Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli Channel 13: The objectives set by Netanyahu for the operation against Iran have not been achieved
Early US intel assessment suggests strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites, CNN reports, citing sources
Israeli media platform: An additional soldier has been confirmed killed in the serious incident in Gaza, who had previously been considered "missing" for some time
Pezeshkian: History will not forget how Iran’s enemies broke their pledges and agreements, resorting to aggression and invasion even during negotiations
Israeli media: Between 14 and 16 soldiers were injured in the incident, which reportedly involved two separate units at the brigade and division level
Israeli media: Three soldiers were declared killed at the scene, while others remain missing on the battlefield amid serious concerns over their fate
Israeli media: The rescue force that arrived to assist it fell into another ambush
Israeli media: A Puma armored personnel carrier was ambushed and set on fire in the Gaza Strip
Pezeshkian: The side that imposed this war is a terrorist enemy, yet Iran is the side that defined its end with the will and strength of its great and glorious people.
Pezeshkian: The entire world beheld the great power of Iran, embraced by the support of its people

Egypt dig unearths 41mn-year-old whale in desert

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 11 Aug 2023 09:09
2 Min Read

Discovery of Tutcetus rayanensis provides new insights into the creatures' transition from land to sea.

  • x
  •  Palaeontologists led by Hesham Sallam (R) show off the type specimen of Tutcetus rayanensis (American University in Cairo (AUC)/AFP)
    Palaeontologists led by Hesham Sallam (R) show off the type specimen of Tutcetus rayanensis (American University in Cairo (AFP)

An extinct species of whale that existed 41 million years ago, when whale ancestors were just finishing their transition from land to sea, has been discovered by paleontologists in Egypt.

The species has been given the name "Tutcetus rayanensis" in honor of Tutankhamun, the young king of Egypt, and the Wadi El-Rayan Protected Area in Egypt's Fayoum Oasis, where the type specimen was discovered.

Tutcetus is the smallest species of basilosaurid whale that has been discovered so far, measuring an estimated 2.5 meters (eight feet) in length and weighing roughly 187 kilograms (410 pounds). Basilosaurids are the oldest known whales that lived only in the water.

It was a "remarkable discovery that documents one of the first phases of the transition to a fully aquatic lifestyle", team leader Hesham Sallam, of the American University in Cairo (AUC), said.

Related News

Nefertiti may be buried by her stepson Tutankhamun: Curator

Mummy of historical Egyptian Queen Nefertiti soon to be identified

Read: Archaeologists discover mummification workshops in Egypt's Saqqara

Basilosaurids "developed fish-like characteristics, such as a streamlined body, a strong tail, flippers, and a tail fin, and had the last hind limbs visible enough to be recognized as 'legs', which were not used for walking but possibly for mating," Sallam said in an AUC statement. 

The Eocene fossil sites of Egypt's Western Desert have long been the world's most significant for comprehending the early evolution of whales and their transition to a fully aquatic existence, according to Erik Seiffert of the University of Southern California, a co-author of the team's findings published in the journal Communications Biology.

About 150 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Cairo, in the Fayoum Oasis, is Wadi al-Hitan, the Valley of the Whales, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where thousands of fossilized remains of some of the earliest whale species have been discovered.

Fayoum, now an oasis in the Western Desert, was once submerged beneath a tropical sea between 56 and 34 million years ago.

Read: Ancient Egypt excavation uncovers 2,000 ram heads in Egypt temple

  • tutankhamun
  • Egypt
  • whale
  • Tutcetus
  • New Discovery
  • Egypt Western Desert

Most Read

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a protest following the US attacks on nuclear sites in Iran, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP)

Iran declares victory as ceasefire forces Israeli retreat

  • Politics
  • Today
Israeli workers survey the site where a missile launched from Iran struck in Haifa on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP)

True Promise 3, wave 20: 40 missiles launched, Kheibar-Shekan in first

  • Politics
  • 22 Jun 2025
Rescue team work at the site where a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 16, 2025 (AP)

Wave 12 of Operation True Promise 3 launched, Sejjil deployed: IRGC

  • Politics
  • 18 Jun 2025
Iran launches strikes on Israeli targets, despite alleged ceasefire

Iran victorious as ceasefire with 'Israel' takes effect

  • Politics
  • Today

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, right, speaks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP)
Politics

Qatar confirms US request to mediate Iran-'Israel' ceasefire

A Palestinian girl waits to collect donated food at a food distribution kitchen in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Politics

Weaponization of food in Gaza constitutes war crime: UN

US President Donald Trump speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Pool via AP)
Politics

Trump’s surprise ceasefire shakes US officials and allies: NYT

US strikes deliberately avoided Iran’s Isfahan reactors: Bloomberg
Politics

US strikes deliberately avoided Iran’s Isfahan reactors: Bloomberg

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS