Slimming Down a Colossal Fossil Whale (IMAGE)

University of California - Davis

Slimming Down a Colossal Fossil Whale

Caption

Size comparison of a modern blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and the extinct Perucetus colossus, known from a fossil discovered in Peru. Researchers initially estimated the mass of Perucetus as greater than that of a blue whale, based on its thick bones. A new estimate by paleontologists at UC Davis and the Smithsonian lowers this estimate, giving a body density more consistent with other aquatic mammals.

Credit

Cullen Townsend (https://www.cullentownsenddesign.com/)

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