41-Million-Year-Old Fossils of the Smallest Species of the Oldest Known Whale Discovered in Egypt’s Fayoum Oasis

The remains of an extinct whale species from millions of years ago were unearthed in Egypt. It was reportedly from the oldest species of whale and the smallest of its kind.

Ancient Whale Tutcetus rayanensis Discovered in Egypt

An extinct species of whale was discovered in Egypt by paleontologists. It reported existed 41 million years ago, just as whale ancestors were finishing their transition from land to sea.

The species is called Tutcetus rayanensis in honor of the type specimen's discovery location, the Wadi El-Rayan Protected Area in Egypt's Fayoum Oasis, and the Egyptian boy pharaoh Tutankhamun.

Tutcetus is the smallest species discovered from the basilosaurids, the first known whales that lived only in the sea. It is estimated to be 2.5 meters (eight feet) long and weigh roughly 187 kilograms (410 pounds).

According to team leader Hesham Sallam of the American University of Cairo (AUC), it was a fascinating discovery. Sallam added that basilosaurids evolved fish-like traits, including a streamlined body, a powerful tail, flippers, and a tail fin. They also had the last hind limbs visible enough to be recognized as "legs," which were not utilized for walking but may have been employed for mating.

The Eocene fossil sites of Egypt's Western Desert have long been the world's most significant for comprehending the early evolution of whales and their transformation to modern whales or being fully aquatic, according to Erik Seiffert of the University of Southern California, a co-author of the team's findings published in the journal Communications Biology.

Wadi al-Hitan, the Valley of the Whales, is located in the Fayoum Oasis, 150 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Cairo. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where hundreds of fossils of some of the earliest whale species have been discovered.

Fayoum, now an oasis in the Western Desert, was once submerged beneath a tropical sea between 56 and 34 million years ago.

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Extremely Large Whale Discovered in Peru

Under the direction of associate Professor Giovanni Bianucci, researchers from the University of Pisa investigated the city of Ica in southern Peru and discovered fossils of a massive whale. It was enormous and might break the record for the biggest animal.

Perucetus colossus, an extinct whale, was about 39 million years ago. It is a new member of the order Cetacea's basilosaurid family, including dolphins, whales, and porpoises.

The excavated fossils are regarded as one of the most important vertebrate fossil collections from the Cenozoic Era, which lasted roughly 66 million years ago.

It has an estimated body mass of between 85 to 340 metric tons. Its weight is equal to, or even higher than, that of the blue whale, which currently holds the record for having the largest body mass among animals.

Its incomplete skeleton, consisting of 13 vertebrae, four ribs, and one hip bone, is 17-20 meters long. The fossilized remains are smaller than the 25-meter-long blue whales, yet their bone mass is greater than any vertebrae found in any known mammal or sea animal.