Fossil of 36 million years old monster whale found in Peruvian desert

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Paleontologists unveiled the fossilized remains of an ancient monster whale found in a desert in southern Peru which was an ocean in prehistoric times.</p>
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"We have presented the new Peruvian basilosaurus, it is the complete skull of an archaic whale that lived 36 million years ago," paleontologist Mario Urbina, head of the team that discovered the skeleton, told AFP.</p>
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Urbina said the basilosaurus was found at the end of 2021 in the Ocucaje Desert in the Ica department, about 350 kilometers south of Lima. The desolate landscape was a shallow sea millions of years ago, and its dunes have yielded large numbers of striking primitive sea mammal remains.</p>
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Scientists said these fossils help to reconstruct the history of the Peruvian sea.</p>
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The "Ocucaje Predator," was about 55 feet long and used its massive, powerful teeth to feed on tuna, sharks and schools of sardines.</p>
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The animal was one of the largest predators of its time and considered to be at the top of the food chain.</p>