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 media citing security official: The Madleen vessel is 300 km from the coast of Gaza, we will decide what to do with it; it will not get to Gaza.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: four martyrs, 70 injured by IOF fire near aid center west of Rafah, southern Gaza.
The Mujahideen Movement: The two were killed along with dozens of others from their family in a cowardly Zionist assassination that targeted the Sabra neighborhood today
The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement mourns the martyrdom of its Secretary-General, Asaad Attiya Abu Sharia "Abu Al-Sheikh", along with his brother Ahmad
Abu Zaid: I believe that the Iranian operation was multi-layered, combining cyber and electronic attacks with coordinated on-the-ground infiltrations by agents
Abu Zaid: Usually, archives of such sensitivity are typically protected by a full-scale security system, but it appears that Iranian intelligence managed to make use of a gap in it
Strategic military expert Nidal Abu Zaid: Iran has stripped "Israel" of the superiority and deterrence long boasted by its security minister, chief of staff, and other top officials
Fallahpour: Iran may use these documents in its battle with the United States and Western countries over its nuclear program
Fallahpour: Iran may have obtained additional documents related to "Israel's" regional projects, not just its nuclear program
Fallahpour: The coming weeks will be full of surprises, as Iran has forced Israeli intelligence agencies into a state of psychological exhaustion

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

Lebanon's PM Nawaf Salam meets with US envoy Morgan Ortagus in Beirut on April 5, 2025 (Dalati Nohra via AP)AP)

Morgan Ortagus to exit US role in Lebanon amid policy shift

  • Politics
  • 1 Jun 2025
A Palestinian woman mourns as she embraces the body of her daughter Mayar Abu Odeh, 8, who was killed in an Israeli army strike on Gaza. at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP)

French port workers block arms shipment to 'Israel' amid Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 4 Jun 2025
The logo of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (wikidata)

Iran acquired thousands of sensitive Israeli documents: Exclusive

  • Politics
  • 7 Jun 2025
New Syrian group claims Golan strike, vows resistance to 'Israel'

New Syrian group claims Golan strike, vows resistance to 'Israel'

  • Politics
  • 4 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/pentagon-chief--nato-likely-to-back-trump-s-5--defence-spend
Politics

Europe spent $3 trillion on defense, but got little in return - FT

Power, parties, and scandal: Trump’s ties to Epstein: Telegraph
Europe

Power, parties, and scandal: Trump’s ties to Epstein - The Telegraph

Eilat port as seen from the sea, occupied Palestine, March 12 2009 (wikimedia commons)
Politics

YAF operations forced 80% plunge in Eilat port revenues in 2024

EU backs International Criminal Court after US sanctions judges
Europe

EU backs International Criminal Court after US sanctions judges

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