Scientists in Egypt Identified an unknown four-legged whale that lived 43 million years ago.
Amphibian fossils Phyomycetes anubis It was first found in the western desert of Egypt.
His skull resembles the head of the dead Egyptian god Anubis – the god of the dead.
The ancestors of modern whales evolved from deer-like terrestrial mammals that have lived on land for 10 million years.
About 600 kg and 3 m long, Phyomycetes anubis According to a study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B on Wednesday (25), the jawbones were strong enough to catch prey. The whale was able to walk ashore and swim in the water.
Her partial skeleton was found in Fayyum depression in Egypt and analyzed by scientists at the University of Mansoura. Although the area is now desolate, it is a rich source of fossils that were once covered by the sea.
“Oh Phyomycetes anubis This is a new species of whale and an important discovery in Egyptian and African paleontology, ”study author Abdullah Gohar told Reuters.
Although this is not the first fossil of a one-legged whale, it is believed Phyomycetes anubis It is the oldest semi-aquatic whale found in Africa.
The first whales are thought to have evolved in South Asia about 50 million years ago. In 2011, a team of paleontologists in Peru discovered a 43-million-year-old whale fossil using four-legged, webbed legs and hoofs.
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