Basilosaurus cetoides

Basilosaurus cetoides was an Eocene whale that lived in the waters of  what would become the Gulf of Mexico about 35 million years ago. It is the state fossil of Alabama. This illustration is an artist's recreation of what the animals may have looked like in life.

Artist's rendering of a Basilosaurus, a prehistoric whale, swimming underwater above the seafloor, with fish and marine plants nearby.
Reprinted by permission of Colin Swift
Artist's rendering of a Basilosaurus, a prehistoric whale, swimming underwater above the seafloor, with fish and marine plants nearby.