science

I don't understand. Are dolphins campaigning for land rights or something?

Maybe that's the problem, they can't hold signs to protest. Perhaps if we figured out a way to help them hold signs they'd be able to live on land again.

Before we get to that point, has anyone asked a dolphin if they want to live on land?

im ok with the lack of land orcas

From the photo it looks like they're taking the news pretty well

Reading the study (the actual paper, not the linked article), it seems expected and sensible.

A conjecture is that aquatic adaptation is not reversible because there are already animals on land that can out-compete animals attempting to adapt back onto land (similar to how there have been very few transitions from aquatic to land in the first place).

Of course, in actuality this does not mean the transition from aquatic to terrestial is not reproducible, just that it would require a removal of the prohibiting factor such as a mass extinction event killing off most or all life on land.

All life started in the sea. Transitioning back to semi-aquatic or fully aquatic has happened many times. Is it possible to transition back? According to these researches, it seems like a one way gate. The types of changes that land animals make to become fully aquatic again seem to lock a lineage into the water forever. Increased body mass and carnivorous diet are helpful going back to water but make it really hard to go back to land and redevelop mobility.

Stay on your side of the beach, rapists