Somehow, however, seal-like whales had made it to the shores of ancient North America from southern Asia. “Undoubtedly there are more middle Eocene, semi-aquatic whales to be discovered and described in North America,” Uhen says. The prehistoric coastlines of North America play a role in the story, too. Paleontologists are now realizing that there was a greater diversity of early whales in North America than they previously expected. The fact that early whales keep turning up in unexpected places indicates that some were probably more adept in the water than previously recognized.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 03, 2022 15:13 UTC