The features of the details discussed by National Geographic, "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 no compelling evidence on which to base a link between Pakicetus and the whale:
As National Geographic also indirectly stated while writing "subtle clues in combination", some of these features are actually found terrestrial animals as well.
None of the features in question are any evidence of an evolutionary relationship. Even evolutionists admit that most of the theoretical relationships built on the basis of anatomical similarities between animals are completely untrustworthy. If the marsupial Tasmanian wolf and the common placental wolf had both been extinct for a long time, then it is no doubt that evolutionists would picture them in the same taxon and define them as very close relatives. However, we know that these two different animals, although strikingly similar in their anatomy, are very far from each other in the supposed evolutionary tree of life. (In fact their similarity indicates common design-not common descent.) Pakicetus , which National Geographic declared to be a 'walking whale,' was a unique species harboring different features in its body. In fact, Carroll, an authority on vertebrate paleontology, describes the Mesonychid family, of which Pakicetus should be a member, as "exhibiting an odd combination of characters." (3) Such prominent evolutionists as Gould accept that 'mosaic creatures' of this type cannot be considered as transitional forms.

In short, describing Pakicetus , which is clearly a land dweller, as 'walking whale' simply on the structural features in its ear bones and molars, is nothing but another example of National Geographic's tradition of 'sensational, unsubstantiated, tabloid journalism.' In his article 'The Overselling of Whale Evolution,' the creationist writer Ashby L. Camp reveals the total invalidity of the claim that the Mesonychid class, which should include land mammals such as Pakicetus , could have been the ancestors of Archaeocetea , or extinct whales, in these words:

"The reason evolutionists are confident that mesonychids gave rise to archaeocetes, despite the inability to identify any species in the actual lineage, is that known mesonychids and archaeocetes have some similarities. These similarities, however, are not sufficient to make the case for ancestry, especially in light of the vast differences. The subjective nature of such comparisons is evident from the fact so many groups of mammals and even reptiles have been suggested as ancestral to whales." (4)

Ambulocetus natans: A False Whale with 'Webbed' Claws
The second fossil creature after Pakicetus in National Geographic's imaginary sequence is Ambulocetus natans. This fossil was first brought to the world's attention in 1984 in an article in Science magazine. It is actually a land creature that evolutionists have insisted on 'turning into a whale.'

The name Ambulocetus natans comes from the Latin words 'ambulare' (to walk), 'cetus' (whale) and 'natans' (swimming), and means 'a walking and swimming whale.' It is obvious the animal used to walk because it had four legs, like all other mammals, and even wide claws on its feet and hooves on its hind legs. Apart from evolutionists' prejudice however, there is absolutely no basis for the claim that it swam in water, or that it lived on land and in water (like an amphibian).

In order to see the border between science and wishful imagination on this subject, let us have a look at National Geographic's reconstruction of Ambulocetus . This is how it is portrayed in the magazine.

Continue . . .

This entry was posted on 6/21/08 at 10:39 AM and is filed under , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .

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