes sperm whales, orcas, and dolphins. They possess conical teeth designed for grasping larger prey like fish and squid.
These whales have fringed plates made of keratin (the same material as human hair) instead of teeth. They use these plates to filter massive quantities of tiny prey like krill and plankton from the water.
