|
Exceptional Whale Fossil Found in Egyptian Desert
Mon Apr 18, 4:52 PM ET
CAIRO (Reuters) - An American paleontologist and a team of Egyptians have found the most nearly complete fossilized skeleton of the primitive whale Basilosaurus isis in Egypt's Western Desert, a university spokesman said on Monday.
Philip Gingerich of the University of Michigan excavated the well-preserved skeleton, which is about 40 million years old, in a desert valley known as Wadi Hitan (the Valley of the Whales) southwest of Cairo, spokesman Karl Bates told Reuters.
"His feeling is that it's the most complete -- the whole skeleton from stem to stern," said Bates.
The skeleton, which is 50 feet long, could throw light on why there are so many fossilized remains of whales and other ancient sea animals in Wadi Hitan and possibly how the extinct animal swam, he said.
Dalje
|
