Whale graveyard shows mass stranding of species millions of years ago

Chilean site branded most diverse on planet for marine mammals after Pan-American highway roadworks discoveryA mass graveyard of fossilised whales unearthed in Chile was created by four separate strandings over a period of 10,000 years, scientists believe.The skeletons of dozens of baleen whales were found in ancient sandstones beside the Pan-American Highway in the Atacama region of north Chile, where they are thought to have lain undetected for between 6m and 9m years.In an article published in the Royal Society journal, researchers explain the animals ate toxic algae before being washed into an estuary and eventually on to flat sands at the site dubbed Cerro Ballena ("whale hill").Nicholas Pyenson, a palaeontologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, told the BBC: "We found extinct creatures such as walrus whales – dolphins that evolved a walrus-like face. And then there were these bizarre aquatic sloths."To me, it's amazing that in 240 metres of road-cut, we managed to sample all the superstars of the fossil marine-mammal world in South America in the late miocene. Just an incredibly dense accumulation of species."Cerro Ballena was famed locally for its hidden ancient skeletons – but the latest discovery was made by chance during construction work on the busy Pan-American Highway that runs alongside the area, which is now seen as one of the richest fossil sites in the world.Many of the fossils were found in perfect condition, with the skeletons o...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: theguardian.com Evolution Biology Americas Marine life World news Cetaceans Archaeology Whales Dinosaurs Fossils Zoology Environment Science Chile Source Type: news