Peruvian paleontologists presented an extraordinary finding on Wednesday: the fossil of a Marine Dolphin of 12 million years olddiscovered in the desert of Ocucajesouth of Peru.
The specimen, identified as Lomacetusmeasures three and a half meters and was found in an almost perfect state of conservation during excavations made in this area of great paleontological value, located 350 kilometers from Lima.
“It is a type of dolphin, an animal about 12 million years ago,” said Vertebrates Paleontologist Mario Gamarraduring a conference at the Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute (INGEMMET).
A Complete Petrified Skeleton of Lomacetus sp., An ancestor of modern porpoises dating back More than 10 million Years, is unaveiled at the geological, mining, and metallurgical institute (ingemmet) in lima on sepnter 17, 2025. The Specimen was discovered in the ocucaje desert, in ica, southern Peru. (Photo by Ernesto Benavides / AFP)
According to the specialist, the Lomacetus keeps similarities with the Current Marsopas or “sea chanches” that inhabit today on the Peruvian coast. “We have an almost complete skeleton, this allows you to do more studies from all over the animal: how it moved, how it swam, what ate or how long it lived,” he said.
Ocucaje is considered a true treasure for paleontology. In recent decades fossils have been found there Four -legged dwarf whales, dolphins, sharks and other species of the myocene period (between 23 and 5 million years ago). This new discovery reinforces its importance as one of the richest paleontological deposits in South America.
