41 Million Year Old Whale Miniature Fossil Discovered in Fayoum
Believed to be the smallest basilosaurid whale, the new species has been named after the ancient Egyptian boy king, Tutankhamun.
Egyptian scientists have unearthed the remains of a new species of a prehistoric miniature whale in Fayoum. Under the direction of palaeontologist Hesham Sallam, the fossils were found in Wadi El-Hitan, which was once part of a vast ancient sea that stretched across Egypt and the Western Desert.
The whale - which has been named ‘Tutcetus rayanensis’ after King Tutankhamun - lived over 41 million years ago, and may represent a key link into understanding the aquatic evolution of the whale species as they transitioned from land to water.
Believed to be the smallest basilosaurid whale, Tutcetus rayanensis measure 2.5 metres in length, and weigh around 187 kilograms. The whale fossils are hypothesised to be that of an adult, and include a jaw, a skull, and a spinal fracture.
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