Where was this discovery made?
The blue whale might not be the largest mammal ever. Scientists recently discovered a fossilised whale named Perucetus colossus, which lived many years ago. Perucetus colossus might have been heavier than a blue whale.
The fossil was discovered in the Pisco Formation in the Ica Desert, a coastal area of Peru.
What more did they learn about the whale?
Blue whales are endangered animals that weigh between 100 and 150 tonnes. Some can even reach 200 tonnes. Scientists who discovered this say that the Perucetus colossus weighed around 85 to 340 tonnes. Their best guess is that it was about 180 tonnes. This discovery was published in the Nature journal.
The whale's incredible weight was due to its big and strong bones. Scientists also believe that this whale used to live in shallow coastal areas.
What do other experts say about this discovery?
Nicholas Pyenson, a palaeontologist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, USA, believes this discovery will change our understanding of how whales evolved. But he's not ready to say that Perucetus colossus weighed more than the blue whale.
He explains that determining the weight of an extinct species from its fossils is difficult. The remains are incomplete, and there’s no way to put muscles on the bones. The scientists who discovered it also agreed that it might have been heavier than the blue whale, but it's difficult to say so for sure.
