Prehistoric Whale Fossil Found in Taiwan Forest

An almost complete fossil of a prehistoric whale has been found in the middle of a forest in Taiwan. The log is the oldest log found on the island and is about 15 meters long.

According to the research team responsible for verifying the find, the fossil is almost 70% complete and can be attributed to a blue whale or a fin whale who lived about 85,000 years ago.

A statement from the National University cheng kung He states that the whale’s shoulder blades, jaw, back of the skull, and tail vertebrae are well preserved, making it easier to identify the species.

The heaviest chin was “334 pounds and 223 centimeters long,” according to the statement. The fossil was excavated for 90 days and then taken by researchers on foot to the University and stored in the National Museum of Natural Sciences.

The skeleton’s first four ribs were found in May by Zhou Wenbo, a member of the National Institute of Cheng Kung University Archeology’s excavation team, and collector Zhang Yumu.

Zhou told Newsweek, “The area in Hengchun City is a hot spot to find fossils. Many fossils of shells, sharks, crabs, and whalebones have been found there.”

The displacement of the bones was carried out by eight people. Zhuang Jingren, one of the rescue volunteers, said in a statement that he had not seen jaws longer than one meter in the area.

The university also claims that the skeleton is the second largest mammal fossil ever found in the country. The first belonged to a rhino and was discovered in 1971. The species in question is thought to have lived between 11.7 thousand and 2.5 million years ago.

Cleaning of found bones should continue over the next few weeks. The scientists hope that further research on these fossils will “help us understand how whales have adapted to environmental changes from the ice age to the present.”