What has four legs, hooves, a snout like an otter and roamed the beaches of Peru 43 million years ago? A whale, of course. Scientists have found a rare skeleton of a whale dating from a time before the animals lost their ability to live on land. The discovery helps to resolve the mystery of how and when they migrated to the Americas. Sponsored Whales are unusual in that they first evolved legs and then de-evolved them. Like all mammals, they are descendants of a creature that left the ocean and adapted to breathe air and move on land. However, after the extinction of the dinosaurs, they went in the other direction: adapting to the oceans again, except with the distinct disadvantage that they now needed<doc-sep>The whales we know today are large, fish-like animals that only live in the sea. But the ancestors of these underwater creatures had legs to carry them on land. Now, scientists working in South America have reported the discovery of fossils of a four-legged whale. The scientists believe it lived about 43 million years ago. They say the find is important to helping understand the evolution and movements of these early whales. Paleontologists reported on the discovery in the publication Current Biology. They wrote that a research team discovered the fossils eight years ago in a coastal desert area of southern Peru. Scientists have been studying them and putting together the skeleton. The four-legged whale is called Peregocetus pacificus, which in Latin means “the travelling whale that reached the Pacific Ocean.” It was an ancestor of whales that were amphibious, having the ability to live both on land and in water. Fossil evidence shows that the first such animals appeared about 50 million years ago in areas currently making up India and Pakistan. The creatures were about four meters long. They were able to carry their own weight and could walk the Earth. Scientists believe the Peregocetus spent most of its time in the water, but might have climbed onto the rocky coast to rest or give birth. The fossil shows evidence that the animal’s hands and feet had small hooves and their toes were connected to aid in swimming. Olivier Lambert is a paleontologist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels. He unearthed the fossil and has examined it with other scientists from Peru, Italy and France. Lambert says the fossil provides valuable information about how these early whales developed and traveled. Finding it in Peru suggests the whales spread from South Asia to North Africa, then crossed the South Atlantic to reach the Americas. At that time, the distance across the ocean was thought to have been half what it is today. In addition, east-west ocean currents at the time are believed to have helped the whales’ movements. Later, the ancestors of Peregocetus moved further north to reach the east coast of North America. In the past, fossil remains of four-legged whales were found in India, Pakistan and parts of Africa. But the African samples were in too many pieces to provide a clear picture of the animals. Lambert called his group’s discovery “the most complete specimen ever found for a four-legged whale outside of India and Pakistan.” The scientists say the newly-discovered fossils provide evidence that the whale also had good swimming skills. Lambert said bone parts examined from the tail suggest the whale moved in similar ways to current amphibious animals, such as otters and beavers. Lambert says Peru’s Pisco Basin, where the discovery was made, likely holds other fossils that can provide new information about whales and other creatures from the past. "We have work for at least the next 50 years," he added. I’m Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse and online sources. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story fossil – n. part of an animal or plant from thousands of years ago, preserved in rock evolution – n. the way in which living things gradually change and develop over millions of years paleontologist – n. someone who studies fossils hooves – n. the hard parts on the bottom of the feet of some animals specimen – n. an animal, plant, etc. that is used as an example of its type, especially for scientific study tail – n. the long, narrow part that extends from the back of an animal's body<doc-sep>A group of researchers reported the discovery of 42.6 million-year-old marine sediments along Peru’s coastal area. The discovery hints at an ancient four-legged whale which was the predecessor of today’s whales and dolphins. The new discovery sheds light on how these animals, also known as Cetaceans evolved through history. The findings of the study were reported in the journal Current Biology on April 4. Researchers focused on the existence of small hooves located at the tips of fingers and toes on the ancient four-legged whale. The construction suggests that it could walk on land while also living in the water, the discovery suggests. “This is the first indisputable record of a quadrupedal whale skeleton for the whole Pacific Ocean, probably the oldest for the Americas, and the most complete outside India and Pakistan,” Olivier Lambert of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences said in a statement. Delbrook Resource Opportunities Surges On Rising Commodity Prices Commodity prices have surged higher this year, and that's yielded large profits for the commodities focused-investment fund, Delbrook Resource Opportunities. Q1 2021 hedge fund letters, conferences and more Delbrook's offering is a long/short investment strategy focused exclusively on the metals and mining sector. Managed by the firm's founder, Matthew Zabloski, the fund invests primarily in Read More Several years ago, the study’s co-author Mario Urbina of Museo de Historia Natural-UNMSM, Peru, discovered an area in the coastal desert of Southern Peru called Playa Media Luna which could be a promising site for unearthing fossils. “When digging around the outcropping bones, we quickly realized that this was the skeleton of a quadrupedal whale, with both forelimbs and hind limbs,” Lambert said. Using microfossils that they found, researchers successfully dated the sediment layers of the skeleton to the middle Eocene time period which took place around 42.6 million years ago. They took a careful look at the skeleton details of the animal, finding that it could easily maneuver its large body that could measure up to 13 feet long, through both water and land. A closer look at its tail, particularly the caudal vertebrae, showed that the animal had a tail similar to that of otters and beavers which was a great addition to its swimming capabilities. After discovering the geological age of the sediments, researchers were able to confirm that its discovery supports the theory that early cetaceans used the Atlantic Ocean to get to South America, starting their journey from Africa. The whales benefited from the westward surface currents, as well as the fact that the distance between the two continents was half compared to today. Researchers who participated in the study suggest that only through this way it was possible for modern whales’ and dolphins’ ancestors to eventually reach North America. The team, which consists of scientists from around the globe, will continue to focus on the sediments and study other whales and dolphins from Peru in order to connect the ancient animals to their modern counterparts. “We will keep searching in localities with layers as ancient, and even more ancient, than the ones of Playa Media Luna, so older amphibious cetaceans may be discovered in the future,” Lambert said.<doc-sep>"This is the most complete specimen ever found for a four-legged whale outside of India and Pakistan," Dr Olivier Lambert, a scientist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and co-author of the study, said.<doc-sep>
Whales used to walk on land A. Gennari A fossil of a 43-million-year-old whale that was still able to walk on land on four legs has been found in Peru. It is the first amphibious whale found in the southern hemisphere, and suggests that whales managed to swim across the South Atlantic early in their evolution. The 3-metre-long animal looked a bit like an otter or a beaver, with four legs and a large tail for swimming. “It was still capable of bearing its weight on its limbs,” says Olivier Lambert at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, a member of the team that made the discovery. “It was intermediate between fully walking and fully aquatic.” Experience Galapagos as Darwin did in 1835: Sailing on a New Scientist Discovery Tour Whales started evolving in South Asia around 50 million years ago, from a dog-like creature related to deer and hippos. As they became more aquatic, these early whales began spreading along coasts. Fossils of semi-aquatic whales have recently been found in West Africa. The latest discovery suggests that these early whales managed to swim from there to South America at least 43 million years ago. At the time, the West African coast was just 1200 kilometres from what is now Brazil, and there was a westward current. But it would still have taken a week or two to make the crossing. That may suggest that these whales were already capable of surviving without fresh water, and of sleeping at sea. They soon reached North America too, where fossil teeth dating to around 41 million years ago have been found. The last common ancestor of all modern whales and dolphins lived 37 million years ago, so the new discovery may be one of the ancestors of modern whales. However, it is far more likely to be a cousin – a member of a side branch that died off, says Lambert. Journal reference: Current Biology, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.02.050