Re: MINKE AND BLUE WHALES TOGETHER..

[Stan Friesen <swf@ElSegundoCA.ATTGIS.COM>]

>From: "D.W.Naish" <dwn194@soton.ac.uk>
 > ACTUALLY, new cladograms based on analysis of
 > the cetacean cytochrome 'b' (in mitochondrial DNA?) show the rorqual genus
 > _Balaenoptera_ to be polyphyletic. _Eschrictius_ (grey whale) seems to be 
 > among
 > the rorquals ..., and close to
 > _Megaptera_ (the humpbacks) and the traditional _Balaenoptera_ ...
 > 
 > The piked whales are an out-group to this clade, 
 > 
I find this *really* hard to accept.  The rorqual feeding structures
are so specialized, and so *extremely* *similar*, I find it hard to
see how they could be convergently acquired - even down to the expanding
throat sack.

Is it possible that the grey and humpbacks have *lost* the rorqual
adaptation?  This would make the rorquals *para*phyletic, not poly-
phyletic.

swf@elsegundoca.attgis.com              sarima@netcom.com

The peace of God be with you.