Note to the goons at the Discovery Institute: put this in your Bible and beat it.

Japanese researchers said Sunday that a bottlenose dolphin captured last month has an extra set of fins that could be the remains of hind legs, a discovery that may provide further evidence that ocean-dwelling mammals once lived on land. [...]

Fossil remains show dolphins and whales were four-footed land animals about 50 million years ago and share the same common ancestor as hippos and deer. Scientists believe they later transitioned to an aquatic lifestyle and their hind limbs disappeared.

Whale and dolphin fetuses also show signs of hind protrusions but these generally disappear before birth.

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Tagged: dolphins bottlenose+dolphins evolution

Originally posted @ www.kellygarbato.com/blog/2006-11-04b/
Filed under: Science — Kelly @ November 4, 2006 11:45 pm

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