Whale fossil found in Turkey for first time

ÇANAKKALE - Anatolia News Agency

The abnormal stones experts proved to contain 10 million year old whale fossil. ‘It is the arm and rib bone fossil of a whale,’ says a paleontologist.

Turkish fishermen have found a whale fossil in the northwestern province of Çanakkale that is believed to be 10 million years old, according to reports.

“We found some abnormal stones when we were fishing off Kalonora Brook [in the province’s Gelibolu district], and we handed them over to Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University for further examination,” said İsmail Gürlen, the head of a regional fishermen’s association.

Gürlen said the findings were then sent to İzmir’s Ege University and added that experts at the university proved that the stone was a fossil.

A paleontologist at the Ege University’s Natural and Historical Research Center said it was a fossil belonging to an extinct whale.

“It is the arm and rib bone fossil of a whale that lived almost 8 million to 10 million years ago,” paleontologist Serdar Mayda said.

Mayda said it was the first baleen whale fossil found in Turkey. Baleen whales have baleen plates to help filter food from water instead of teeth.

Work has been carried out in the region on paleontological findings as part of the university’s scientific project, he said. “Works on mammal fossils that started in the 1960s in Çanakkale region are still continuing. After getting permission, paleontological works will begin in the region.”