Skull Of Marine Monster In Peru Refers To Horrifying Prehistoric Beast Of Prey

The skull of a fearsome marine carnivore, a prehistoric predecessor of present-day whales, which once resided in an ancient ocean spanning part of what is now Peru, has been uncovered by local paleontologists.
Scientists dug up the nearly 36-million-year-old skull last year, in extremely perfect condition, appearing to be perfectly preserved, from the bone-dry rocks of Peru’s southern Ocucaje desert, with rows of long, pointy teeth, according to Rodolfo Salas, chief of paleontology at Peru’s National University of San Marcos.
The prehistoric mammal is believed to be a basilosaurus, which means “king lizard”, as its long body might have moved like a massive snake, although the animal wasn’t a reptile. The creature belongs to the aquatic cetacean family, having contemporary descendants such as whales, dolphins and porpoises, according to researchers.

Source: Ernesto Benavides / AFP - Getty Images

The one-time top predator possibly measures roughly 12 m (39 ft) long, or about the height of a 4-story construction. “It was a marine monster,” claimed Salas, adding the skull, which has already been exhibited at the university’s museum, may be from to a new species of basilosaurus. “When it was searching for its food, it surely did a lot of damage,” he added.
The earliest cetaceans were thought to have evolved from mammals walked on land about 55 million years ago, nearly 10 million years after the collision of an asteroid versus present-day Yucantan peninsula of Mexico. The asteroid was known to have eliminated nearly all life forms on Earth, including the dinosaurs.
Salas further clarified that upon the death of the prehistoric basilosaurus, its skull might have sunk to the bottom of the sea floor, quickly buried and preserved. “Back during this age, the conditions for fossilization were very good in Ocucaje,” he said.
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