How extinct odontocetes converged with extinct mysticetes

In the LRT
odontocetes are not related to mystictes. That means Cetacea is an invalid clade, or a junior synonym for Placentalia. No one likes this new hypothesis.

The word ‘whales’ will never leave the dictionary, even though it is now meaningless in a monophyletic sense. And that’s okay for the general public. But these are the sort of things paleontologists need to test for themselves by adding pertinent taxa.

That hasn’t stopped whale workers
from lumping odontocetes with mysticetes in their cladograms. This is completely understandable due to the very impressive convergence between certain members of both clades (Fig 1). If I didn’t know better, I’d be on board, too!

Their problem is taxon exclusion,
plain and simple.

If you omit pertinent outgroup taxa
and focus on just the whale-like taxa themselves, these two taxa (Fig 1) seem to be the most similar due to convergence.

Not sure why I’m doing this. It is a pointless experiment in taxon exclusion. But it may help readers understand the influences today’s whale workers are under – when they omit pertinent taxa. What is academically acceptable and rewarded with publication is the way to go if you’re under the influence of your peers and professors.

Figure 1. Toothless Herpetocetus and toothy Simocetus share a long list of traits, as you can see by the images here. In the LRT, adding taxa separates them. ” data-image-caption=”

Figure 1. Toothless Herpetocetus and toothy Simocetus share a long list of traits, as you can see by the images here. In the LRT, adding taxa separates them.

” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.files.wordpress.com/2024/05/herpetocetus-simocetus-convergence588.jpg?w=117″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.files.wordpress.com/2024/05/herpetocetus-simocetus-convergence588.jpg?w=398″ class=”size-full wp-image-85783″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.files.wordpress.com/2024/05/herpetocetus-simocetus-convergence588.jpg?w=584&h=1502″ alt=”Figure 1. Toothless Herpetocetus and toothy Simocetus share a long list of traits, as you can see by the images here. In the LRT, adding taxa separates them. ” width=”584″ height=”1502″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.files.wordpress.com/2024/05/herpetocetus-simocetus-convergence588.jpg?w=584&h=1502 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.files.wordpress.com/2024/05/herpetocetus-simocetus-convergence588.jpg?w=58&h=150 58w, https://pterosaurheresies.files.wordpress.com/2024/05/herpetocetus-simocetus-convergence588.jpg?w=117&h=300 117w, https://pterosaurheresies.files.wordpress.com/2024/05/herpetocetus-simocetus-convergence588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />

Figure 1. Toothless Herpetocetus and toothy Simocetus share a long list of traits, as you can see by the images here. In the LRT, adding taxa separates them. We live in a world of convergence.

The convergence is indeed impressive.
Unfortunately that convergence has only led to confusion and promotion of an outdated myth. Like all cladograms, the LRT lumps related taxa and splits unrelated taxa. Including so many taxa enables the LRT to minimize the traditional taxon exclusion that leads to phylogenetic confusion.

The presented hypothesis requires a competing hypothesis
that includes a similar enough taxon list to confirm, refute or modify the cladogram recovered by the LRT.

Show a little curiosity. Build your own LRT. Add pertinent taxa.

References
Bisconti M and Carnevale G 2022. Skeletal transformations and the origin of baleen whales (Mammalia, Cetacea, Mysticeti): A study on evolutionary patterns. In: Evolution of Crown Cetacea. A special issue of Diversity ISSN 1424-2818.
Peters D unpublished 2018. The triple origin of whales. ResearchGate.net pdf

wiki/Cetacea