Paleontologists recently revealed the fossilized remains of an ancient whale species called Perucetus, which existed approximately 39 million years ago. This massive whale, estimated to weigh about 200 tons, was even bigger than the modern blue whale, which is known to be the largest animal on Earth. Perucetus had a unique morphology, unlike the sleek and fast-swimming blue whale. Experts believe that Perucetus moved lazily through shallow coastal waters, resembling a mammoth manatee and using its paddle-shaped tail to propel itself.
Although the estimation of Perucetus’s weight still requires more bone discoveries, experts agree that the discovery of this peculiar ancient whale will revolutionize our understanding of the evolution of whales from land mammals. Nicholas Pyenson, a paleontologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, described it as a “weird and stupendous fossil” and emphasized that there is still much to learn about the different ways whales can exist.
Perucetus was initially discovered by Mario Urbina, a paleontologist at the Museum of Natural History at the National University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru, in 2010. After stumbling upon a large vertebra protruding from the sand in Peru’s Atacama Desert, Urbina and his colleagues obtained 13 vertebrae, four ribs, and a part of a pelvis. Although the other fossils’ identity was initially unclear due to their density and unusual thickness, the small and delicately formed pelvis confirmed that they belonged to an early whale species from the evolutionary whales’ tree.
Whales evolved from small land mammals around 50 million years ago and initially resembled seals, hunting for fish and reproducing on land. These early whale species disappeared after a few million years, making way for basilosaurids, entirely aquatic whales that retained vestiges of their terrestrial life, including small hind legs. Basilosaurids dominated the oceans until approximately 35 million years ago when they went extinct, leading to the emergence of new whale species that eventually evolved into the whales we know today.
Perucetus, identified as a basilosaurid, had developed unique adaptations unlike any previously found species. Researchers discovered that its ribs and spine had additional layers of outer bone, resulting in bloated shapes. Unlike regular bones full of pores, Perucetus’s bones were solid throughout, making them exceptionally hard. Three-dimensional scans of the fossil bones enabled scientists to reconstruct the complete skeleton of Perucetus and make comparisons with other preserved basilosaurids.
Based on the analysis of Perucetus’s bones, estimated weight ranges from 5.8 to 8.3 tons, indicating that it had the heaviest skeleton of any mammal, twice as heavy as a blue whale’s. Despite being shorter than a blue whale, Perucetus is believed to have weighed the same due to its burly skeleton, suggesting a thick, barrel-shaped body similar to the modern manatee.
Perucetus thrived on a different diet than blue whales, which feed on krill. Its bone structure suggests a more manatee-like lifestyle, where it grazed on sea grass on the ocean floor. Dr. Amson, who led the study, considers it unlikely but plausible that Perucetus could have been an herbivorous whale, making it the first such species known to science. On the other hand, Dr. Thewissen suggests that Perucetus might have fed by sifting through mud on the sea floor to consume worms and shellfish, similar to how modern gray whales eat.
The discovery of Perucetus highlights an alternative evolutionary path to gigantism for whales, proving that they didn’t have to wait until recently to reach massive sizes. While the exact way Perucetus made a living is still uncertain, the significance of this finding lies in expanding our understanding of the diverse ways whales can exist and thrive throughout history.
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