Fossils of giant marine predator unearthed in Peru
Scientists have recovered fossilized remains of a giant extinct sperm whale who lived some 13 million years ago and most likely preyed on smaller whales, Nature said in its Thursday`s edition.
A team of researchers, led by Olivier Lambert and Giovanni Bianucci, recovered 75% of the animal`s skull, complete with large fragments of both jaws and several teeth, in the Pisco-Ica Desert on the southern coast of Peru.
The creature, named Leviathan melvillei after the mythical Hebrew sea monster, had a three-meter (ten-foot) skull, and was probably from 13.5 to 17.5 meters (44-57 feet) long.
The size of the extinct marine mammal is comparable with that of the largest modern sperm whales, which, however, use another method of hunting and have smaller teeth.
Leviathan`s cone-shaped teeth are measuring up to 36 cm and comparable in size to elephant tusks. They are way larger that those of Leviathan`s extant cousin sperm whale, a specialized deep-diving squid hunter relying mainly on suction for catching its prey.
"Leviathan is not the biggest whale feeding on large prey, but it has the largest teeth, and possibly the most powerful bite," Olivier Lambert was quoted as saying by The Independent.
Researchers think that Leviathan preyed on medium-sized baleen whales along with the extinct megatoothed shark megalodon, who is believed to live at the same period. It is unclear whether the two giants ever competed or fought for food.
The giant creature apparently became extinct as a result of a climate cooling, which probably caused changes in the number, diversity and size of its main food - baleen whales.
"Top predators are very sensitive to the changes in their prey," Lambert told Nature.
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