It is over 43 million years old and was until then “unknown to scientists”. Egyptian archaeologists have discovered the fossil of a new species of amphibious whale in the Fayum region south of Cairo, a member of the research team said.
“This is the first time that an Arab research team, especially Egyptian, has been responsible for documenting such a discovery,” said the professor of paleontology, Hicham Salam, member of the research team who discovered the fossil, on television Thursday evening.
“The fiercest and oldest in Africa”
The new species of whale, which measured more than three meters and weighed about 600 kg, was baptized “Fioumicetus anubis”, name derived from its place of discovery, and the god Anubis, one of the oldest Egyptian deities. The region of Fayoum, where the fossil was found, is a part of Egypt once covered with a sea, where the Valley of the Whales is also located, which contains “priceless” fossil remains, according to Unesco.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Ministry of the Environment said this species “of whale was the most ferocious and oldest in Africa.” “An anatomical study of the fossil shows that this new species of whale is completely different from other species already known”, further indicates the ministry, which assures that it was a “large predator with large powerful jaws which allowed him to control the environment in which he lived ”.
“Able to walk on dry land and swim in the sea”
“The whale had both the ability to walk on land and to swim in the sea,” added the ministry, according to which the discovery testifies to the evolution of whales, which were land mammals before becoming mammals. sailors.
In addition to the Ministry of the Environment, the Egyptian research mission was supported by the Ministry of Education, as well as by the University of Mansourah (northeast). The Egyptian authorities regularly announce archaeological discoveries. In 2018, a team of scientists discovered the first dinosaur skeleton in Africa dating back more than 75 million years.