A new species of early toothed whale has just been discovered! This whale, named Maiabalaena nesbittae, lived approximately 25-28 million years ago and is the earliest known relative of modern baleen whales. This discovery is giving researchers important new insights into the evolution of whales. While the fossil record of whales is fairly good, the fossil record for early toothed whales is limited, making this new discovery even more significant. The fossil was found in the warm, shallow waters of what is now Southern California and is providing scientists with a wealth of new information. This species has been estimated to have been about 6 meters long and weighed approximately 1,200 kg, and is thought to have been an ambush predator. This discovery is furthering our understanding of the evolutionary history of whales and may help us better understand how modern baleen whales came to be.

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source: Phys.org