| Pakicetidae Temporal range: Early Eocene, | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pakicetus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | †Pakicetidae Thewissen, Madar & Hussain 1996 |
| Genera | |
Pakicetidae ("Pakistani whales") is an extinct family of early whales. They lived during the Early Eocene in northern Pakistan.
Unlike modern whales, pakicetids had strong legs and could walk on land. They were about the size of a fox or a wolf.
The first pakicetid fossil, Ichthyolestes, was described in 1958, but scientists did not know it was an early whale at that time. Later, in 1980, it was recognized as a cetacean. In 1981, Pakicetus was described as another early whale.
More fossils were found later, but no complete skeleton of a single animal has been discovered. Most reconstructions are made from bones of different individuals.
Fossils have been found in areas that were once near rivers in what is now Pakistan. These places were probably dry, with temporary streams.
Pakicetids were likely land animals or lived near freshwater. Their long legs and small feet show they were not good swimmers. Their heavy bones may have helped them stay underwater. They probably ate both land animals and aquatic animals.
Pakicetids had ears similar to land mammals. They likely heard well in air, but not as well underwater.
Their ear bones show some early features of whales, but they did not yet have the special adaptations for underwater hearing seen in modern whales.
Scientists have different ideas about how pakicetids moved. Some studies suggest they were mostly land animals, similar to animals like a tapir.
Other studies suggest they were partly aquatic. They may have walked on land but also moved in water by wading or swimming slowly.
Evidence from fossils and chemistry suggests they spent much of their time in freshwater and ate aquatic prey.
