VOA科学技术2023--Ancient Whale May Be Heaviest Animal Ever Found

Ancient Whale May Be Heaviest Animal Ever Found

Scientists have discovered fossils that might have belonged to the heaviest animal in Earth's history.

The blue whale holds the current record as the largest creature to live on Earth. But a collection of bones found in Peru might break that record.

Researchers recently introduced the whale species in a study in the publication Nature. It is called Perucetus colossus, or "the colossal¹ whale from Peru." Each back bone, or vertebra, weighs more than 100 kilograms. The animal's ribs² measure nearly 1.4 meters long.

Mario Urbina discovered the bones in 2012. He is with the University of San Marcos' Natural History Museum in Lima. An international team spent years digging them out from the side of a rocky hill in the Ica desert.

The area was once underwater and is known for its rich collection of ocean fossils. The find resulted in 13 backbone³ vertebrae, four ribs and a hip⁴ bone. The large fossils date back to around 39 million years ago.

Alberto Collareta is a paleontologist at Italy's University of Pisa. He was a lead writer of the study. He told The Associated Press the fossils were "unlike anything I've ever seen."

Hans Thewissen is a paleontologist at Northeast Ohio Medical University who did not take part in the research. He said, "It's just exciting to see such a giant animal that's so different from anything we know."

After the digging operation, the researchers used 3D scanners to study the surface of the bones and also looked inside. The researchers used the huge but incomplete skeleton to estimate the whale's size and weight, said Eli Amson. He is a paleontologist at the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, Germany.

The team estimates the ancient creature weighed somewhere between 85 and 340 metric tons. The biggest blue whales found have been within that range, at about 180 metric tons.

The body of Perucetus colossus stretched about 20 meters long. Blue whales can be longer, with some growing to more than 30 meters. This means the newly discovered whale was "possibly the heaviest animal ever," said the University of Pisa's Collareta. But, he added, "it was most likely not the longest animal ever."

The research team said one reason the animal weighs more is because its bones are much denser⁵ and heavier than a blue whale's bones. Those super-dense bones suggest the whale may have spent its time in less deep, coastal⁶ waters, the scientists said. Other animals that stay close to the coast, like manatees⁷, have heavy bones to help them stay close to the seafloor.

Amson, from the State Museum of Natural History in Germany, said that without the skull⁸, it is hard to know what the whale was eating to support such a huge body. It is possible that the large creature sought food along the seafloor, the researchers said. Or it could have eaten up tons of smaller sea life in the ocean.

Thewissen added that he would not be surprised "if this thing actually fed in a totally different way that we would never imagine."

Words in This Story

fossil – n. something (such as a leaf, skeleton, or footprint) from a plant or animal that lived in ancient times and that you can see in old rocks

species – n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

colossal – adj. very large

paleontologist – n. a person who studies fossil animals and plants

giant – adj. extremely big

 

scanner – n. a device that images things to see what is inside

1 colossal   

adj.异常的，庞大的

参考例句：

• There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。
• Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。

2 ribs   

n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。

3 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

4 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

5 denser   

adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• As Tito entered the neighbourhood of San Martino, he found the throng rather denser. 蒂托走近圣马丁教堂附近一带时，发现人群相当密集。

6 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

7 manatees   

n.海牛（水生哺乳动物，体宽扁，尾圆，有鳃状肢）( manatee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The manatees tamed quickly. 海牛很快地被驯服。 来自互联网
• Gentle and slow moving, manatees are said to be the mythical mermaids of sailors' imaginations. 海牛游动温和而缓慢，被认为是海员遐想中富有神秘色彩的美人鱼。 来自互联网

8 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。