When Whales Could Walk

What if whales had legs? Once upon a time, they did. Sort of. An astonishing fossil trail shows that modern whales actually evolved from hooved land mammals. Whales still carry the fingerprints of this past, from their stomach anatomy to their swimming gait. Dive in to discover the wild story of how whales traded legs for fins, as we uncover clues about their ancestors, as well as their unlikely present-day relatives.To watch the full film, visit https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/when-whales-could-walk/Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 14, 2026

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What if whales had legs? Once upon a time, they did. Sort of. An astonishing fossil trail shows that modern whales actually evolved from hooved land mammals. Whales still carry the fingerprints of this past, from their stomach anatomy to their swimming gait. Dive in to discover the wild story of how whales traded legs for fins, as we uncover clues about their ancestors, as well as their unlikely present-day relatives. To watch the full film, visit https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/when-whales-could-walk/ Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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When Whales Could Walk

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This episode was published on April 14, 2026.

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