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Whale fossil may be the heaviest animal ever
  + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +7 min
CNN —A colossal ancient whale discovered in Peru might be the heaviest animal on record, according to a new 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). Giovanni Bianucci“Discoveries of such extreme body forms are an opportunity to re-evaluate our understanding of animal evolution,” wrote J.G.M. “It seems that we are only dimly aware of how astonishing whale form and function can be,” they added. The lifestyle of a colossal whaleThe findings suggest that gigantism or peak body mass among cetaceans had been reached around 30 million years earlier than previously thought, according to the study.
Persons: Giovanni Bianucci, , ” Bianucci, Perucetus, , , Bianucci, pacificus, Mystacodon selenesis, Mario Urbina Schmitt, Schmitt, Thewissen, David A, Waugh, weren’t, Ingalls, Brown, ” Thewissen Organizations: CNN, University of Pisa’s, sirenians, Peru “, National University of San, Ohio Medical University Locations: Peru, Italy, Ica, Peruvian, National University of San Marcos, Lima
Giovanni Bianucci/Handout via REUTERSAug 2 (Reuters) - Move over, blue whale. The biggest-known blue whale weighed around 190 tons, though it was longer than Perucetus at 110 feet (33.5 meters). Its skeletal mass alone was estimated at between 5 and 8 tons, at least twice that of the blue whale. The researchers suspect Perucetus lived like sirenians - not an active predator but an animal that fed near the bottom of shallow coastal waters. The researchers said it was unlikely Perucetus was a filter-feeder like today's baleen whales including the blue whale.
Persons: Giovanni Bianucci, Perucetus, Bianucci, Olivier Lambert of, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, University of Pisa, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Thomson Locations: Peru, Handout, Italy, Argentina, sirenians, Brussels, hoofed, Washington
It may have weighed twice as much as a blue whale because of its dense bones. That's nearly as heavy as a Boeing 747 or twice as much as a blue whale, which typically weighs between 72 and 180 tons. That means the other fossils retrieved from the area may not offer clues to how P. colossus lived. A 3D model shows what a complete skeleton of Perucetus colossus would look like, above a blue whale and smaller Cynthiacetus peruvianus skeletons. No limbs were found near the P. colossus skeleton, but fossilized evidence suggests it likely had both front and back legs.
Persons: Mario Urbina, Olivier Lambert, Giovanni Bianucci, Cynthiacetus, colossus, colossus isn't, Lambert, Florent Goussard, Marco Merella Organizations: Service, Boeing, Santa Barbara Museum of, History Locations: Wall, Silicon, Pisco, Peru, London
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