The land-dwelling ancestor of whales had four legs and lived in front of 42.6 million years ago in South America, such as from a on Thursday in the journal “Current Biology” published a study shows.
The Fossil was found in the Playa Media Luna on the Peruvian Pacific coast. The paleontologists of the Belgian researchers Olivier Lambert from the Royal Belgian Institute of natural Sciences discovered in the desert soil, first a fossilized upper jaw and out of pits, then the lower jaw, teeth, vertebrae and rib bones, as well as parts of the front and hind legs.
his long toes of the prehistoric age had skins-Wal, obviously, swimming. The researchers assume, therefore, that the approximately four-metre long animal was able to run and swim. The vertebrae in the area of the tail resemble those of animals such as fish, land animals otters, but are good swimmers.
Illustration of a Peregocetus’. Image: Reuters/Alberto Gennari
“It is, therefore, an animal that has begun to use his tail to Swim, what distinguishes it from earlier forms of life in India and Pakistan,” said Lambert. The ancestors of whales and dolphins, lived 50 million years ago in the Region of today’s India and Pakistan on Land.
Refuted hypothesis
parts of fossils of four-legged ancient whales were previously in Egypt, the Western Sahara, in Senegal, in Togo and Nigeria have been discovered. Since the bone findings were not, however, complete, researchers were unable to conclude whether the animals were able to swim.
The paleontologists suspect that the prehistoric whale from the West crossed Africa from the Atlantic ocean and to South America came. The continents were closer together than they are today. This would refute the hypothesis that the ancient whales, America reached over Greenland.
In the area around Pisco on the South coast of Peru is still more fossils are likely to be. “This is work for at least the next 50 years,” said Lambert.
paleontologist Olivier Lambert about the discovery in Peru. Video: Youtube/natural Sciences (nag/sda)
Created: 09.04.2019, 14:35 PM