Maybe all that, Linear, without quoting all that you said above, is simply a result of whales being mammals, like dolphins, like cows. Hard to say what God may or may not have done, when and for what reasons, I am quite reluctant to say I have all the answers myself just to try to make creation look good. This one gets relegated to the 'don't know really' pile, for me. But don't know which really is the only true answer, and is not evidence of evolution either. It is just as possible God gave them the ability to transverse short spans of land and they simply are not adapted to that at the moment, but maybe could be again someday. On the other hand, since lots of creatures were bigger thousands of years ago, shrinking or growing parts is kind of meaningless. Could just indicate longer lifespans even. Old whales are BIG whales. Any fish really. Do fish ever stop growing? There are some really big catfish in the Mississippi river. Big enough to eat you, really. And giant squid...

There are catfish that can walk, walk across roads, to get to a channel of water on the other side. A bit of a hazard in parts of Miami. But catfish are not mammals to the best of my knowledge.They have gills only. A dolphin, or whale, can survive out of water, as long as it's skin stays moist. They transport them to aquariums in helicopters from time to time, no tank needed, just a spray bottle.

Maybe a better question is... WHAT'S THIS?

Mystery Creature In Utah Baffles Biologists
http://www.local6.com/slideshow/news/15791230/detail.html

I read in the accompanying article, they say... 'ummm, maybe it's a trout of some sort...' hardly I'd say, that is definitely not a trout. If trout had jawlines like that and fangs that long, no one would let their kid fish for them. Does not resemble a trout at all. I know trout! Looks more like a short cobra than a trout to me.

There are a lot of strange creatures on this earth no one has ever been able to explain, they are popping up all the time. maybe we should start a strange creatures thread.