Fossil of four-legged whale found in Egypt
Scientists discovered a fossil of a four-legged whale
Location: MANSOURA, EGYPT
The 43 million-year-old fossil was found in Egypt's Western Desert
The amphibious whale is named Phimicetus anubis
It belongs to a group of extinct whales called Protocetidae
which could both swim and walk on land
Researchers think the new whale was likely a top predator
It had an estimated body length of 10 feet
and a body mass of about 1,300 lbs
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESEARCHER AT MANSOURA UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR FOSSILS, ABDULLAH GOHAR, SAYING:"This specimen was found in the deserts of Fayum from rock formations that are 43 million years old. The question here is: 'Can we in the future find skeletons of other whales?' This is part of an action plan that we are working on here at the Salam lab, that in the future we can find more fossils of this whale or of other whales and be able to form a complete picture to understand the evolution of whales, which are considered one of the creatures that developed the most in its evolution because it evolved from living on land to living in the sea."
