Basilosaurus: Reality Or Myth?

Basilosaurus has been pointed to as a possible explanation for a variety of sea monster sightings including the famous Loch Ness Monster.

What Is It?

This creature was an ancestral whale that lived about 45 million years ago in a period called the Eocene. It was long, reaching between 15 and 25 meters (50 to 80 feet) when fully grown. It was also very snake-like in appearance.

Undulating Movement

Study of the fossilized remains suggest it moved using more than just its tail. It used vertical undulations of its whole body. In motion it would have looked wave-like, and it is possible that more than one hump of the creature would have been exposed above the water surface at any one time.

This would give the appearance of several buoys strung along a fishing net, as is often described in so-called sightings of sea serpents.

Perhaps it would look a bit like this:

How Likely Is It?

There's about as much chance of a 50 million year old whale turning up as there is for a 100 million year old plesiosaur surviving to the present day. That is, no chance. Given that this creature was a surface dweller and longer than a bus, you'd think someone would have taken a picture of it or caught it by now.

I personally prefer the plesiosaur explanation for creatures such as the Loch Ness Monster. Not because I think they are at all realistic, but just because I love all those giant sea reptiles from the time of the dinosaurs.

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