The part about Godzilla being a gorilla-whale is a bit of a distortion. His Japanese name is Gojira, which is a compound of “gorira” (gorilla) and “kujira” (whale). It was apparently the name associated with an earlier, rejected design that it fit better, but they decided it was the best name for the monster they came up with, and combined it with the dinosaur-thingie design they finally settled upon.
The part about Godzilla being a gorilla-whale is a bit of a distortion. His Japanese name is Gojira, which is a compound of “gorira” (gorilla) and “kujira” (whale). It was apparently the name associated with an earlier, rejected design that it fit better, but they decided it was the best name for the monster they came up with, and combined it with the dinosaur-thingie design they finally settled upon.