The bones were discovered more than a decade ago by Mario Urbina from the University of San Marcos’ Natural History Museum in Lima.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Moby Dick has a run for his money. Peru has unveiled the remnants of what could be the
00:07 heaviest animal to ever live. Named Parusius Colossus, or the Colossal Whale from Peru,
00:12 the mass of fossils are 39 million years old.
00:17 Part of the ancient creature's vertebrae are now on display in the University of San Marcos
00:21 National History Museum. Each one weighs over 100 kilograms and its ribs measure nearly
00:27 1.4 metres long.
00:30 The bones were first discovered in the Ica Desert, 300 kilometres south of Lima. It's
00:35 a region which was once underwater and is known for its rich marine fossils. Experts
00:40 believe it weighs more than today's heaviest creature, the blue whale, due to the density
00:45 of its bones.
00:48 The ancient whale is likely to have had a very small head compared to its body, though
00:52 there are no available bones to confirm this. Without evidence of teeth, it was impossible
00:57 to say for sure what this marine mammal ate, but it's thought to have scavenged off the
01:01 sea floor as it's believed it could not swim quickly.
01:05 (air whooshing)
01:08 (whooshing)