Subject: 'Sea monster' whale fossil unearthed


17:02 GMT, Wednesday, 30 June 2010 18:02 UK

eviathan was an aggressive 17m-long predator which may have preyed on
ther whales
By Pallab Ghosh
cience correspondent, BBC News
esearchers have discovered the fossilised remains of an ancient whale
ith huge, fearsome teeth.
Writing in the journal Nature, the scientists have dubbed the 12
illion-year-old creature "Leviathan".
It is thought to have been more than 17m long, and might have engaged
n fierce battles with other giant sea creatures from the time.
Leviathan was much like the modern sperm whale in terms of size and
ppearance.
At the same time in the same waters was another monster... they might
ave fought each other
Dr Christian de Muizon Natural History Museum, Paris
ut that is where the similarity ends. While the sperm whale is a
elatively passive animal, sucking in squid from the depths of the
cean, Leviathan was an aggressive predator.
According to Dr Christian de Muizon, director of the Natural History
useum in Paris, Leviathan could have hunted out and fed on large sea
reatures such as dolphins, seals and even other whales.
"It was a kind of a sea monster," he said.
"And it's interesting to note that at the same time in the same waters
as another monster, which was a giant shark about 15m long. It's
ossible that they might have fought each other".
The researchers speculate that Leviathan was able to feed on very
arge prey up to 8m long. It would catch the prey in its huge jaws and
ear it apart quickly and effectively with its giant teeth.
The Leviathan skull was discovered in 12 million year-old sediments
n Peru
3m-long fossilised skull of the creature was discovered by
esearchers in southern Peru in 2008. Dr de Muizon's student, Olivier
ambert was among them.
"It was the last day of our field trip when one of our colleagues came
nd told us that he thought he'd found something very interesting. So
e joined him and he showed it to us," he said.
"We immediately saw that it was a very large whale and when we looked
loser we saw it was a giant sperm whale with huge teeth."
The teeth were more than twice the length and diameter of those found
n modern sperm whales and they were on the upper and lower jaws.

r Christian de Muizon compares the giant's teeth with those of a
perm whale
Sperm whales only have teeth on their lower jaw.
Dr Lambert and his colleagues had speculated that such a fierce
reature might once have existed on the basis of discoveries of
ndividual teeth.
Now, the discovery of the skull means that the Leviathan is not merely
he stuff of myth and legend.
"Finally we found it," said Dr Lambert. " It was a very exciting
oment".
The researchers do not know why this ancient whale died out. They
peculate that the ecology and environment changed so that the
reature had to change its feeding habits.
That may have led to the emergence of today's much gentler sperm
hales, with the carnivorous niche filled by killer whales as
onditions swung back again.
The authors of the report in Nature, who are all whale experts, are
ans of the novel Moby Dick, which involves a ferocious white sperm
hale.
So taken are they with the novel that they decided to dedicate their
iscovery to the author, Herman Melville, and give the creature its
ull scientific name of Leviathan melvillei.