Fossils of giant marine predator unearthed in Peru
MOSCOW. July 1. KAZINFORM Scientists have recovered fossilized remains of a giant extinct sperm whale who lived some 13 million years ago and most likely preyed on smaller whales, Nature said in its Thursday's edition; Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.
A team of researchers, led by Olivier Lambert and Giovanni Bianucci, recovered 75% of the animal's skull, complete with large fragments of both jaws and several teeth, in the Pisco-Ica Desert on the southern coast of Peru.
The creature, named Leviathan melvillei after the mythical Hebrew sea monster, had a three-meter (ten-foot) skull, and was probably from 13.5 to 17.5 meters (44-57 feet) long.
The size of the extinct marine mammal is comparable with that of the largest modern sperm whales, which, however, use another method of hunting and have smaller teeth.
Leviathan's cone-shaped teeth are measuring up to 36 cm and comparable in size to elephant tusks. They are way larger that those of Leviathan's extant cousin sperm whale, a specialized deep-diving squid hunter relying mainly on suction for catching its prey; Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.