A dolphin with feet
2006 November 5
This four-finned dolphin was caught by fishermen off the western coast of Japan a few days ago. Its hindlimbs are about the size of a human hand, and are probably the result of a mutation which activated vestigial limb development genes that would normally be switched off, but were active in the dolphin’s terrestrial ancestor.
Cool!
Maybe this is a new step in evolution for the dolphin. Just because we don’t understand it, or havent seen it before, does not make it a genetic mutation. That seems to be the answer to everything we see in nature for the first time. Maybe we should take a step back, and a look back to where we were at the beginning of “evolution”.
This is amazing. I want to see another pic up close. I cant believe dolphins used to have feet and walked on land. Wow!!!!! I want a dolphin as a pet. Is it true that cows used to live in water and that they grew feet and used to have fins?
roy lister, we know it’s a mutation because we know that dolphins evolved from 4 legged, land dwelling mammals. we also know that it is possible for de-activated genes (google hens with teeth) to be re-activated, which is 99% likely what happened in this case