Newly described fossils of the inner ear bones of an ancient whale has shed light on how whales evolved their specialized ability to hear underwater. Since whales evolved from terrestrial mammals, their ears originally were adapted for hearing sounds in air. But hearing in the underwater environment posed different challenges than hearing in air and consequently the evolution of underwater hearing is an interesting stage in whale evolution.

Find out more: Fossils Show How Whales Evolved to Hear Underwater (National Geographic)