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Ancient four-legged whale that looked like an otter discovered in Peru
Creature also had small 'hooves', a remnant of its land-based ancestors
Josh Gabbatiss
Science Correspondent@josh_gabbatiss
Thursday 04 April 2019
A four-legged creature that had a tail and webbed feet similar to those found on otters, has been identified as an ancestor of the whale.
Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planet’s oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago.
These small small “hooves” at the tips of its fingers and toes suggest it was able to walk on land as well as swim.
An international research team came across the 4 metre-long specimen while digging for bones in the coastal desert of the South American country.
They named it Peregocetus pacificus, meaning “the travelling whale that reached the Pacific.”
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