Four-legged whale fossil found in Egypt helps trace evolution from land to sea

Scientists said on Thursday they had discovered a 43-million-year-old fossil of a previously unknown amphibious four-legged whale species in Egypt that researchers hope will help trace the evolution of whales from land to sea.

The newly discovered whale belongs to the Protocetidae, a group of extinct whales that falls in the middle of that transition, and was unearthed from middle Eocene rocks in the Fayum Depression in Egypt's Western Desert.

The new whale, named Phiomicetus Anubis for his "deadly bite and strong jaw," had an estimated body length of some three metres and a body mass of about 600 kg, and was likely a top predator, according to the researchers.

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