Saturday, December 14, 2019

ARCHAEOLOGY: Whale of a Desert Find

Q: How do you think Whales end up in modern deserts?
A: I'll go with And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
Genesis 7:24

"Paleontologists have announced the discovery of a new genus and
species of extinct protocetid whale, based on the fossilized remains found in the Western Desert of Egypt. Named Aegicetus gehennae.

Protocetidae (protocetids) are a group of semi-aquatic whales known from the middle Eocene epoch of Africa, Asia, North America, and South America.
While living whales use their tails to propel themselves through the water, most protocetids were foot-powered swimmers.
The newly-discovered protocetid, Aegicetus gehennae, was more fully aquatic and less specialized as a foot-powered swimmer than earlier protocetids.

The fossilized bones of two Aegicetus gehennae individuals were
collected in 2007 from the Gehannam Formation of Wadi Al Hitan (Valley of Whales), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Western Desert of Egypt.

The body shape of Aegicetus gehennae is similar to that of other ancient whales of its time, such as the famous Basilosaurus,” Professor Gingerich and co-authors said."
SciNews