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For years whale evolution was characterized by speculation and limited evidence. Evolution critics even focused on whales as a means to criticize evolutionary theory. Now whale evolution represents one of the best examples of "macroevolution." This "clicker case" uses this fascinating story of historical irony as a backdrop to the study of whale evolution. First, students study an array of whale fossils to learn how evolution is properly viewed as a branching, relationship-based process, not a linear, progressive, "chain-of-being." Using this view they learn how scientists seek to reconstruct past relationships and study transitional features, not search for "missing links." Students then learn that evidence for macroevolution relies on several lines of independent evidence from fossils, comparative anatomy, embryology, genetics, and paleoecology. With a focus on macroevolution, this case makes a critical contribution to evolution education. It could work well in a lower level undergraduate biology / evolution / paleontology course (non-majors or majors), or in an upper-level evolution course, perhaps early in the semester as a primer for related topics.

This case study focuses on the intersection of defining a scientific species and defining a legal species. The compelling story of Lolita, an orca whale in captivity, is used to highlight the legal significance of species declaration. Students will work through scientific species definitions and data on Orca whales before deciding if Orca whales should be considered as one or several species. After an introduction to Lolita and a mock town hall meeting, students are thrown into the real life situation of contemplating the fate of an Orca in captivity that suddenly has protected legal status. This case was developed for use in a first-year biology course focusing on ecology, genetics, and evolution. It also could be used in upper or lower division courses on ecology, evolution, or conservation.

5 minute video: The evolution of whales has been a mystery. How did a large, big-brained mammal -- air-breathing, warm-blooded, giving birth to live young -- come to live entirely in water, when mammals evolved on land?

Five distinct humpback whale populations have been identified across the North Pacific Ocean in the most comprehensive genetic study of the mammals in this region yet, a new study reports.