New ferocious four-legged whale discovered in southern Egypt

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered the fossil of a new species of amphibious whale who plowed the waters 43 million years ago in Fayoum, south of Cairo, said a team member.

“It is an unknown species” for scientists, said professor of paleontology Hicham Salam, member of the team that discovered the fossil.

“This is the first time that a Arab research team, and particularly Egyptian, reports such a discovery ”, he added in televised remarks Thursday evening.

The new species of whale was over three meters tall and weighed around 600 kilograms, and was named “Fioumicetus anubis”, a name derived from the place where it was discovered, Fayum, and from god Anubis, one of the oldest Egyptian deities.

In a statement released Wednesday, the Ministry of the Environment said that this species of whale “was the fiercest and oldest in Africa “.

“The whale had the ability at the same time walk on land and swim in the sea“and it was” a large predator with powerful jaws, “added the ministry, which explains that this discovery is a witness to the evolution of this species.

In the Fayoum region, which millions of years ago was covered by water, there is what we call Whale Valley, which contains “invaluable” fossil remains, according to UNESCO.