Whale cemetery discovered in Chile

(Source: Skynews)

A team of palaeontologists working in northern Chile has unearthed an ancient whales' graveyard filled with fossils dating back seven million years.

The discovery of around 80 fossils was made just outside of the port city of Caldera, 869km (540 miles) north of Santiago.

John Vega, site manager, said the size of the find exceeded all their expectations.

'In 15 days, we have had almost 15 whales. It really was a surprise. We didn't expect to find so many fossils in one place,' said Vega.

The team has been carefully extracting the ancient remains from the site since May.

Chief palaeontologist Marion Suarez said the discovery had huge significance.
 


'It is one of the richest sites because we have found new species,' said Suarez.

The whales are ancient relatives of the whales of today, and date back to the Miocene and Pliocene period.

Sol Squire, a palaeontologist, has also been working on the project and said the find was unprecedented.

'The whale discovery is a discovery of global importance. There has never been a find of this size or diversity anywhere in the world, which is one of the very special parts of Atacama region,'said Squire.

The discovery is the largest of its kind in South America, with many fossils having complete skeletons - crucial for new research.

Remains of sharks, dolphins and seals were also discovered.
 

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