Paleontologists have discovered a “doll” of fossil whales
The scientists found that found in 2010, the fossilized remains of two whales not just were nearby at the time of death, and are the hunter and hunted in his stomach. Researchers believe that this species of whale was on the top of the marine food chain 35 million years ago. The results were published in the journal PLOS One.
Most modern whales is a relaxed and slow animals, but in the past among their relatives met fierce hunters that were on the top of the food chain. In modern seas similar position is taken by orcas, but they are significantly smaller than the largest animal in the sea of modernity. In the past the largest animal and the most dangerous.
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Scientists: the pterosaurs resembled fluffy dragons
In 2010 in the region of Wadi al-Khitaan (Egypt), famous for its well-preserved remains of ancient whales made another discovery: a 15-metre skeleton of the cetacean Basilosaurus isis and many nearby remains of sharks, fish, and juveniles of another cetacean Dorudon atrox. Previously, scientists were not sure whether basilosaurus predator or a scavenger. In the new work of paleontologists from Germany, Egypt and the United States prove that dorudon no accident was found near basilosaurus — he was the victim. It was possible to prove the presence of tooth marks on the skull of a smaller whale. Also this is confirmed by the discovery of a large number of adult basilosaurus in this area, whereas juveniles almost were not found.
“These observations lead to the idea that in the late Eocene shallow sea that existed in place of the modern Wadi al-Khitaan, was a region of procreation for dorodnov and for this reason was a feeding ground for predatory basilosaurus, the authors write in the article. We developed this idea by describing the remains of a young Dorudon atrox and large fishes like the stomach contents of Basilosaurus isis”.