In Peru, the remains of a whale were discovered, which may be the heaviest animal in history
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Fossils of extinct species of whales were found in Peru, which could have a body weight of 85-340 tons. The creatures were probably heavier than blue whales. Fossilized bones of an ancient creature that “patrolled” coastal waters 40 million years ago belong to a newly discovered species that is a contender for the title of the heaviest animal that ever existed on Earth, reports The Guardian. Fossil hunters have discovered the remains of a huge and long-extinct whale in a rock in the Ica desert in southern Peru. Researchers believe that fully grown individuals could weigh hundreds of tons. “It was very different from what I had seen before. This animal had the heaviest skeleton among mammals, possibly the heaviest vertebrate,” said Alberto Collareta, a paleontologist at the University of Pisa who worked on the fossils. Reconstruction of Perucetus colossus Photo: Alberto Gennari Until now, the blue whale was considered the animal with the largest body size. The colossal skeleton of Hope, the blue whale, which looms over visitors to the Natural History Museum in London, is over 25 meters long and weighs 4.5 tonnes. However, the new species, named Perucetus colossus after its country of origin and its gigantic size, could be larger and heavier than the blue whale, scientists say. Although only 20 meters long, the skeleton of P. colossus would be two to three times heavier than the skeleton of a 25-meter blue whale due to its denser bones. According to researchers, the mass of his body would be from 85 to 340 tons. Scientists came to this conclusion after comparing 13 vertebrae, 4 ribs and 1 femur of P. colossus with the bones of close relatives of the whale. In addition to its enormous size, P. colossus appears to have had forelimbs for walking on the seabed and small vestigial hindlimbs. Unlike most cetaceans, which have relatively light skeletons and can prey on fast-moving fish and other marine creatures, P. colossus had heavier bones and was most likely a slow-swimming scavenger. The find provides important information about gigantism in early cetaceans, which include dolphins, whales and porpoises. Travis Park, PhD, of the Natural History Museum in London, who was not involved in the work, said the discovery suggests cetaceans reached extreme body mass about 30 million years earlier than previously thought. Other large basilosaurids, or ancient whales, that lived alongside P. colossus were probably more slender, serpentine, and flexible, making the animal very different from any cetacean. “This shows us that we still have a lot to learn about what cetaceans were capable of before the evolution of modern groups,” Park said. Read also: In Scotland, they rescued 55 pilot whales that washed ashore. Only one survived
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