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
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese Army is continuing its investigations and will later announce any information that does not affect the confidentiality of the investigation
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: It has not yet been determined whether the detainees belong to ISIS or another organization
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Around 10 people of different nationalities, including Lebanese nationals, were detained
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese army arrested a number of people in the Matn area of Mount Lebanon with possession it has not disclosed
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: We have strong indications that there are martyrs, injuries, and trapped people in the Salah al-Din area
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Citizens should avoid Salah al-Din Street because anyone who approaches it is at risk of being directly targeted
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Reality is that there is a very limited retreat of the vehicles, with the occupation forces providing cover undeer fire up to Salah al-Din Street
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Claims that the Israeli occupation has withdrawn from areas in the neighborhoods of al-Zaytoun, al-Tuffah, and al-Shujaiya are false
Hamas: The two delegations stressed that any negotiations must lead to the achievement of our people's goals and aspirations, foremost among which is ending the war and the complete withdrawal of enemy forces
Hamas: A delegation from the Hamas leadership, led by the head of the leadership council, Mohammad Darwish, met with an Islamic Jihad delegation, headed by its Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah

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

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

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