Egypt team identifies fossil of land-roaming whale species

By NOHA ELHENNAWY
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian scientists say the fossil of a four-legged prehistoric whale found in 2008 is that of a previously unknown species. The creature was semi-aquatic because it moved between land and sea and is believed to have lived 43 million years ago. Egypt’s education and science minister said this week that the fossil found in the Western Desert — an area covered by seas in prehistoric times — is a new species. It sheds light on the evolution of whales from herbivore land mammals into carnivorous species living exclusively in water today. The region is known for the so-called Whale Valley, a natural World Heritage site with fossils of prehistoric whales.