Remains of an unknown whale 41 million years old were discovered in Egypt
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In Egypt, paleontologists discovered an extinct species of whale that lived 41 million years ago. At that time, the ancestors of whales were just completing the transition from land to sea, writes Science Alert. The specimen was found in the Egyptian Fayyum oasis on the territory of the Wadi al-Rayan reserve. The species was named after Pharaoh Tutankhamun – Tutcetus rayanensis. The specimen is about 2.5 meters long. Its mass reaches 187 kilograms. It is a species from the cetacean basilosaurid family. As of today, the newly discovered whale is the smallest of this family, whose representatives lived exclusively in water. Photo: mohamed1/Gettyimages.com “A remarkable discovery that documents one of the first phases of the transition to an entirely aquatic lifestyle,” lead researcher Hesham Sallam of the American University in Cairo said of the discovery. He also added that basilosaurids evolved fish-like features. This includes the body, strong tail, flippers and fin. At the same time, the last hind limbs of this species may have been used for mating. Photo: Artist’s interpretation of an extinct whale (Image credit: Ahmed Mursi and Hesham Sallam) Another co-author of the study, Eric Seifert of the University of Southern California, added that the Eocene fossil sites in Egypt’s Western Desert are important for understanding the early evolution of whales. Today, the Fayyum oasis, 150 km from Cairo, is a place where scientists have already managed to discover hundreds of fossils of the most ancient forms of whales. We will remind you that a whale was discovered in Peru earlier, which could be the heaviest animal in the history of the planet. Read also: Blue whales can be shulga – researchers
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