There are very misleading features in this list. Let us consider the most fundamental of these. According to National Geographic, the first two creatures in the list, Pakicetus and Ambulocetus , were both 'walking whales,' yet the claim that these two terrestrial creatures were 'whales' is totally fictitious, even ridiculous.

Let us first consider Pakicetus .
Pakicetus inachus: A Quadrupedal
Forced to be the 'Ancestor of the Whale'

Fossil remains of the extinct mammal Pakicetus inachus, to give it its proper name, first came onto the agenda in 1983. P. D. Gingerich and his assistants, who found the fossil, had no hesitation in immediately claiming that it was a 'primitive whale,' even though they actually only found a skull.

Yet the fossil has absolutely no connection with the whale. Its skeleton turned out to be a four-footed structure, similar to that of common wolves. It was found in a region full of iron ore, and containing fossils of such terrestrial creatures as snails, tortoises or crocodiles. In other words, it was part of a land stratum, not an aquatic one.

So, why was a quadrupedal land dweller announced to be a 'primitive whale' and why is it still presented as such by National Geographic? The magazine gives the following reply:

What causes scientists to declare the creature a whale? Subtle clues in combination-the arrangement of cups on the molar teeth, a folding in a bone of the middle ear, and the positioning of the ear bones within the skull-are absent in other land mammals but a signature of later Eocene whales. (2)

In other words, based on some details in its teeth and ear bones, National Geographic felt able to describe this quadrupedal, wolf-like land dweller as a 'walking whale.' Just one look at the reconstruction of Pakicetus by the evolutionist illustrator Carl Buell will reveal the absurdity in terming it a 'walking whale.'

Paleontologists believe that Pakicetus was a quadrupedal mammal. The skeletal structure on the left, published in the Nature magazine clearly demonstrates this. Thus the reconstruction of Pakicetus (below left) by Carl Buell, which was based on that structure, is realistic.

National Geographic, however, opted to use a picture of a 'swimming' Pakicetus in order to portray the animal as a 'walking whale' and to impose that image on its readers. The inconsistencies in the picture, intended to make Pakicetus seem more 'whale-like,' are immediately obvious: The animal has been portrayed in a 'swimming' position. Its hind legs are shown stretching out backwards, and an impression of 'fins' has been given.

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