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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.
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'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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