Egypt Discovery Shows How Ancient Whales Moved from Land to Sea
2021-09-02
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1Scientists say they have found a 43 million-year-old fossil of a whale ancestor in Egypt.
2The fossil remains help show how ancestors of modern whales might have moved from living on land to living in water.
3An Egyptian-led team of researchers made the discovery.
4The newly found whale belongs to the Protocetidae group.
5That is a group of ancient whale ancestors that might have lived on land and in the water.
6The fossil was found in the Fayum Depression in Egypt's Western Desert.
7The area was once covered by a sea.
8Scientists have made many discoveries there that have provided more information about the evolution of whales.
9The new species is named Phiomicetus Anubis.
10It is estimated to have been three meters long and weighed about 600 kilograms.
11It fed on other animals, the researchers said.
12It is the oldest whale ancestor known in Africa.
13"Phiomicetus anubis is a key new whale species, and a critical discovery for Egyptian and African paleontology," said Abdullah Gohar of the Mansoura University Vertebrate Palaeontology Centre (MUVP).
14He is the lead writer of a paper on the fossil.
15The whale evolution in Africa is still largely unknown, the researchers said.
16But work in the area can provide new information about the evolutionary change from amphibious to fully aquatic whales.
17Rocks in the Fayum Depression cover a 12 million year period.
18Researchers have found "semiaquatic crocodile-like whales to giant fully aquatic whales," said Mohamed Sameh.
19He is with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and also a writer of the study.
20The research also raises questions about ancient environments.
21Part of the whale's name honors the Fayum Depression.
22The species name comes from Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god connected with the afterlife.
23I'm Dan Novak.
1Scientists say they have found a 43 million-year-old fossil of a whale ancestor in Egypt. The fossil remains help show how ancestors of modern whales might have moved from living on land to living in water. 2An Egyptian-led team of researchers made the discovery. 3The newly found whale belongs to the Protocetidae group. That is a group of ancient whale ancestors that might have lived on land and in the water. 4The fossil was found in the Fayum Depression in Egypt's Western Desert. The area was once covered by a sea. Scientists have made many discoveries there that have provided more information about the evolution of whales. 5The new species is named Phiomicetus Anubis. It is estimated to have been three meters long and weighed about 600 kilograms. It fed on other animals, the researchers said. It is the oldest whale ancestor known in Africa. 6"Phiomicetus anubis is a key new whale species, and a critical discovery for Egyptian and African paleontology," said Abdullah Gohar of the Mansoura University Vertebrate Palaeontology Centre (MUVP). He is the lead writer of a paper on the fossil. 7The whale evolution in Africa is still largely unknown, the researchers said. But work in the area can provide new information about the evolutionary change from amphibious to fully aquatic whales. 8Rocks in the Fayum Depression cover a 12 million year period. Researchers have found "semiaquatic crocodile-like whales to giant fully aquatic whales," said Mohamed Sameh. He is with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and also a writer of the study. The research also raises questions about ancient environments. 9Part of the whale's name honors the Fayum Depression. The species name comes from Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god connected with the afterlife. 10I'm Dan Novak. 11Mahmoud Mourad reported this story for Reuters. Dan Novak adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 12___________________________________________________ 13Words in This Story 14fossil - n. the remains of an ancient living thing that have turned to mineral 15amphibious - adj. able to live on both land and in the water 16evolution - n. a theory that the differences between modern plants and animals are because of changes that happened by a natural process over a very long time 17species - n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants 18key - adj. something that provides an explanation or solution 19critical -adj. extremely important 20aquatic - adj. living in or found near the water