Current:Home > StocksNewly discovered whale that lived almost 40 million years ago could be "heaviest animal ever," experts say-LoTradeCoin
Newly discovered whale that lived almost 40 million years ago could be "heaviest animal ever," experts say
View Date:2024-12-23 21:09:28
There could be a new contender for heaviest animal to ever live. While today's blue whale has long held the title, scientists have dug up fossils from an ancient giant that could tip the scales.
Researchers described the species — named Perucetus colossus, or "the colossal whale from Peru" — in the journal Nature on Wednesday. Each vertebra weighs over 220 pounds (100 kilograms) and its ribs measure nearly 5 feet (1.4 meters) long.
"It's just exciting to see such a giant animal that's so different from anything we know," said Hans Thewissen, a paleontologist at Northeast Ohio Medical University who had no role in the research.
The bones were discovered more than a decade ago by Mario Urbina from the University of San Marcos' Natural History Museum in Lima. An international team spent years digging them out from the side of a steep, rocky slope in the Ica desert, a region in Peru that was once underwater and is known for its rich marine fossils. The results: 13 vertebrae from the whale's backbone, four ribs and a hip bone.
The massive fossils, which are 39 million years old, "are unlike anything I've ever seen," said study author Alberto Collareta, a paleontologist at Italy's University of Pisa.
After the excavations, the researchers used 3D scanners to study the surface of the bones and drilled into them to peek inside. They used the huge — but incomplete — skeleton to estimate the whale's size and weight, using modern marine mammals for comparison, said study author Eli Amson, a paleontologist at the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, Germany.
They calculated that the ancient giant weighed somewhere between 94 and 375 tons (85 and 340 metric tons). The biggest blue whales found have been within that range — at around 200 tons (180 metric tons).
Its body stretched to around 66 feet (20 meters) long. Blue whales can be longer — with some growing to more than 100 feet (30 meters) in length.
This means the newly discovered whale was "possibly the heaviest animal ever," Collareta said, but "it was most likely not the longest animal ever."
It weighs more in part because its bones are much denser and heavier than a blue whale's, Amson explained.
Those super-dense bones suggest that the whale may have spent its time in shallow, coastal waters, the authors said. Other coastal dwellers, like manatees, have heavy bones to help them stay close to the seafloor.
Without the skull, it's hard to know what the whale was eating to sustain such a huge body, Amson said.
It's possible that P. colossus was scavenging for food along the seafloor, researchers said, or eating up tons of krill and other tiny sea creatures in the water.
But "I wouldn't be surprised if this thing actually fed in a totally different way that we would never imagine," Thewissen added.
- In:
- Oceans
- Peru
- Whales
- Science
- Fossil
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul referee handled one of YouTuber's biggest fights
- What Prince William Was Up to Amid Kate Middleton's Photo Controversy
- Maryland Lawmakers Remain Uncommitted to Ending Subsidies for Trash Incineration, Prompting Advocate Concern
- These BaubleBar Deals Only Happen Twice Year: I Found $6 Jewelry, Hair Clips, Disney Accessories & More
- Solawave Black Friday Sale: Don't Miss Buy 1, Get 1 Free on Age-Defying Red Light Devices
- Blue dragons in Texas? Creatures wash up on Texas beaches, officials warn not to touch
- Kentucky House passes bill meant to crack down on electronic cigarette sales to minors
- Chaos unfolds in Haiti as Caribbean leaders call an emergency meeting Monday
- Trump announces Tom Homan, former director of immigration enforcement, will serve as ‘border czar’
- A Kansas judge says barring driver’s license changes doesn’t violate trans people’s rights
Ranking
- Trump’s economic agenda for his second term is clouding the outlook for mortgage rates
- Cowboys star QB Dak Prescott sues woman over alleged $100 million extortion plot
- When is 2024 March Madness men's basketball tournament? Dates, times, odds and more
- Teen Mom’s Kailyn Lowry Shares Update on Coparenting Relationships After Welcoming Twins
- Why Cynthia Erivo Needed Prosthetic Ears for Wicked
- Philadelphia’s Chinatown to be reconnected by building a park over a highway
- Donald Trump wants New York hush money trial delayed until Supreme Court rules on immunity claims
- Airbnb is banning the use of indoor security cameras in the platform’s listings worldwide
Recommendation
-
Rachael Ray Details Getting Bashed Over Decision to Not Have Kids
-
Nigeria police say 15 school children were kidnapped, days after armed gunmen abducted nearly 300
-
1980 cold case murder victim identified as Marine who served in Vietnam after investigation takes twists and turns
-
F1 Arcade set to open first U.S. location in Boston; Washington, D.C. to follow
-
Bull doge! Dogecoin soars as Trump announces a government efficiency group nicknamed DOGE
-
2 dogs die during 1,000-mile Iditarod, prompting call from PETA to end the race across Alaska
-
Teen Mom’s Kailyn Lowry Shares Update on Coparenting Relationships After Welcoming Twins
-
Luca Nardi, ranked No. 123 in the world, knocks out No. 1 Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells