https://sputnikglobe.com/20230906/us-schoolgirl-digs-up-34-million-year-old-whale-skull-in-alabama-1113141689.html
US Schoolgirl Digs Up 34 Million-Year-Old Whale Skull in Alabama
US Schoolgirl Digs Up 34 Million-Year-Old Whale Skull in Alabama
Sputnik International
A schoolgirl from Alabama found a huge ancient fossilized whale skull while digging on her family's property. The carnivorous whale lived during the Eocene Epoch (56 to 33.9 mln years ago).
2023-09-06T01:13+0000
2023-09-06T01:13+0000
2023-09-06T01:11+0000
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A schoolgirl from Alabama recently found a massive ancient fossilized whale skull while digging on her family's property.Over summer vacation schoolgirl Lindsey Stallworth - together with her science teacher, Drew Gentry, conducted excavations at the Stallworth family's timber property in Monroe County, Alabama. After only a few hours of searching, they stumbled upon a huge bone sticking out of the hill.The original impetus to excavate the area was the fossilized shark teeth that Stallworth brought to class last year. She had been finding such teeth since she was 7 years old.According to the teacher, at first they had "very little idea" what they had found, except that it was a large vertebrate animal. Only later, with informational support from the US Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of Alabama, the preliminary age of the findings was established.After about a week of slowly removing excess stone with toothpicks and small hammers, the pair were able to expose a large tooth from the lower jaw of a large animal. The researchers identified the find from a photo of the tooth as an ancient predatory whale.The skull, nicknamed Karen, has been taken to the Alabama School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences for study. Lindsey Stallworth plans to resume excavations next year: some elements indicate the ground may hide other parts of the skeleton of the ancient animal.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230902/scientists-accidentally-find-70-dinosaur-footprints-in-texas-1113082464.html
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alabama ancient fossil whale, whale skull found in alabama, ancient whales, us paleontolog
alabama ancient fossil whale, whale skull found in alabama, ancient whales, us paleontolog
US Schoolgirl Digs Up 34 Million-Year-Old Whale Skull in Alabama
The newly-discovered carnivorous whale lived during the Eocene Epoch (56 to 33.9 million years ago), a period when sea levels were higher and the area of present-day Alabama was flooded by a shallow ocean.
A schoolgirl from Alabama recently found a massive ancient fossilized whale skull while digging on her family's property.
Over summer vacation schoolgirl Lindsey Stallworth - together with her science teacher, Drew Gentry, conducted excavations at the Stallworth family's timber property in Monroe County, Alabama. After only a few hours of searching, they stumbled upon a huge bone sticking out of the hill.
The original impetus to excavate the area was the fossilized shark teeth that Stallworth brought to class last year. She had been finding such teeth since she was 7 years old.
"The biggest thing I previously found was a shark’s tooth about three inches tall and wide that took up the palm of my hands," said Stallworth.
According to the teacher, at first they had "very little idea" what they had found, except that it was a large vertebrate animal. Only later, with informational support from the US Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of Alabama, the preliminary age of the findings was established.
"We saw something and we were like ‘oh my gosh, what is this? And once we started digging into it and looking, we slowly realized what we had actually found," Stallworth told local media outlet.
2 September 2023, 22:35 GMT
After about a week of slowly removing excess stone with toothpicks and small hammers, the pair were able to expose a large tooth from the lower jaw of a large animal. The researchers identified the find from a photo of the tooth as an ancient predatory whale.
The exact species of the whale has not yet been determined.
In the Eocene, the ocean above Alabama was home to many primitive whales, including Basilosaurus cetoides. This ferocious marine mammal lived 34-40 million years ago and grew to be 18 meters long. The find may be a new species in the family Basilosauridae.
The skull, nicknamed Karen, has been taken to the Alabama School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences for study. Lindsey Stallworth plans to resume excavations next year: some elements indicate the ground may hide other parts of the skeleton of the ancient animal.
