There could be a new contender for the title of the heaviest animal to ever live, as scientists have recently uncovered fossils of an ancient giant that could potentially tip the scales. The species, named Perucetus colossus, or "the colossal whale from Peru," was described by researchers on Wednesday. This discovery has sparked excitement among experts, as the colossal whale is unlike anything they have ever seen before.
The bones of the ancient giant were actually discovered over a decade ago by Mario Urbina from the University of San Marcos' Natural History Museum in Lima. However, it took an international team several years to carefully excavate the fossils from the side of a steep, rocky slope in Peru's Ica desert. This region was once underwater and is renowned for its rich marine fossils. The team managed to retrieve 13 vertebrae from the whale's backbone, along with four ribs and a hip bone.
The fossils, estimated to be around 39 million years old, stunned the researchers. "They are unlike anything I've ever seen," said study author Alberto Collareta, a paleontologist from Italy's University of Pisa. To further understand the ancient giant's size and weight, the researchers utilized 3D scanners to examine the bones' surface and also drilled into them to gain insight into their internal structure. By comparing the incomplete skeleton to modern marine mammals, they estimated that the Perucetus colossus weighed between 94 and 375 tons (85 and 340 metric tons). Although the largest recorded blue whales fall within this weight range, the colossal whale's dense and heavy bones suggest that it may have been even heavier. In terms of length, the ancient giant measured approximately 66 feet (20 meters), while some blue whales can grow to over 100 feet (30 meters).
According to Collareta, the newly discovered whale was potentially the heaviest animal ever, although it was not likely the longest. The density of its bones indicates that the colossal whale may have inhabited shallow, coastal waters, similar to other marine creatures like manatees, which possess heavy bones to help them stay close to the seafloor. However, without the skull, researchers are unable to determine what the whale's diet consisted of. They speculate that it may have scavenged along the seafloor or consumed large quantities of krill and other small sea creatures.
Paleontologist Hans Thewissen, who was not involved in the research, remarked, "I wouldn't be surprised if this thing actually fed in a totally different way that we would never imagine." The discovery of the Perucetus colossus opens up new possibilities for understanding the diversity and behaviors of ancient marine life, as well as the evolutionary history of these magnificent creatures.
