Ancient whale found in Peru may be heaviest animal in world

[Judi Lynn]

1. A newly discovered colossal whale might be the heaviest animal ever, study finds

By Kristen Rogers, CNN
Published 11:41 AM EDT, Wed August 2, 2023



Pictured is a reconstruction of Perucetus colossus in its coastal habitat.
Alberto Gennari

CNN
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A colossal ancient whale discovered in Peru might be the heaviest animal on record, according to a new study.

At an estimated body mass of 85 to 340 metric tons (187,393 to 749,572 pounds), the heft of the now-extinct Perucetus colossus is equivalent to or exceeds that of the blue whale, which had indisputably been considered the animal with the greatest body mass until now, said Giovanni Bianucci, first author of the study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

The partial skeleton of Perucetus, consisting of 13 vertebrae, four ribs and one hip bone, is estimated to be 17 to 20 meters (55.8 to 65.6 feet) long. The fossil specimen is shorter than that of a 25-meter long (82-foot-long) blue whale — but its skeletal mass still potentially exceeded that of any known mammal or sea vertebrate, including its gigantic relative, according to the study.

What’s more, Perucetus likely weighed two to three times more than the blue whale, which today weighs a maximum of 149.6 metric tons (330,000 pounds).

“Perucetus could have weighed almost two blue whales, three Argentinosaurs (a giant sauropod dinosaur), over 30 African bush elephants and as many as 5,000 people,” Bianucci said via email. He is an associate professor of paleontology at the University of Pisa’s department of Earth sciences in Italy.

More:
https://us.cnn.com/2023/08/02/world/ancient-colossal-whale-perucetus-colossus-scn/index.html

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