Valley of whales in Egypt: once in the Sahara splashed a warm sea

Egypt is not only pyramids, ancient temples and velvet beaches of the Red Sea. It is also the Valley of the Whales, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is here, on the eastern edge of the Sahara desert, that one of the most outstanding paleontological monuments in the world is located - Wadi al-Khitan, or Valley of the Whales.

As you know, modern whales are secondary aquatic animals. That is, they evolved from land mammals who preferred an aquatic lifestyle. The process of evolution of modern cetaceans was on the path to increasing body weight and changing the structure of the skeleton. The remains of animals discovered in the Valley of the Whales, just illustrate this exciting process lasting millions of years.

The first remains of the oldest marine mammals were found in the Whale Valley at the beginning of the 20th century. There are many very well-preserved skeletons of Dorudons from the group of archaeocetes. According to paleontologists, these ancient cetaceans have already completely switched to the aquatic way of life and their hind limbs began to gradually lose their significance. The remains of whales found in Egypt already had a tail characteristic of modern cetaceans. But the structure of the jaw is still very much like their land ancestors. The dimensions of the Egyptian Dorudons are striking: the largest instance in length reaches 21 meters.

The oldest cetaceans from the group of archaeocets lived in the vast Sahara during the Eocene, about 36-40 million years ago. This geological era is characterized by a warm climate and an increase in the area of the seas relative to land areas. Looking at the endless sands of the Sahara, it is hard to imagine that once there was a warm sea filled with outlandish animals. Unfortunately, most of the inhabitants of this reservoir died out, becoming the progenitors of modern species. In addition to the remains of whales, skeletons of sharks, stingrays, turtles and crocodiles from the Eocene period were also found in Wadi al-Khitan.

Today this amazing facility is accessible for tourists. Therefore, when you get bored with basking on the beaches of the Red Sea and contemplate architectural monuments, feel free to go to Wadi al-Khitan, where you can touch the amazing past of our planet.