Mansoura University announced that its Vertebrate Paleontology Center (MUVP) joined Guinness World Record with the discovery of a new species of extinct whale that inhabited the sea covering present-day Egypt around 41 million years ago.
With an estimated length of 2.5 meters and a body mass of approximately 187 kilograms, the new species, named Tutcetus rayanensis, is the smallest basilosaurid whale known to date and one of the oldest records of its family in Africa.
The name of the new whale draws inspiration from Egyptian history and the discovery’s locale. Tutcetus combines “Tut” – referring to the famous adolescent Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun – and “cetus,” Greek for whale.
In a statement on Saturday 19/10/2024, Mansoura University President Sherif Youssef congratulated Hesham Sallam, MUVP founder, and the center’s team for this achievement, considering this as a great success for the university.
Source: State Information Service Egypt
