Prehistoric whale skeletons found in Egypt
July 10th, 2010 - 6:38 pm ICT by IANSCairo, July 10 (IANS) Many skeletons of prehistoric whales have been discovered in a valley in Egypt, and officials Saturday said it might be an entirely unknown species.
A complete skull, two jaws, 20 vertebrae and some ribs were found in a valley north of Lake Qarun in Egypt’s Fayoum region, Xinhua reported citing the ministry of environment.
The vertebrae and some teeth belongs to a bigger whale, believed to be a previously unknown species.
The discovery has enriched the historic record of presence of whales in Egypt, the officials said.
Lake Qarun was a freshwater one in the prehistoric era but today is a saltwater lake. Ancient Egyptians used to live around the lake, fishing and hunting animals.
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Tags: ancient egyptians, animals, discovery, egypt cairo, fayoum, hunting, jaws, lake fishing, ministry of environment, prehistoric whale, presence, qarun, ribs, skull, teeth, unknown species, vertebrae, whale skeletons, whales, xinhua