Jonah in a Basilosaurus

Okay, probably not what happened, because we are talking about an extinct species here. Basilosaurus means “king lizard” and it is a genus of large, predatory, prehistoric whale, living from approximately 41.3 to 33.9 million years ago. It was first described in 1834, based on fossils found along the Gulf Coast of the US, along with a few fossils in the eastern US. It was thought to be a giant reptile, hence the -saurus ending to the name. They were later discovered to be an early marine mammal, but it was too late to change the name.

 Likewise, the genus Basilosaurus was something of a wastebasket for odds and ends of fossils that nobody thought belonged anywhere else. But most of those have been removed and placed in more correct classifications, leaving 2 species in this genus.

 Unlike modern whales, who swallow their food whole, the Basilosaurus had various types of teeth, such as canines and molars, so it probably chewed it food. It was the top predator of its environment, preying on sharks, large fish and other marine mammals, such as another early whale, the Dorudon, which seems to have been their predominant food source.

 At a size of 49-66 ft (15-20 m), Basilosaurus  is one of the largest known animals existing from 66 million to 15 million years ago. Basilosaurus Isis is  slightly smaller than Basilosaurus Cetoides by about 7 feet.

 Basilosaurus appear to be closely related to even-toed ungulates, such as giraffes and buffalo. Does that mean it was a land animal that reverted to living in the sea? I don’t know.

 It is not believed that Basilosaurus could produce high-frequency sound and echolocation, which some modern whales can do.

 Studies of a complete skeleton fossil as well as overlapping skeletal reconstruction indicate Basilosaurua had about 70 vertabrae. They were shaped much like eels, and probably moved much like eels as well, mostly at or near the ocean’s surface, as they do not appear to have had a method for diving.

 So, if a person by the name of Jonah had been at sea during the time period, I suppose he could have been eaten by a Basilosaurus. But living through being eaten would have been problematic, since the Basilosaurus would have chewed before swallowing

 Since these were marine mammals, I suppose their ancestors were land mammals that - for whatever reason - decided to return to the water. And other branches of the family went on to become giraffes and buffalo, among others? What a family tree!

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilosaurus