Hans Thewissen, a leading researcher in the field of whale paleontology and anatomy, gives a sweeping first-person account of the discoveries that brought to light the early fossil record of whales. As evidenced in the record, whales evolved from herbivorous forest-dwelling ancestors that resembled tiny deer to carnivorous monsters stalking lakes and rivers and to serpentlike denizens of the coast. Thewissen reports on his discoveries in the wilds of India and Pakistan, weaving a narrative that reveals the day-to-day adventures of fossil collection, enriching it with local flavors from South Asian culture and society. The reader senses the excitement of the digs as well as the rigors faced by scientific researchers, for whom each new insight gives rise to even more questions, and for whom at times the logistics of just staying alive may trump all science. In his search for an understanding of how modern whales live their lives, Thewissen also journeys to Japan and Alaska to study whales and wild dolphins. He finds answers to his questions about fossils by studying the anatomy of otters and porpoises and examining whale embryos under the microscope. In the book's final chapter, Thewissen argues for approaching whale evolution with the most powerful tools we have and for combining all the fields of science in pursuit of knowledge.

1. A Wasted DigFossils and WarA Whale Ear2. Fish, Mammal, or Dinosaur?The King Lizard of Cape CodBasilosaurid Whales*Basilosaurids and Evolution3. A Whale with LegsThe Black and White HillsA Walking Whale4. Learning to SwimMeeting the Killer WhaleFrom Dog-Paddle to TorpedoAmbulocetid Whales*Ambulocetus and Evolution5. When the Mountains GrewThe High HimalayasKidnapping in the HillsIndian Whales6. Passage to IndiaStranded in DelhiWhales in the DesertA 150-Pound Skull7. A Trip to the BeachThe Outer BanksA Fossilized Coast8. The Otter WhaleThe Whale with No HandsRemingtonocetid Whales*Building a Beast out of Bones9. The Ocean Is a DesertForensic PaleontologyDrinking and PeeingFossilized Drinking BehaviorWalking with Ambulocetus10. The Skeleton PuzzleIf Looks Could KillHow Many Bones Make a Skeleton?Finding Whales' Sisters11. The River WhalesHearing in WhalesPakicetid Whales*September 11, 200112. Whales Conquer the WorldA Molecular SINEThe Black WhaleProtocetid Whales*Protocetids and History13. From Embryos to EvolutionA Dolphin with Legs The Marine Park at Taiji Shedding Limbs Whaling in Taiji 14. Before Whales The Widow's Fossils The Ancestors of Whales Indohyus* A Trust for Fossils 15. The Way Forward The Big Question Tooth Development Baleen as Teeth Notes Index *These six headings summarize the biology of the six fossil groups that form the transition between whales and their terrestrial ancestors. Their relationships to each other and to the living families of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) are given in figure 66.