Scientists Discover Fossil Of A 4-Legged Whale With A Raptor-Like Eating Style

Enlarge this image

A group of scientists have discovered a fossil of a now-extinct whale with four legs. This visual reconstruction shows Phiomicetus anubis preying on a sawfish.

Robert W. Boessenecker

hide caption

toggle caption

Robert W. Boessenecker

Animals
Scientists Are ‘Spying On Whales’ To Learn How They Eat, Talk And … Walked?

In other words, these walking whales had a «strong raptorial feeding style.»

«We discovered how fierce and deadly its powerful jaws are capable of tearing a wide range of prey … this whale was a god of death to most of the animals that lived in its area,» Abdullah Gohar, one of the scientists, told Insider.

The new whale is called Phiomicetus anubis, which the scientists named in part after Anubis, the canine-headed Egyptian god associated with mummification and the afterlife. It was likely a top predator at the time, similar to what a killer whale is today.

Enlarge this image

Study authors Mohamed Sameh (from left), Abdullah Gohar and Hesham Sallam surround the holotype fossils of the new whale, Phiomicetus anubis, at Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology center.

Abdullah Gohar

hide caption

toggle caption

Abdullah Gohar

Study authors Mohamed Sameh (from left), Abdullah Gohar and Hesham Sallam surround the holotype fossils of the new whale, Phiomicetus anubis, at Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology center.

Abdullah Gohar

Whales, it turns out, used to be «herbivorous, deer-like terrestrial mammals,» the scientists write. Over the span of about 10 million years, whales turned into carnivorous creatures in the ocean. The discovery of the four-legged creature is part of that evolution.

Legs Propelled Whale Ancestor

So, a whale with legs and massive head with a vicious eating style.

Good luck sleeping tonight.