Street Cred for A Whale

Ambulocetus has drawn a lot of attention since its discovery from all sides of the evolution debate, fossil lovers, whale fanatics, and mammal enthusiasts. It is not hard to see why it would be so popular, given that it is an interesting fossil animal regardless of the exact nature of its placement in the history of life, let alone whales. The animal is so important in that history of mammals that it has shown up in a few documentaries, including The Walking Whale from National Geographic. There are mentions in books, plush toys, plastic toys, and more. The influence of the early whale is enormous, kind of like whales. The reverse side of the science of the whale, the use of the fossil by Creationists and Intelligent Design folks, is also prevalent online (and probably offline but I cannot attest to that). There are sites dedicated to that area of the whale's popularity and they are easy to find online. I choose not to link them directly as they are so easy to find. Instead, enjoy the fun things associated with the whale (and the fossil and its history of course), like this fantastic family reunion portrayed by the multitalented Ursula Vernon:

More of Ursula Vernon's work is available here