Your Egypt

[ScienceSailor]

GoodEvening EveryOne

Although I did study Geology as a double major with Chemistry for 4 years at Alex University, and News like this one at National Geography should not surprise me, so I would expect remains of fish, small/medium/large sized as Sharks, But Whales?
Here is what I just read in my email inbox:

Photo in the News: Whale Found in Egypt Desert

April 14, 2005—Egypt may not be the first place you'd look for whales, but once upon a time the Wadi Hitan desert was underwater and teeming with the sea giants.

Just this week here, geologist Philip D. Gingerich announced his team had excavated the first known nearly complete skeleton of a Basilosaurus isis (pictured). The 50-foot-long (18-meter-long), 40-million-year-old fossil will now be shipped to Michigan, where experts will preserve it. Later they will return the fossil to Egypt along with a complete cast of the skeleton.

The first of the truly gigantic whales, Basilosaurus had the serpentine shape of a sea monster and short, sharp teeth for hunting sharks and other prey. Unlike today's whales, it had no blowhole—the ancient behemoth had to raise its head above water to breathe. What's more, Basilosaurus still had the feet it inherited from its land-dwelling ancestors, according to Gingerich, who works for the University of Michigan and is a National Geographic Society grantee.

—Ted Chamberlain

Wish to see that Monster Whale come back from Michigan intact without radioactive hidden radiations to sterilize more of the Egyptian Youth to please our neigbors the Israelis! Just Kidding. Or should I not be kidding with whatever relevant to America?

Salam

[Neofret]

Good morning ScienceSailor!

In 2002 an American Science magazin published an interesting article about walking whales.
The Fayoum is a wonderful area with an interesting history, misterious places (Meidum, The Labyrinth, Wadi el-Hitan etc.)
Wadi el-Hitan was studied before by Professor Philip Gingerich and his research team (1983-1993). They found fossils of a huge variety. In 1990 Gingerich found a whale fossil in the Zeuglodon Valley in Egypt (Wadi el-Hitan area in Fayyoum). This was a specimen of Basilosaurus, an animal that had originally been uncovered back in 1834 but misidentified as a marine reptile. It was identified as a whale in 1840. Gingerich's Zeuglodon specimen included a four-foot long skull and ribs, a femur, a kneecap, both lower leg bones, ankle bones and three toes, showing beyond any doubt that Basilosaurus had complete rear limbs.
The oldest and most primitive remains of a walking whale had been uncovered in Pakistan in the late 1970s by Gingerich and his research team; Pakicetus inachus lived 50 million years ago. Still, what the earliest whales looked like from the neck down was a mystery.
In 1992 a 48 million years nearly complete skeleton of whales have been discovered in northern Pakistan.
12 April 2005 The University of Michigan announced the excavation of a new complete and well-preserved skeleton of a fossil whale Basilosaurus isis in Zeuglodon Valley in Egypt.
The new skeleton will be shipped to Michigan for preparation and preservation.
Come back to Egypt soon, Basilosaurus Isis :!: :wink:
For more info and pictures see
www.umich.edu/news/?Releases/2005/Apr05/r041205
http://www-personal.umich.edu/%7Egingeric/PDGwhales/Whales.htm
www.ask-aladdin.com/wadi.htm
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/fossils.htm

A great weekend for you ScienceSailor and for all YE members.

[Winky]

8) Amazing ! 8) Happy weekend to you Neofret
:wink:

[Neofret]

Winky wrote: 8) Amazing ! 8) Happy weekend to you Neofret
:wink:

Thank you Winky! It was a happy one..we celebrated flowers day. :flower: 8)