How do you think it is possible for whale bones to appear in the desert hills?
The evidence strongly suggests the whales all ingested toxic algae. The dead and dying mammals were then washed into an estuary and on to flat sands where they became buried over time. Their bones could be seen sticking out of rock faces, and the spot acquired the name Cerro Ballena (“whale hill”) as a result.
Where are whale fossils found?
The fossil was found in the desert of Wadi Al-Hitan, a place so rich in cetacean fossils that it’s known as Whale Valley.
Where can you find a whale in a desert?
In Cerro Colorado, located in the Ica Desert of Peru, sedimentary sequences dating back nine million years have been found to host the fossil skeletons of hundreds of marine vertebrates. In 2008, remains of a giant raptorial sperm whale, Livyatan melvillei, were discovered at this site.
Why are there whale skeletons in the Sahara Desert?
The geology of the area combines sandstone and limestone deposited by the ancient ocean with a desert landscape of sand dunes. Over the years erosion from wind and sand has slowly revealed the fossilised skeletons trapped and preserved in the sandstone formations.
What useless parts did basilosaurus still have?
Yet Basilosaurus still retained small, weak hind legs — baggage from its evolutionary past — even though it could not walk on land. None of these animals is necessarily a direct ancestor of the whales we know today; they may be side branches of the family tree.
Can a whale live in the desert?
Among the more prominent species of these mammals residing in the Gulf of California’s Sonoran Desert are the Finback Whale, the California Sea Lion and the Common Dolphin.
Why a massive whale graveyard’s in the desert?
The fossils, unearthed about three years ago during a road-widening project in Chile’s Atacama Desert, probably record a series of mass strandings about 6 million to 9 million years ago that were caused by blooms of algae fed by the iron-rich sediments of the Andes Mountains, according to a study published online …
Was a whale fossil found in Egypt?
Wadi Al-Hitan, Whale Valley, in the Western Desert of Egypt, contains invaluable fossil remains of the earliest, and now extinct, suborder of whales, Archaeoceti.
Where were whale fossils found in the Sahara Desert?
Wati El Hitan
Do whales have femurs?
In whales today, the flippers are what remains of the forelimbs, but the only hints of the former hind limbs are the vestiges of a pelvis and femur embedded in the body wall. One in 100,000 whales is estimated to have a slightly protruding stub of a hind limb.
Why did basilosaurus die out?
Basilosaurus was a specialized type of animal that did not give rise to any later whales. Abrupt global cooling of the Earth’s climate at the end of the Eocene coincided with changing ocean circulation. This led to the extinction of Basilosaurus and most archaic whales around 34 million years ago.
How did the basilosaurus whale swim?
By 40 million years ago, Basilosaurus — clearly an animal fully adapted to an aquatic environment — was swimming the ancient seas, propelled by its sturdy flippers and long, flexible body. None of these animals is necessarily a direct ancestor of the whales we know today; they may be side branches of the family tree.
What animal is the closest cousin to Dolphins?
hippopotamus
Can the basilosaurus swim?
The proportions of the vertebrae at the tip of the tail suggest that Basilosaurus had small tail flukes. If Basilosaurus had positive buoyancy, it would be difficult for it to dive and swim effectively.
Why is it called basilosaurus?
Because its name “Basilosaurus” means “King Lizard,” when the fossils were first discovered in 1832, Basilosaurus was originally thought by paleontologists to have been giant marine reptiles, much like the Mosasaurs and Plesiosaurs of the Mesozoic Era, especially according to an artist drawing of them in 1960.
Is a basilosaurus bigger than a Megalodon?
“These are estimates because this shark is mainly known by teeth, which are the basis for body size calculations,” Voss says. “The teeth of Megalodon are known to reach up to 18 centimeters, those of Basilosaurus were somewhat smaller.”
Could basilosaurus still exist?
If these primitive whales are still alive, they would certainly fit with the a few select characteristics of basilosaurus, such as a long body….Basilosaurus.
| Scientific Classification | |
|---|---|
| Subfamily | Basilosaurinae |
| Genus | Basilosaurus |
| Species | Basilosaurus sp. |
What era is the basilosaurus from?
Basilosaurus, also called Zeuglodon, extinct genus of primitive whales of the family Basilosauridae (suborder Archaeoceti) found in Middle and Late Eocene rocks in North America and northern Africa (the Eocene Epoch lasted from 55.8 million to 33.9 million years ago).
Who named basilosaurus?
Owen renamed it Zeuglodon (yoked tooth), yet the animal is still known as Basilosaurus because Harlan’s name came first. Later discoveries of more complete fossils confirmed that the animal was a primitive whale that may have measured 70 feet in length.
Is basilosaurus extinct?
Basilosaurus was a type of extinct cetacean (this is the group containing whales, dolphins and porpoises). It lived between about 40 and 34 million years ago, and is immediately recognizable by its elongated serpent-like body which grew up to 60 feet (18 meters) in length.