Giant 39-Foot Whale Fossil Unearthed in Southern Thailand—What Secrets Does It Hold About Ancient Oceans?
Of course, the most entrancing aspect of the find is what it can do to our understanding of the planetary changes that occurred several millennia ago.
FacebookThe exact age, yielded by carbon dating, is expected to be announced this month.
“A large subfossil whale dated thousands of years ago near Bangkok would provide strong evidence of where the sea was during that time,” Chua said.
The domino effect of what this discovery could illuminate seemingly never ceases. The bones offer countless clues regarding the animal’s evolution, what our planet looked like while the specimen was alive — and what that can teach us about our current climate crisis.
“This could certainly bring attention to the issue, and show how and where low-lying areas could be inundated by the sea when that happens,” said Chua.
The find was further bolstered by well-preserved shark teeth and shells that were discovered among the specimen’s fossilized remains. These are expected to teach experts even more about the animal and other marine life that once lived alongside it.
FacebookThe find could shed unprecedented light on prehistoric sea levels in the region.
“Scientists could also study the deposits found at the same level as the whale to reconstruct the biological communities present during that time, and compare them to present day systems,” explained Chua. “So this find provides a window into the past once the skeleton has been dated.”
Fortunately, that latter part of the process is expected to conclude this very month. Chua said that the skeleton will provide experts like him with the “paleological and geological conditions at that time, including sea level estimation, types of sediment, and the contemporary biological communities at that time.”
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