Recently scientists in Peru unearthed the fossils of an ancient whale they say could have been the biggest thing to ever live on planet Earth. It swam around our planet’s waters 38-40 million years ago, during a period known as the Eocene epoch and it was absolutely gigantic.
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00:00 If you were asked to close your eyes and picture the largest creature to ever roam the Earth,
00:07 something like this might come to mind.
00:09 However, recently scientists in Peru unearthed the fossils of an ancient whale.
00:13 They say it could have been the biggest thing to ever live on this planet.
00:16 This is a 3D rendering of that creature, called Perusidus Colossus.
00:20 It swam around our planet's waters 38 to 40 million years ago, during a period known as
00:25 the Eocene Epoch.
00:26 They say it grew to lengths of around 66 feet and weighed as much as 750,000 pounds.
00:32 For comparison, the Argentinosaurus, which paleontologists say was the largest dinosaur
00:36 to ever live, was only estimated to have weighed 168,000 pounds.
00:41 Meanwhile, the blue whale, the largest living creature today, can measure up to 100 feet
00:45 long, but tops out at around 300,000 pounds.
00:48 And the fossils of Perusidus, which were discovered in what is now a desert, are absolutely gargantuan.
00:54 So far they've only unearthed 13 vertebrae, 4 ribs and a hip bone, but the size of them
00:58 is truly remarkable.
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