Basilosaurus

Basilosaurus
Classification
Name	Basilosaurus isis
Name Meaning	King Lizard
Species	Prehistoric Whale
Family	Basilosauridae
Diet	Carnivore
Physiology
Description	A large primitive whale with tiny back legs
Attributes	Giant size; sharp teeth; tiny back legs
Length	20.12 m (66.01 ft)
Weight	60 t (132,277 Ib)
Biography
Era	Late Eocene
Time	41 to 33 MYA
Discovered	1834
Locations	North America, Asia, Africa

“	This is Basilosaurus. That name mean's "King Lizard". 18 meters of predatory whale. Four times the length of a great white shark, these whales weigh 60 tons.	„
	— Allen Johnson, about Basilosaurus in Big Blue Killer Whale

Basilosaurus (name meaning "King Lizard") is a genus of archaeocete cetacean that originated during the Late Eocene epoch in what is now North America, Asia, and Africa. Measuring 18 meter long and weighing 60 tons, it was the top predator in the Tethys ocean during its existence.

In the Series 3 episode "Big Blue Killer Whale," a female Basilosaurus and her mate were brought to the park from Late Eocene Africa, 36 million years ago. They reside in the Whale Watching Enclosure where the female eventually gave birth to a calf.

Facts

Era & Discovery

Basilosaurus lived during the Late Eocene period from about 41 – 33 million years ago. The first Basilosaurus fossils were discovered in 1832 by American naturalist Richard Harlan. When the fossils were first discovered, they were though to be giant reptiles before learning that they were primitive whales.

Physical Attributes

Basilosaurus was 20 meters long and weighed 60 tons, making them the largest marine mammals and the biggest predator in the Eocene seas.

Basilosaurus had bodies that were eel-like unlike modern whales. They had two tiny back legs which were useless for walking or swimming but they were used to help lock their long narrow bodies together during mating which many modern whales don't have. Also unlike modern whales, Basilosaurus didn't have blubber because in the warm waters of the sea they lived in, these whales didn't need it. That mean't it looked to the world like whale on diet pills. Basilosaurus had peg-like teeth at he front of their jaws which was used for seizing prey they hunted such as sharks like Physogaleus and smaller whales like Dorudon.

Once their prey was inside the mouth, the prey were sliced up by the big teeth at the back of Basilosaurus' jaws which had great big cusps at the top and were made for slicing through flesh.

Sometimes Basilosaurus would try to scratch by dragging themselves over convenient sandbars which allowed these whales to slough off the outer layer of their skin along with any parasites or barnacles that may had got a foot hold to them.

Basilosaurus skeleton

Behavior & Traits

Basilosaurus often lived a solitary life and hunted alone unlike modern whales who live together in pods. At cerain times of the year, these whales would gather off the coast of the northern tethys to mate. When they mated with each other, these whales which was not an easy task for a free floating animals, Basilosaurus they need extra with their tiny back legs.

Gallery

Trivia

• Basilosaurus is the largest prehistoric whale brought to the park.
• The sound effects of Basilosaurus are that of whales.