UK Today News: Fossil Of Sea Monster Called ‘Leviathan Melvillei’ Found In Peru Desert
Sea Monster: A stilt of shock fell on the researchers who were in search of ancient whale fossils in the deserts of Peru, as they stumbled upon what they so call a ‘Sea Monster’ – believed to be almost three times bigger than our normal day killer whale.
According to reports, the researchers have termed the creature the ‘Leviathan Melvillei’, which happens to be so enormous that when the scientist found the teeth of the animal they assumed it to be elephant tusks. But the twist is that there were no elephants or mammoths in Peru 3 million years ago, and the specimen which has been discovered is almost 12 to 15 million years old, that just puts the assumption of elephants out of the question.
CNN reports that the researchers were working in the remote places in the desert, almost 300 kms south of the capital Lima. But then the fossils discovered were just 20 kms away to the nearest village. It was only when the strong desert winds which were blowing over the land shifted some of the sand off the fossil which made them discover the enormous creature. The skull size of the creature is about 3 times larger than a normal killer whale, and the largest skull till date of any animal is the blue whale skull, which is 6 meters long.
Researchers found some parts of the creature’s teeth and the jaw bone, where the teeth measured almost 12 cm in diameter and 36 centimeters in length. No perfect reason can be placed, on why did the creature disappear or go extinct, but according to the professor Jelle Reumer, the reason might be due to the climatic deterioration.
But it’s sad to know that according to Professor Reumer, it would be really hard to find another specimen of this creature, as it was the apex predator of that period, so only a few of these animal ever swam the ancient seas and to find any in a fossilized condition the chance are very slim.
