Gigantism Precedes Filter Feeding in Baleen Whale Evolution (Current Biology)

Fordyce and Marx describe Llanocetus denticrenatus, the second-oldest baleen whale. Llanocetus has notably worn teeth and well-developed palatal blood vessels, consistent with large gums, but not baleen. Unlike their modern descendants, early whales most likely did not filter, but at least some of them still grew into giants.