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Early dolphin embryos like this one are revealing an astonishing fact, the dolphin, a mammal seemingly so perfectly adapted to life in the water may once have had ancestors who walked on the land.

After 24 days in the womb strange things start happening. Although the flippers begin to grow, at the base of the embryo, leg-like limb buds begin to appear. These tiny limbs will emerge, then retract and vanish completely over the next 2 weeks. Scientists believe this is evidence of the dolphin’s land ancestry. They’ve narrowed the dolphin’s ancestor down to a small dog-like creature called Pakicetus.

Clip from the documentary “Animals in the Womb”.

Watch it here – youtu.be/XaZW7bbmc9I