At some point, whales literally walked the Earth. Scientists have believed this for quite some time, but the evidence has been elusive. On Wednesday, though, researchers presented a recent discovery that gives some of the first meaningful insight into how whales transitioned from land to water. The evidence: a 43 million-year-old fossil of a previously unknown whale ancestor with four legs, detailed for the first time in a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Meet Phiomicetus anubis, an ancient whale ancestor who once called the area that we now know as Egypt its stomping grounds. It is believed to be a member of the Protocetid family — a group of semi-aquatic whales that once ruled land and sea during the Eocene period. Measuring in at about 10 feet in length and believed to weigh over 1,300 pounds, Phiomicetus anubis was a massive beast. Researchers believe that the whale-like creature was a top predator, aided by a "jackal-like head," as Insider put it, and a powerful jaw that allowed it to rip into prey.
