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Researchers find fossils of heaviest animals on Earth, weight reaches hundreds of tons – Okezone techno

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JAKARTA – The blue whale is currently the largest animal on Earth with a length of over 25 meters and a weight of 4.5 tons. But researchers recently discovered the fossils of an animal several times larger than a blue whale.

The fossil gives the idea of ​​a new species called Perucetus Colossus which is super jumbo in size. The body is about 20 meters long and weighs between 85 and 340 tons, Science Focus reported Thursday (8/3/2023).

This find has grown into an ancient species of creature that actively patrolled coastal waters 40 million years ago. Researchers say this giant animal has long been extinct in rock formations in the Ica Desert in southern Peru.

“It’s very different from anything I’ve seen before. It’s the heaviest mammalian skeleton found so far, probably the heaviest vertebrate ever seen,” said Alberto Collareta, a paleontologist at the University of Pisa.

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Writing in the journal Nature, Collareta and colleagues describe how this fossil was discovered about 13 years ago. It was also explained how they had spent years preparing for the study.

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The researchers compared 13 vertebrae, four ribs and a hip bone from Perucetus colossus with bones from close relatives of whales. From this it was revealed that Perucetus colossus was larger in size and its bones were so dense.

Unlike most whales, Perucetus colossus had heavier and more probable bones. The giant sea giant species is also suspected to be slow-swimming scavengers.

In addition to its large size, Perucetus colossus also has interesting facts that surprised the researchers. The interesting fact is that they appear to have front legs for walking on the seabed and small hind legs.

“If we look at the more conservative estimate of 85 tons [untuk hewan yang baru ditemukan]we’re definitely in a rough estimate of the blue whale, which is the largest animal known to date,” said Eli Amson, fossil mammal specialist.

“There may be much larger blue whale individuals, but perhaps from this new species there are also much larger individuals,” he continued.

Amson said the findings offer important insight into gigantism in early cetaceans, animals that include dolphins and whales. This demonstrates that humans still have much to learn about the capabilities of cetaceans before the evolution of modern groups.

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0 109 2 minutes read
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