Please note that we found some errors in the appendix for the Geisler and Theodor (2009) paper after it was published. A corrected appendix is available here. These mistakes did not affect the conclusions of our paper nor do they affect the resolution of the consensus trees.

Thank You,

Jonathan Geisler and Jessica Theodor

Welcome to our website on cetacean evolution. The goals of our website are to describe recent discoveries on the evolution of cetaceans to the public using everyday language and to provide data and documentation for scientists engaged in this research. The fossil record of cetaceans is amazing, and many of the evolutionary steps between their land dwelling ancestors and fully aquatic cetaceans are now known. Important gaps remain, but new discoveries are being published every year.

The genetics of modern cetaceans is also becoming well known. In fact, for some very rare species of beaked whales, their genes are better known than the animals themselves. Where possible, this website will integrate published molecular and anatomical data to provide a more complete view of the evolution of cetaceans.

Robert Boessenecker excavating a new skull of the baleen whale Herpetocetus from the late Miocene Purisima Formation of Central California, July 2007.