CAIRO: Palaeontologists in Egypt have unearthed an extinct species of whale that lived 41 million years ago when whale ancestors were just completing their move from land to sea.
The team has dubbed the species “Tutcetus rayanensis” after the Egyptian boy king Tutankhamun and the Wadi El-Rayan Protected Area in Egypt’s Fayoum Oasis where the type specimen was found.
With an estimated length of 2.5 meters (eight feet) and a body mass of approximately 187 kilogrammes (410 pounds), Tutcetus is the smallest species so far found from the basilosaurids, the oldest known whales that lived exclusively in the water.
Team leader Hesham Sallam, of the American University in Cairo (AUC), said it was a “remarkable discovery that documents one of the first phases of the transition to a fully aquatic lifestyle.”
Basilosaurids “developed fish-like characteristics, such as a streamlined body, a strong tail, flippers and a tail fin, and had the last hind limbs visible enough to be recognized as ‘legs’, which were not used for walking but possibly for mating,” Sallam said in an AUC statement.
Erik Seiffert of the University of Southern California, a co-author of the team’s findings published in the review Communications Biology, said the Eocene fossil sites of Egypt’s Western Desert have long been the world’s most important for understanding the early evolution of whales and their transition to a fully aquatic existence.
Fayoum Oasis, some 150 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Cairo, boasts Wadi Al-Hitan, the Valley of the Whales, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has turned up hundreds of fossils of some of the earliest forms of whale.
Now an oasis in the Western Desert, Fayoum lay under a tropical sea in the Eocene period 56 to 34 million years ago.
Egypt dig unearths 41mn-year-old whale in desert
https://arab.news/55yhr
Egypt dig unearths 41mn-year-old whale in desert
- Tutcetus is the smallest species so far found from the basilosaurids, the oldest known whales that lived exclusively in the water
Essex man takes on charity endurance challenge for children in Gaza
- Mark Watson, 63, is undertaking a “virtual Sumud” journey from his Essex home town in Harlow to Gaza, covering 2,287 miles
LONDON: A man in England has launched a demanding charity challenge to raise funds for children affected by the war in Gaza.
Mark Watson, 63, is undertaking a “virtual sumud” journey from his Essex home town in Harlow to Gaza, covering 3,680 km running, walking, swimming, cycling and rowing.
He is raising money for Medical Aid for Palestinians, a UK-based humanitarian organization that provides healthcare to Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied territories.
“I have felt helpless day after day seeing images of countless children in Gaza with broken bodies and missing limbs and witnessing their unbearable suffering,” Watson said on his JustGiving page.
“I have been inspired by the courage of those who took part in the global sumud flotilla and all of the activists who have put their lives and freedom at risk supporting the Palestinian people and so I am raising funds for Medical Aid for Palestinians.
“My challenge is to complete a virtual sumud from Harlow, where I live, to Gaza. Running, walking, swimming, cycling and rowing I will cover the 2,287 miles as quickly as I can.
“I am an unfit, overweight 63-year-old, so I’m not going to break any records, but the Arabic word Sumud means steadfastness and perseverance, and I will give it my all.
Watson added: “I hope to be joined by people I love and admire along the way, so please support my fundraiser. Every donation, however small, will help save the lives of Palestinians.”
As of Jan. 3, his fundraising effort had reached 12 per cent of its £5,000 ($6,733) target.
The war in Gaza began after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel responded with a large-scale military campaign in Gaza, which local health authorities say has resulted in the deaths of more than 71,000 Palestinians, widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and a severe humanitarian crisis.
International aid agencies have repeatedly said that children are among the most affected, facing injury, displacement, malnutrition and limited access to medical care.
Watson said he was inspired by activists and humanitarian efforts supporting Palestinians and hopes his challenge can make a small contribution to saving lives.
