Comments on: Whales sucked before they sieved http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/08/16/whales-sucked-before-they-sieved/ Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:00:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Zach Miller http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/08/16/whales-sucked-before-they-sieved/#comment-12849 Zach Miller Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:46:29 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=5154#comment-12849 I seem to recall the original description for Janjucetus suggesting that it was a predator in the mode of sea lions. That was 2006--and also by Fitzgerald. I wonder what made him change his mind? Suction feeding would be a logical precursor to baleen feeding, but Janjucetus seems a little more..."go in for the kill" than suction-feeder. Now, a whale like Aetiocetus speaks more to the suction feeding angle, doesn't it? It had teeth but it also had short baleen plates. I seem to recall the original description for Janjucetus suggesting that it was a predator in the mode of sea lions. That was 2006–and also by Fitzgerald. I wonder what made him change his mind? Suction feeding would be a logical precursor to baleen feeding, but Janjucetus seems a little more…”go in for the kill” than suction-feeder.

Now, a whale like Aetiocetus speaks more to the suction feeding angle, doesn’t it? It had teeth but it also had short baleen plates.

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