Ancient four-legged whale, webbed feet and hooves of toes discovered in Peru

A skeleton of the strange whale walking on the land explains how whales have spread for the first time in the world.

So here is a slogan: cetaceans (the group that includes whales and dolphins) are native to South Asia, there are more than 50 million years old, from small mammals to four paws and the size of a dog. Named Pakicetus and originally from present-day Pakistan, the animals had inner ear components that were found only in cetaceans. Ladies and gentlemen, let us introduce the "first whale".

But this is not a story about Pakicetus. We already know a lot about the strange evolution of whales, but we understand less what they did from Pakistan and India to the rest of the world. Now, the discovery of an ancient whale skeleton in Peru provides some answers.

The bones were found in marine sediments 42.6 million years old along the coast of Peru. The wacky four-legged whale had small hooves on the tips of his fingers and toes, and the morphology of his hips and limbs suggested that the whale was walking on land. But that's not all she could do: researchers have explained that the anatomical characteristics of the tail and feet, including long web-like appendages, similar to those of an otter, indicated that it was also an good swimmer.

"This is the first indisputable record of a quadruped whale skeleton for the entire Pacific Ocean, probably the oldest in the Americas and the most complete outside of the world. India and Pakistan, "says Olivier Lambert of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.

The discovery took place when Mario Urbina, co-author of the Museo de Historia Natural-UNMSM study in Peru, discovered a site that he said would be very useful for fossils in the coastal desert of southern Peru . In 2011, an international team organized a field expedition during which she discovered the remains of this ancient whale that they have since named. Peregocetus pacificus, meaning "the traveling whale that has reached the Pacific".

"Hollowing around the flush bones, we quickly realized that it was the skeleton of a quadruped whale, both anterior and hind limb," Lambert explains.

© The bones of Peregocetus, including the mandible with the teeth, the scapula, the vertebrae, the elements of the sternum, the pelvis and the anterior and posterior limbs. (G. Bianucci)

The sediment layers date from the mid-Eocene whale, 42.6 million years ago. The geological age of the whale and its location on the west coast of South America are strong evidence of the hypothesis that the first cetaceans reached the New World through the 39th century. South Atlantic, from the west coast of Africa to South America, the researchers reported.

"The whales would have been helped in their journey by the west surface currents and by the fact that, at the time, the distance between the two continents was half of what it is today. "they say. After reaching South America, amphibious whales probably migrated north, eventually reaching North America.

This video explaining the research contains excellent visuals to help explain the discovery and its meaning.

So there you have it. From a dog-like mammal with whale ears to a four-legged creature with webbed feet and toe hoofs to the majestic marine mammals we know and love today, the whale's journey has been long and fascinating. For the moment, the team is studying the remains of other whales and dolphins in the region and is considering further researching even older cetaceans in Peru.

"We will continue to search in areas as old and even older as Playa Media Luna, so that older amphibian cetaceans can be discovered in the future," Lambert said.

Given the diversity of whales 50 million years ago, one can only imagine what they could become in 50 million years ago. I secretly hope that they come back to earth to rule the world.

You can see the complete research in current biology.