Discovery of a Giant Whale Fossil in Peru

European and Peruvian paleontologists found in the south of Peru the remains of a giant whale that lived in the seas of the Earth about 37-39 million years ago and weighed 150-350 tons.

Unearthing a Record-Breaking Whale

The journal Nature points out that, according to a scientific team led by Eli Amson, curator of the National Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, the weight of this whale is an absolute record for all living and extinct animals.

Discovery of the Unknown Species

The researchers say: “We have discovered the remains of a previously unknown species of whale from the genus Basilosaurus in deposits of the middle Eocene period in southern Peru. It is assumed that the weight of this creature, which was named Perucetus Colossus, was the largest among all mammals and vertebrates that lived in the ocean. This indicates that the whales reached their peak weight about 30 million years earlier than previously thought.”

It is noteworthy that paleontologists found the remains of this giant whale during ongoing drilling operations in southern Peru, where rocks were formed during the Eocene epoch 37-39 million years ago, when the bottom of a shallow bay formed in this part of South America. which divided the equatorial part of the continent into two parts. Scientists discovered in the rocks of this bay a group of giant vertebrates belonging to a previously unknown species of basilosaurs, which had large sizes and an elongated body. Basilosaurus lived mainly in shallow water near the coast, but at the same time they spent their whole lives in the water.

Feeding Habits and Lifestyle

According to paleontologists, Perucetus colossus was not an active predator and was a poor swimmer. Therefore, they believe that these animals fed on plants, molluscs, and organic debris in shallow water.

Source: TASS