Monday, January 20, 2020

Basilosaurus cetoides

An ancient whale twice the length of today's orcas once chowed down on other whales in the Eocene epoch's seas 40 to 35 mya. Measuring 15–18 m (49–59 ft), Basilosaurus cetoides is one of the largest-known animals to exist from the KT extinction event 66 mya to around 15 mya when modern cetaceans began to reach huge sizes.
Basilosaurus was top marine predator of it's time. A 2010 discovery of a Basilosaurus fossil in Egypt's Wadi Al-Hitan (Valley of Whales) is the first-ever with its last meal inside it. The valley, about 87 miles (140 km) southwest of Cairo, is a hot spot for whale fossils, with hundreds found there.
Among the jumble of bones found mixed with the whale's skeleton were teeth, skull fragments, vertebrae and ribs of D. atrox, an ancient species of whale that grew to about 16 feet (5 m) long. A modern equivalent to Basilosaurus would be orcas, which are about half the size.

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