Walking Whale Colouring

Ambulocetus natans is often called the walking whale. It lived about 47 to 48 million years ago in what is now Pakistan, close to the shores and river systems of the ancient Tethys Sea. The name means walking whale that swims. It had a long powerful body around 3 metres in length, a large toothed head, short sturdy legs, broad hind feet and a muscular tail without a modern whale fluke. Its skeleton suggests it could move on land, though probably awkwardly, and swim by flexing its spine and pushing with its large feet, somewhat like an otter or crocodile. Chemical evidence from teeth shows it could tolerate fresh and salty water. It was a predator, but the exact prey, skin covering and normal lifespan are not known. Ambulocetus lived far too early for people to influence its extinction. The species vanished through natural ecological and evolutionary change during the Eocene. There is no exact final year, no named last animal and no single proven disaster. Early-whale evolution formed a branching tree, not a straight ladder: Ambulocetus represents an amphibious experiment, while other relatives later became fully marine. This makes it a useful example of how fossils can preserve a mixture of land and water adaptations. For colouring, choose brown, olive-brown, grey, tan or muted green for the body, perhaps with a lighter underside. The big hind feet can be a paler shade so their paddle-like shape is easy to notice. Colour river water blue or green-blue, reeds green and the muddy bank ochre or brown. The small fish can be silver, orange or blue. Use smooth strokes along the long body and tail, then short strokes around the legs. Keep the teeth white and the expression calm. Look for the four weight-bearing limbs and the complete absence of a tail fluke. Colouring the bank and water in different tones will show that this unusual whale could travel in both worlds.

◫ A4 size✎ Bold outlines♡ Ages 3–8

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