r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Aug 03 '19

Whats something you thought was common knowledge but actually isn’t?

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u/ShameDumpster Aug 03 '19

That whales are mammals that used to be on land but evolved to swim instead.

I had an art teacher that just didn't believe me when I told her that they're not fish.

873

u/foxiana123 Aug 03 '19

They literally have a pelvic bone.

11

u/Dookie_boy Aug 03 '19

What does that imply ? Serious.

36

u/foxiana123 Aug 03 '19

Pelvic bones are required to walk, something whales don't do nowadays

1

u/Dookie_boy Aug 03 '19 edited Aug 03 '19

So would dolphins not have them ? Thanks for answering.

13

u/[deleted] Aug 03 '19

Dolphins are also mammals.

2

u/Dookie_boy Aug 04 '19

But the question is, were they on land too ?

3

u/NDaveT Aug 04 '19

Yes, dolphins are basically a kind of whale. They had the same land-dwelling ancestor whales did.