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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
Unwanted interactions and shark sightings have made national headlines, and shark bites in popular tourist destinations have prompted temporary closures. Kathy Hochul deployed dozens of shark-monitoring drones to parts of the state after Long Island authorities repo rted five non-fatal shark bites over two days. In 1997, the US established the prohibited shark species group, which barred the possession, sale and purchase of several shark species, including white and sand tiger sharks. “If sharks … wanted to bite people, I think we’d probably have about between 10 and 20,000 shark bites a day,” said Naylor. Video Ad Feedback Drone footage shows great white shark swimming near surfers 00:45 - Source: CNNSo, how can we best coexist?
Persons: Kathy Hochul, , Bob Hueter, , Hueter, ” Hueter, Gavin Naylor, “ We’ve, we’ve, Chris Lowe, “ I’ve, let’s, , Naylor, Lowe Organizations: CNN, Gov, “ Sharks, Sharks, Mammal, Shark Research, Florida Program, University of Florida, California State University, Southern, ISAF, Shark Lab Locations: New York, Long, United States, Long Beach, Southern California, California
Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. But a key question is whether such animals could survive if they roamed the Arctic tundra as their ancestors did thousands of years ago. Eventually, the bonded herd will make its way into the wild, where its progress can be monitored for the next decade. Sign up here to receive in your inbox the next edition of Wonder Theory, brought to you by CNN Space and Science writers Ashley Strickland and Katie Hunt. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.
Persons: paleobiologist Jordan Mallon, It’s, Esme Ashe, Jepson, Katie Jones, J, Robert Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s, “ Oppenheimer, , Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Canadian Museum of Nature, University of Cambridge, Southern Resident, for Whale Research, Virgin Galactic’s, CNN Space, Science Locations: Botswana, China, Ottawa, Chile, Chicago . Wild, Pacific Northwest, North America
A video showing a boat captain pulling parasites off a whale's head in a Mexican lagoon went viral. "People are going to get hurt because of that video," Bondy, told Insider in an interview. Bondy said that picking parasites like barnacles off a whale could hurt them because they have extremely thin and sensitive skin. "Whales, for thousands of years, have been surviving without people picking parasites off," she told Insider. Bondy is also worried that if tourists pick parasites from whales, the sea mammal could react aggressively toward them.
Persons: Shari Bondy, Bondy, Gray Organizations: Service Locations: Mexican, Wall, Silicon, Ojo, Mexico's Baja
From scattered bones and teeth, scientists studying fossils extrapolate entire long-dead creatures, and even relationships between different species. This could be the case with a newly described fossil of a badger-like mammal and a Labrador retriever-sized dinosaur, locked in what appears to be an eternal brawl. But the unlikely fossil depicts combat between a mammal called Repenomamus robustus and a bipedal, plant-eating relative of Triceratops called Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis. Size-wise, the dinosaur had an advantage, but Repenomamus, preserved with its teeth clamped into Psittacosaurus’s rib cage, appears to have punched above its weight. The dinosaur’s bones don’t show evidence of being gnawed on by scavengers, indicating that the Repenomamus encounter happened when the Psittacosaurus was still alive.
Locations: what’s, China
A new fossil shows a badger-like mammal biting into a dinosaur. A new paper in Scientific Reports describes a fossil of the cat-sized mammal, Repenomamus robustus, locked in "mortal combat" with a Psittacosaurus that was three times as large. The newer fossil has quite a bit of evidence suggesting that the mammal was attacking the dinosaur. "I think the clincher is just the fact that the hind leg of the mammal is trapped within the folded hind leg of the dinosaur," Mallon said. "The question that comes up is, what is a mammal doing attacking a dinosaur that's so much larger than itself?"
Persons: Jordan Mallon, Michael Skrepnick, Mallon, Han Organizations: Service, Canadian Museum of Nature Locations: Wall, Silicon, China's Liaoning Province
[1/3] Fossilized skeletons dating to about 125 million years ago from China showing the entanglement of the dinosaur Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis and the mammal Repenomamus robustus are seen in this 2022 handout photograph. A dramatic fossil unearthed in northeastern China shows a pugnacious badger-like mammal in the act of attacking a plant-eating dinosaur, mounting its prey and sinking its teeth into its victim's ribs about 125 million years ago, scientists said on Tuesday. Dating to the Cretaceous Period, it shows the four-legged mammal Repenomamus robustus - the size of a domestic cat - ferociously entangled with the beaked two-legged dinosaur Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis - as big as a medium-sized dog. "Here, we have good evidence for a smaller mammal preying on a larger dinosaur, which is not something we would have guessed without this fossil," Mallon added. The researchers discounted the idea that the Repenomamus and Psittacosaurus fossil showed a mammal merely scavenging a carcass.
Persons: Read, paleobiologist Jordan Mallon, Mallon, Xiao, chun Wu, Psittacosaurus, Repenomamus, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: dinos, Canadian Museum of Nature, Thomson Locations: China, WASHINGTON, Ottawa, Liaoning Province, Mongolia
CNN —Sometime during the Cretaceous Period, 125 million years ago, a feisty mammal the size of a domestic cat encountered a dinosaur three times its size and thought it looked like a tasty meal. “The inherited wisdom has been that the ecological interactions were unilateral: The bigger dinosaurs ate the smaller mammals. What makes this fossil exceptional is that the mammal is caught in the moment of attacking the almost fully grown dinosaur. A detail of the fossil shows the left forepaw of Repenomamus robustus wrapped around the lower jaw of the dinosaur. Gang HanPredator vs. scavengerThe fossil shows R. robustus gripping onto the lower jaw of Psittacosaurus with its left forepaw.
Persons: CNN —, paleobiologist Jordan Mallon, Michael W, Skrepnick, , Mallon, , , ” Mallon Organizations: CNN, Canadian Museum of Nature Locations: China, China’s Liaoning province
London CNN —A pod of more than 50 pilot whales has died after a mass stranding on a northwestern Scottish island, according to a marine charity on the ground. Pilot whales are sociable animals, so if one becomes stranded, experts believe others from the pod will follow and also become stranded. Known to be gregarious, pilot whales have “extremely strong social and emotional bonds with one another,” Jarvis told CNN. In the UK, the largest stranding of pilot whales was in Scotland in 2011, when 77 were found stuck on the country’s northerly shores, according to Jarvis. Tasmania’s largest stranding was in 2020, when more than 450 pilot whales were found.
Persons: ” Dan Jarvis, Mairi Robertson, Carrey, BDMLR, ” Jarvis, we’ve, SMASS, We’re, Peter Evans, , Evans, Jarvis Organizations: London CNN, British, Welfare, CNN, Scottish, Sea Watch Foundation Locations: Scottish, North Tolsta, Lewis, Scotland, Tasmania, Australia
Among dinosaur bones and sandy sediment there emerged a 167-million-year-old tiny jaw fragment with three teeth. It belonged to Ambondro mahabo, a species that was 25 million years older than any mammal of its kind ever found. At the time, what was known of the fossil record pointed overwhelmingly to the conclusion that modern mammals’ forerunners arose in the Northern Hemisphere. But a review of existing fossil holdings published last year in the journal Alcheringa sought to turn decades of paleontological wisdom on its head. After an exhaustive study of skulls, jaws and teeth, a team of Australian paleontologists presented their conclusion that modern mammals originated in the Southern Hemisphere.
Persons: Ambondro, , John Flynn, Frick Organizations: Northern, Southern Hemisphere, American Museum of Locations: Madagascar, New York
A dead 60-foot fin whale washed up on a shore in Ireland on Sunday. Experts near the dead whale, whose body washed on the beach on Sunday, noted that they heard "bubbling" when trying to cut into the whale to perform an animal autopsy. The IWDG later deemed the whale "not suitable for post-mortem examination" and abandoned it, according to a post on their site. According to the release, the Kerry city council intends to let the dead whale remain on site as it decomposes. Bloated, dead whales aren't uncommon though they can produce an unpleasant smell when they do happen.
Persons: Stephanie Levesque, Stephanie, Levesque, LiveScience Organizations: Sunday, Service, Dolphin Group, Irish Examiner Locations: Ireland, Wall, Silicon, County Kerry, Kerry, Florence , Oregon
Now gray whales in Baja California frequently interact with humans in a remarkable shift. The video showed a gray whale right beside a boat, allowing the captain to pick whale lice off its head. Still, the fact that the gray whales of the Baja lagoons interact with boats and humans at all baffles researchers. The gray whales then make the longest migration of any mammal, with most traveling more than 10,000 miles to their foraging grounds near Alaska. Hunting gray whales is illegal, with some exceptions for Indigenous peoples in Alaska, Canada, and Mexico.
Persons: Gray, that's, Andrew Trites, Trites, he's, Guillermo Arias, Leigh Torres, Torres, it's Organizations: Service, Marine Mammal Research, University of British, Getty, Oregon State, Mammal Institute Locations: Baja California, Wall, Silicon, Ojo, Baja, University of British Columbia, Alaska, Pacific, Canada, Mexico, Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Coast, Pacific Northwest, Oregon
Orcas are targeting boats near Spain while gray whales in Baja let humans pet them. "It isn't people running up to whales, it's whales coming to people." The gray whales befriending boats is especially interesting because just decades ago they were hunted to the brink of extinction in those same lagoons. But after conservation measures made whaling illegal, the North Pacific gray whales have dramatically recovered, allowing for these more friendly, social interactions between whales and humans. And it's not just the gray whales.
Persons: Leigh Torres, , Andrew Trites, Torres Organizations: Service, Oregon State, Mammal Institute, Marine Mammal Research, University of British Locations: Spain, Baja, Wall, Silicon, Mexico's Baja California, University of British Columbia, Pacific, Atlantic, Portugal
Shane Campbell-Staton and Dan Lewis Photo: Nathan Dappen/Days Edge ProductionsBy most reports, not including a firsthand inspection by this reviewer, there is no congregation of alligators currently infesting the New York sewer system. It is a resilient urban myth. What’s not a myth at all are the abandoned Burmese pythons (and their offspring) currently depleting the mammal population of the Florida Everglades and representing one of the more disastrous examples of people introducing animals where they don’t belong.
Persons: Shane Campbell, Staton, Dan Lewis, Nathan Dappen, What’s Organizations: Edge Locations: York, Florida
An algal bloom near southern California beaches is causing sea lions to act unpredictably. It's also causing the sea lions to give birth to stillborn pups, a marine mammal expert said. For the past month, beachgoers have spotted sea lions across Southern California's coastlines — from Ventura to San Diego counties — exhibiting peculiar behavior. The cause is a toxic algal bloom that experts have told Insider is the "worst outbreak" in Southern California yet. Sea lions rest at the Marine Mammal Care Center facility.
Persons: It's, unpredictably, John Warner, Warner, we've, There's Organizations: Service, Marine Mammal Care, Mammal Care, beachgoers, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Fisheries, Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute, USA, Warner, Los Angeles Unified School District, Environmental, Group, ABC News, California's Locations: California, Southern California, Southern, Ventura, San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara
Three fossilized footprints belong to an extinct species of ancient humans dating back 300,00 years. The prints are among the oldest in Europe and are the oldest ever found in Germany. The fossilized prints were covered for millennia, until a mining company began clearing the area to access coal deposits. The fossilized prints of ancient humans and animals paints a picture of how these species may have co-existed. Researchers found the first ancient rhino print in EuropeThe human prints were surrounded by many more fossilized footprints from prehistoric animals.
Persons: , paleobotany, Flavio Altamura, Benoit Clarys, Jordi Serangeli, Serangeli, Altamura, antiquus Organizations: Service, University of Tübingen, Senckenberg Locations: Europe, Germany, Lower Saxony, Heidelberg, Schöningen, Siberia, Asia
Generally speaking, orcas in the wild do not pose a threat to humans. But the boat encounters are still dangerous, and swimming with a massive wild animal can be risky. Generally speaking, killer whales do not pose much of a threat to humans. The Iberian population members targeting boats also do not seem to be interested in humans, Strager noted. However, Strager said it's impossible to draw any conclusions about wild orcas based on the behavior of captive orcas, as they are in such an artificial environment.
Persons: orcas, Hanne Strager, Strager, Andrew Trites, Tilikum, Trites Organizations: Service, Marine Mammal Research, University of British, SeaWorld Orlando Locations: Spain, Portugal, Danish, Norway, University of British Columbia, Canada, Florida
LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - UK researchers have homed in on a human gene implicated in thwarting most bird flu viruses from infecting people. Nicknamed B-force by the researchers, the gene was found to block the replication of most strains of bird flu in human cells. However, the gene's antiviral activity failed to protect against seasonal human flu viruses. This gene is part of a broader defensive apparatus in the human immune arsenal against bird viruses. To be sure, viruses mutate all the time, and this does not mean that bird flu viruses could not evolve to escape the activity of BTN3A3.
Persons: Massimo Palmarini, , Sam Wilson, Natalie Grover, Nancy Lapid, Christina Fincher Organizations: MRC, University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, World Health Organization, WHO, Thomson Locations: London
Killer whales near the Iberian Peninsula have been striking boats since 2020. No doubt the encounters feel like attacks to the boaters, but experts say that may not be accurate. But in at least three cases the killer whales have managed to sink sailboats, prompting talk of an "orca uprising" in which the whales were finally fighting back. Despite one theory about a "traumatized" killer whale seeking revenge on boats, Trites and other experts have said they believe the orcas are most likely just playing. They appear to be picking up and mimicking the play behavior of other killer whales, suggesting it is being positively reinforced, or that they are getting pleasure or some sort of benefit from it.
Persons: Andrew Trites, Trites Organizations: Service, Marine Mammal Research, University of British Locations: orcas, Spain, Portugal, University of British Columbia, Canada
A researcher found what appear to be cut marks on the bone of a human ancestor. I was really not expecting to find these sorts of cut marks." Almost all of the bone's marks could be classified as cut marks with a high degree of confidence, Pobiner said. Not all cut marks mean cannibalismTwo marks (5 and 6) were identified as tooth marks, and the rest were identified as cut marks. Pobiner hopes the findings will inspire other researchers to return to existing collections to look for more cut marks.
Persons: Pobiner, , Michael Pante, Jennifer Clark Defleshing, it's, Paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey, It's Organizations: Service, Smithsonian's National, of, National Museums, Kenya's, Museum, Colorado State University Locations: Kenya's Nairobi, anvils, Kenya, Gough's Cave, England
“We’ve never seen so many of them so early in the season and we strongly believe it’s because of the better weather. Their annual round-trip journey between June and early September covers up to 6,214 miles (10,000 kilometers). Humpback whales spend their summers feeding in sub-tropical waters, where they also mate and give birth, according to Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment. Humpback meets kayakOne kayaker had a particularly close-up view in an encounter that was captured by a drone. In the stunning footage, an enormous humpback follows a white kayak in turquoise clear waters off Bondi beach.
Persons: Steve Trikoulis, , Hervey, , ” Trikoulis, “ We’ve, We’ve, Australia –, Jason Iggleden, Iggleden Organizations: CNN, Organization for, Rescue, Australia’s Department of Agriculture Locations: Bondi, New South Wales, Queensland, Hervey Bay, Antarctica, Australia, Water, Bermagui, Sydney
[1/5] A sick sea lion is marked with paint and left on a beach, unable to be rescued due to overcrowded facilities, as toxic algae is being blamed for causing sickness to sea lions and dolphins along the coast of Southern California, in Redondo Beach, California, U.S., June 23, 2023. Experts say a recent outbreak of algae bloom - commonly known as red tide - has sickened and killed an unknown number of sea lions and dolphins. Marine biologists are paying close attention because they consider sea lions a sentinel species - animals that can help identify environmental risks to humans. The Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute reported 1,000 sightings of sick and dead marine mammals from June 8 through 14. Sea lions are a fixture on many California beaches, sunning on the shoreline, barking at each other, and sometimes looking for an easy meal from tourists.
Persons: Mike Blake, John Warner, Warner, Omar Younis, Daniel Trotta, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Mammal Care, Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute, Thomson Locations: Southern California, Redondo Beach , California, U.S, ANGELES, California, Los Angeles, San Pedro, Hermosa Beach
CNN —Nine cut marks on a fossilized shin bone suggest that ancient human relatives butchered and possibly ate one another 1.45 million years ago, according to a new study. “These cut marks look very similar to what I’ve seen on animal fossils that were being processed for consumption,” Pobiner said in a news release. Jennifer ClarkWhat the cut marks revealStudy coauthor Michael Pante, a paleoanthropologist at Colorado State University, created 3D models based on molds of marks on the bone. He said cut marks were reported on the cheek bone of a hominin fossil found in Sterkfontein, South Africa, in 2000 that could be about 2 million years old. Pobiner, however, said the source of the cut marks in that case was disputed.
Persons: Briana Pobiner, Pobiner, ” Pobiner, Marks, Jennifer Clark, Michael Pante, boisei, hominins, ” Silvia Bello, , Bello, Chris Stringer, Stringer Organizations: CNN, National Museums, Kenya’s, Museum, National Museum of, Washington DC, Colorado State University Locations: Kenya’s Nairobi, Washington, what’s, France, Sterkfontein, South Africa
Russia has ramped up its trained dolphin force that protects its Black Sea fleet, UK intelligence said. Russia has been training dolphins in the Black Sea since the Cold War, according to the United States Naval Institute. The MOD also noted Russia's documented use of marine animals elsewhere, saying "Russia has trained animals for a range of missions." Russia's Black Sea fleet includes attack submarines and vessels with long-range strike capabilities and air defense missiles. Russia accused Ukraine of launching drone attacks on the fleet earlier this month, after Ukraine started its long-awaited counteroffensive.
Persons: Organizations: British Ministry of Defence, Service, Russia, UK Ministry of Defence, MOD, Google, United States Naval Institute, Maxar Technologies, Naval News, US Navy, Washington Post Locations: Russia, Sevastopol, Ukraine, Crimea, Norway, Petersburg, Sweden, Iraq, Ukrainian, Ukraine's Kherson
The ocean is significantly deeper than the highest point on Earth's surface. If you took the highest point on land and submerged it, you would still have more than a mile between you and the deepest point in the ocean. The Challenger Deep is the deepest point on Earth. In 1960, oceanographer Jacques Piccard and Lt. Don Walsh descended to the lowest point on Earth, Challenger Deep, at a record 25,979 feet below the surface. Scientists have sent half a dozen unmanned submersibles to explore Challenger Deep including Kaiko, which collected over 350 species on the seafloor between 1995 and 2003.
Persons: Cuvier, Robert Smits, Herbert Nitsch, Nitsch, We've, Ralph White, Mariana Trench, Trench, Jacques Piccard, Don Walsh, Victor Vescovo, Vescovo Organizations: Service, USS Triton Locations: California, Austrian, Mariana, Everest
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