Massive whale graveyard dating back 5.3 million years discovered in Indian Ocean
By
Dan Sales
Summary
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered a massive underwater whale graveyard in the Indian Ocean, dating back up to 5.3 million years. During 32 dives, explorers collected samples from 485 whale-fossil sites and active whale falls, finding remains including the extinct beaked whale Pterocetus benguelae and a five-metre long Antarctic minke whale skeleton. The scale, depth, and age range of the discovery far exceeded researchers' expectations.
Source
bskyMassive whale graveyard dating back 5.3 million years discovered in Indian Oceanbbc.co.ukKey quotes
· 3 pulledDiscovering a necropolis of this scale was completely unexpected.
The size of distribution, the depth and the age range were far beyond anything we had imagined.
The Indian Ocean site is 'far beyond anything we had imagined', one researcher says.
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