The National University of San Marcos in Peru has announced the discovery of the fossilized skull and jaws of a new species of macroraptor sperm whale that have remained intact for seven million years. The find took place in the Ocucaje Desert, Pisco Formation, in the late Miocene of Peru. The fossil, belonging to an adult individual, is exceptionally long, measuring more than 1.30 meters. The skull shows functional teeth in both the maxilla and mandible, leading paleontologists to conclude that the animal could be between 5 and 5.5 meters long. The research also indicates that the sperm whale fed on oceanic fish, penguins, and small marine mammals, which differentiates it from other sperm whales that feed on squid or octopus.
The Ocucaje macroraptor sperm whale is characterized by the development of a large nose that causes an asymmetry in the skull bones, which in turn causes it to have one nostril larger than the other and a cavity in the dorsum of the skull to accommodate these structures. According to researchers, this fossil is the best preserved in the world and is unparalleled in quality.
It is believed that these animals occupied ecological niches that are currently occupied by oceanic dolphins and benefited from the great diversity of prey available among birds, mammals, fish, and other inhabitants of the coastal coast of ancient Peru.