The past two weeks, Dr. Pamela Owen of the Texas Memorial Museum talked to the Girlstart campers about the evolutionary history of whales and their many adaptations to living in water. She explained how we can trace their developmental history by examining fossils – based on fossil evidence we know that ancient whales lived partially on land, had legs, and had nostrils at the end of their noses (rather than blowholes on top of their heads).
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She also explained the adaptations they need to survive as aquatic mammals, such as birthing their young tail first so their heads and blowholes aren’t submerged in water till the last minute. She brought along two porpoise skulls, a sperm whale tooth, and a baleen plate for the girls to examine themselves.
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