Scientists in Peru have shown a 12-million-year-old fossil of a fish that resembles a dolphin that was found close to the Pacific coast.
The fossil is from a species of porpoise that closely resembles dolphins today. In July, Peruvian researcher Mario Urbina discovered it in the Ocucaje Desert, around 350 kilometers south of Lima, the country’s capital.
The porpoise fossil, which is 11.5 feet long, was displayed Wednesday at Lima’s Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute. The discovery was characterized as a rare specimen by Urbina.
Mario Gamarra, another biologist, clarified that the finding might lead to new research directions in the study of ancient marine life.
