The animal, found in present-day Egypt, was named Tutcetus rayanensis, referring to the pharaoh Tutankhamun.
after the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun—a fitting name for a family of whales known as the “king of ancient seas,” says, an Egyptian paleontologist at The American University in Cairo and senior author of the study. The fossilized whale, like King Tut, died very young.
How the vertebrate and skull bones are fused suggests the whale was close to adulthood but did not reach it. It’s likely this whale specimen died before adulthood, though it was already sexually mature. The fossil remains show it was old enough to have adult molars but too young to have permanent premolars. Meanwhile, its enamel, the outer layer of its teeth, was very smooth, indicating it fed on fish, octopus, or other soft prey. Both are common features in mammals with shorter life cycles.
Egyptian paleontologists Abdullah Gohar, Mohamed Sameh, and Hesham Sallam next to fossils of the newly identified basilosaurid whale,The transition from a semiaquatic lifestyle to a fully aquatic one, as the basilosaurids did, is an area where more fossil data is needed to understand how these creatures evolved, says
, an associate professor of biology at Calvin University in Michigan, who was not involved in the study. “Given its geologic age and phylogenetic position,But why were these aquatic creatures dwarves compared to other basilosaurids? Basilosaurids around this time period were 13 to 59 feet in length. In contrast, this ancient whale was approximately 8 feet long and weighed around 412 pounds, making it “the smallest whale ever,” Sallam says.
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
Israel is fuelling violence against Palestinians: Egypt, Jordan, PalestineThe leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Palestine lambast Israel after a three-way summit in the Egyptian city of El Alamein, saying it is fuelling violence against Palestinians
Les mer »
Coast Guard looking for 4 missing divers off Myrtle Beach coastThe U.S. Coast Guard deployed several aircraft and patrol boats to the area where four divers went missing near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Les mer »
Coast Guard rescues 4 missing male divers off NC coastThe divers were found alive after being reported missing Sunday.
Les mer »
Coast Guard finds four missing divers off the coast of North CarolinaThe four men were reported missing to Coast Guard officials after they were diving off a leisure boat called 'Big Bill's' and did not resurface, authorities said. They have been found alive.
Les mer »
Coast Guard and Navy rescue 4 divers off South Carolina coastThe federal agency says around 12:45 a.m., the divers were spotted by a strobe light.
Les mer »