Ambulocetus is the extinct whale relative famous for having limbs adapted for walking on land and swimming.
Its name means “walking whale,” and fossils were discovered in Pakistan in 1994. Ambulocetus lived during the Early Eocene, about 49 million years ago, when whale ancestors were transitioning from land-dwelling mammals to fully aquatic animals. Its powerful hind limbs, flexible feet, and long body suggest it could move in water and on land.
Ambulocetus was not a direct modern whale ancestor in a simple straight line; it is part of a branching evolutionary history. Other early whale relatives include Pakicetus, which was more terrestrial, and Basilosaurus, which was already fully aquatic. Their fossils show how features such as reduced hind limbs and streamlined bodies evolved over time.