00:03This is a dig site in a desert in Peru.
00:06But the area wasn't always dry and arid.
00:08Around 7 million years ago, the area was once a vast ocean, teeming with life.
00:12And these paleontologists have just discovered signs of one of those creatures.
00:16This is what experts say is the skull of a prehistoric sperm whale,
00:20with its teeth and part of its jaw still intact.
00:22The whole thing is around 4.3 feet long,
00:25and the creature it belonged to stretched some 18 feet.
00:28And it's not only telling us a lot about the area it was found in,
00:31but the skull is also providing clues about the evolution of the modern day sperm whale.
00:35This is Aldo Benitez Palomino,
00:37one of the paleontological researchers studying the specimen.
00:40Here's what he had to say about it.
00:41This animal is super interesting,
00:42because unlike current sperm whales that only feed on squid or small fish,
00:46this animal has all of the features of a predator,
00:48a very strong bite and very developed teeth.
00:50Researchers haven't yet identified what else these ancient whales might have fed on,
00:54but they say this is the first major clue,
00:55as it's the first specimen with complete teeth they've ever found.
00:58The discovery was made by researchers with the Museum of Natural History
01:01of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos,
01:04and is currently on display in Lima's Natural History Museum.
01:08.
01:08.
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