19-million-year-old fossil jaw bone hints the biggest whales first evolved somewhere unexpected
1 year, 2 months ago

19-million-year-old fossil jaw bone hints the biggest whales first evolved somewhere unexpected

The Hindu  

Baleen whales are the titans of the ocean, the largest animals to have ever lived. The ‘missing years’ of whale evolution Various groups of toothed whales terrorised the ocean for millions of years, including some that were the ancestors of the toothless baleen whales. Together with other fossils from Peru in South America, this suggests larger baleen whales may have emerged much earlier in their evolutionary history and the large body size of whales evolved gradually over many more millions of years than previous research suggested. The Southern Hemisphere as the cradle of gigantic whale evolution The large whale fossils from Australasia and South America seem to suggest that for most of the evolutionary history of baleen whales, whenever a large baleen whale shows up in the fossil record, it is in the Southern Hemisphere. Strikingly, this pattern persists despite the fact the Southern Hemisphere contains less than 20% of the known fossil record of baleen whales.

History Record South Southern Fossil Large Hemisphere Baleen Baleen Whales Whale Evolution Whales Evolved  whales  evolved  whale  record  bone  hemisphere  jaw  southern  large  hints  biggest  south  baleen  fossil  19millionyearold  history  unexpected

History of this topic

Some whales live more than 100 years, smashing previous life expectancy estimates: Report
3 months ago

Some whales live more than 100 years, smashing previous life expectancy estimates: Report

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Some whales are more than 100 years old, smashing previously estimated …

This whale species is so rare it’s never been seen alive. A dissection may decode its mysteries
3 months, 3 weeks ago

This whale species is so rare it’s never been seen alive. A dissection may decode its mysteries

Associated Press  

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — It is the world’s rarest whale, with only seven of its kind ever spotted. “I can’t tell you how extraordinary it is,” said a joyful Anton van Helden, senior marine science adviser for New Zealand’s conservation agency, who gave the spade-toothed whale its name to distinguish it from other beaked species. “For me personally, it’s unbelievable.” …

Gigantic marine reptile identified from fossil found by 11-year-old girl and father
11 months, 1 week ago

Gigantic marine reptile identified from fossil found by 11-year-old girl and father

ABC  

In short: A fossil jawbone that was found on an English beach by an 11-year-old girl and her father has been identified as an icthyosaur. A fossil jawbone found by a British girl and her father on a beach in Somerset, England, belongs to a gigantic marine reptile dating back to 202 million years ago that appears to have been …

Baleen whale fossil dated to 19 million years sheds new light on growing large in an ancient inland sea
1 year ago

Baleen whale fossil dated to 19 million years sheds new light on growing large in an ancient inland sea

ABC  

Clifftops stand tall above the majestic River Murray, and remnants of its past show that the region — along with parts of South Australia — was once covered by a shallow inland body of water. Approximately 100 million years ago, when this sea covered the area that is now known as the Riverland, baleen whales were among the creatures that …

Fossil discovery may be one of the oldest, smallest aquatic whales found in Africa, study finds
1 year, 7 months ago

Fossil discovery may be one of the oldest, smallest aquatic whales found in Africa, study finds

CNN  

Editor’s note: Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. “The discovery of the new basilosaurid whale, Tutcetus rayanensis, has brought about a substantial shift in our understanding of cetacean life histories during the Eocene epoch,” said lead study author Mohammed S. Antar, a paleontologist at the Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center in Egypt, via email. Paleontologists Abdullah Gohar, Mohamed …

Massive extinct whale ‘may be heaviest animal that ever lived’
1 year, 7 months ago

Massive extinct whale ‘may be heaviest animal that ever lived’

The Hindu  

There could be a new contender for heaviest animal to ever live. Researchers described the species — named Perucetus colossus, or “the colossal whale from Peru” — in the journal Nature on Wednesday. The massive fossils, which are 39 million years old, “are unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” said study author Alberto Collareta, a palaeontologist at Italy's University of Pisa. …

The heaviest animal ever may be this ancient whale found in the Peruvian desert
1 year, 7 months ago

The heaviest animal ever may be this ancient whale found in the Peruvian desert

LA Times  

An illustration reconstructs Perucetus colossus in its coastal habitat. “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 massive fossils, which are 39 million years old, “are unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” said study author …

Scientists find fossil tooth that may have belonged to largest ever carnivorous sea monster
2 years, 10 months ago

Scientists find fossil tooth that may have belonged to largest ever carnivorous sea monster

The Independent  

Scientists have discovered sets of fossils, including tooth and vertebra remains, of three new extinct marine reptile species that may have been among the largest carnivorous animals to have ever lived. Ichthyosaurs, whose name translates to “fish lizards” are large extinct marine reptiles that lived during much of the Mesozoic era, first appearing in fossil records about 250 million years …

Fossilised Remains of 36-Million-year-old Whale Unearthed in Peruvian Desert
3 years ago

Fossilised Remains of 36-Million-year-old Whale Unearthed in Peruvian Desert

News 18  

Paleontologists on Thursday unveiled the fossilized remains of an ancient whale that inhabited the seas 36 million years ago, found last year in a Peruvian desert. “We have presented the new Peruvian basilosaurus, it is the complete skull of an archaic whale that lived 36 million years ago,” paleontologist Mario Urbina, head of the team that discovered the skeleton, told …

55ft ancient whale had razor-sharp teeth to feast on tuna and sharks 36 million years ago
3 years ago

55ft ancient whale had razor-sharp teeth to feast on tuna and sharks 36 million years ago

Daily Mail  

Whales today are usually considered to be gentle creatures, but an ancient whale that swam the seas of what is now Peru 36 million years ago was anything but gentle. The terrifying animal, which researchers from Peru's National University refer to as a 'marine monster', measured 55 feet long, and had razor-sharp teeth, allowing it to feast on large animals …

Giant marine reptile skull discovery reveals new evolutionary theories
3 years, 3 months ago

Giant marine reptile skull discovery reveals new evolutionary theories

CNN  

CNN — The discovery of a giant marine reptile skull in the United States has revealed new theories about the speed of evolution and how quickly the process can produce diversity. The skull analysis was part of a larger research effort undertaken by an international team in order to understand how quickly body size evolved in ichthyosaurs when compared to …

Paleontologists Trace Evolution of Whales, Find Fossils in Indian Sub-continent
4 years, 5 months ago

Paleontologists Trace Evolution of Whales, Find Fossils in Indian Sub-continent

News 18  

About 50 million years ago, the Indian subcontinent was drifting closer to Asia and squeezing out the Tethys Sea along its northern fringes. Mishra and his colleague Hans Thewissen, a Dutch-American palaeontologist, looked around bright red and yellow rocks in Kutch belonging to a geological epoch called the Eocene which was a time of balmy global weather. In the 1980s …

An extinct giant dolphin was more like a killer whale, study finds
4 years, 8 months ago

An extinct giant dolphin was more like a killer whale, study finds

CNN  

CNN — Dolphins may seem cute and friendly, but the largest member of the dolphin family is actually none other than the ultimate hunter of the sea — the killer whale, also known as an orca. This kind of repeated evolution of similar ecologies is the basis of so many studies of how evolution works in the long term.” How …

Scientists may have uncovered an entire new whale species
6 years, 6 months ago

Scientists may have uncovered an entire new whale species

CNN  

CNN — Scientists believe a fossil found at a landfill in California belongs to an extinct species of whale that lived between 4 and 7 million years ago. The seven-ton fossil was unearthed in June during a construction excavation at the Prima Deshecha landfill in San Juan Capistrano, Orange County Waste & Recycling announced in a statement. A paleontologist with …

How whales went from little to enormous, in the space of just 3 million years
7 years, 10 months ago

How whales went from little to enormous, in the space of just 3 million years

ABC  

Why are whales so big? Fun facts about whales: Until 2-3 million years ago whales were relatively small Whales, along with dolphins, evolved back into the ocean The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth ever — even bigger than any dinosaur Some whales sleep 'standing up', vertical with their head or tail bobbing on the surface Their closest …

Fossils of a sperm whale up to 12 million years old unearthed at Irvine landfill
8 years, 9 months ago

Fossils of a sperm whale up to 12 million years old unearthed at Irvine landfill

LA Times  

Fossilized teeth from a sperm whale were discovered at the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill in Irvine. I didn’t really know what it was at the time.” The find turned out to be fossils — parts of a skull, part of a jawbone, a flipper bone and 18 mostly intact teeth — from a sperm whale estimated to have lived 10 …

Sperm whale fossils up to 12 million years old unearthed at Irvine landfill
8 years, 9 months ago

Sperm whale fossils up to 12 million years old unearthed at Irvine landfill

LA Times  

Work trucks are parked Tuesday in the area where sperm whale fossils estimated to be 10 million to 12 million years old were found May 20 at the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill in Irvine. Jere Lipps, director of the Cooper Center, an archaeology and paleontology research institute, holds a diagram of the history of life in Orange County as he …

Egyptian fossils reveal a whale inside a whale, eaten by a shark
9 years, 9 months ago

Egyptian fossils reveal a whale inside a whale, eaten by a shark

Daily Mail  

Experts said the early whale may have eaten another, or was pregnant First ever complete Basilosaurus skeleton was unearthed in Wadi al-Hitan, Egypt A 40 million-year-old early whale has been discovered in Wadi al-Hitan, Egypt, known as the Valley of Whales. The fossils suggest the creature - the largest Basilosaurus, which is a genus of early whale - may have …

New study rubbishes claim that Megalodon still roams the ocean
10 years, 5 months ago

New study rubbishes claim that Megalodon still roams the ocean

Daily Mail  

It is the largest shark ever to have lived, weighing 50 tonnes and measuring 18 feet long. The study may also one day help scientists better understand the potential widespread effects of losing the planet's top predators, said lead author Catalina Pimiento. 'I was drawn to the study of Carcharocles megalodon's extinction because it is fundamental to know when species …

Whale fossils reveal marine mammals using 'sound to see' 32M years ago
11 years ago

Whale fossils reveal marine mammals using 'sound to see' 32M years ago

Daily Mail  

World's oldest sonar system unearthed: Whale fossils reveal marine mammals using 'sound to see' 32 MILLION years ago 28 million-year-old fossi l was of a species of whale called Cotylocara macei Skull had air pockets similar to that used by dolphins to send sound beams Find places origin of technique, called echolocation, to 32m years ago This was relatively soon …

Fossil find shows how a wolf turned into a whale
31 years, 2 months ago

Fossil find shows how a wolf turned into a whale

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. There is also much fossil evidence of early whales …

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