From land to ocean: the sweeping evolution of whales

This review traces cetacean evolution from early Eocene land- and river-edge ancestors in Indo-Pakistan to today’s diverse baleen and toothed whales, highlighting major transitions (limb reduction, aquatic locomotion, high-frequency hearing and echolocation, and feeding innovations) and macroevolutionary patterns that shaped their diversification, while outlining unresolved questions and guiding priorities for future research.