Fanged Skull Of An Ancient Predatory Whale Found In Peru's Ocucaje Desert

By Rachael Funnell
18 MAR 2022, 17:08

Whale, predator, and desert aren’t exactly three words you expect to find in the same sentence, but it all starts to make more sense when you realize the deadly marine mammal in question is 36 million years old. The discovery of a basilosaurus's skull in the Ocucaje Desert in Peru is evidence of the region’s history, having once been a shallow sea home to primitive sea mammals.

The ancient animal is a basilosaurus, and it was uncovered in 2021 roughly 350 kilometers (215 miles) south of Lima. It joins many primitive remains uncovered in the dunes there but stands out as a remarkably well-preserved specimen.

"This is an extraordinary find because of its great state of preservation," said Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi, head of the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Natural History Museum in Lima, to AFP. "This animal was one of the largest predators of its time."

The ocean giant has been nicknamed the “Ocucaje Predator,” a suitably fearsome name for a 17-meter (55-foot) long hunter whose large jaws would’ve hosted some intimidating dentition. It’s these teeth that have led paleontologists to place basilosaurus at the top of the food chain, making it more than qualified to take down fish, sharks, and other archaic whales.

More:
https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/fanged-skull-of-an-ancient-predatory-whale-found-in-perus-ocucaje-desert/