Fossil of four-legged whale found in Egypt

The amphibious whale is named Phimicetus Anubis. It belongs to a group of extinct whales called Protocetidae, which could both swim and walk on land.

Researchers think the new whale was likely a top predator. It had an estimated body length of 10 feet and a body mass of about 1,300 lbs.

A researcher Mansoura University Centre for fossils, Abdullah Gohar, said:"This specimen was found in the deserts of Fayum from rock formations that are 43 million years old. The question here is: 'Can we in the future find skeletons of other whales?' This is part of an action plan that we are working on here at the Salam lab, that in the future we can find more fossils of this whale or of other whales and be able to form a complete picture to understand the evolution of whales, which are considered one of the creatures that developed the most in its evolution because it evolved from living on land to living in the sea."