Perucetus colossus lived 39 million years ago and weighed between 85 and 340 tonnes, making it larger than even blue whales. The discovery has sparked both fan art and music, captivating the world.
By Chen Ly
An artist’s impression of Perucetus colossus
Alberto Gennari
In August, the blue whale was cut down to size. Once known as the heaviest animal to have ever existed, that title has now been claimed by a gargantuan species of ancient whale discovered in Peru. The oversized beast, dubbed Perucetus colossus, has delighted people around the world.
The story of P. colossus began in 2010, when Eli Amson at the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart in Germany and his colleagues unearthed the partial skeleton of an enormous whale in southern Peru. The…
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