Selina 4-4-2007 13:22
Four-million-year-old skeleton found
Italian researchers have found the skeleton of a 10-metre-long prehistoric whale in the Tuscan countryside, a discovery that could shed light on the ancient environment of the sea, officials say.
The skeleton dates to 4 million years ago, to the Pliocene epoch, said paleontologists with the Museum of Natural History in Florence who are studying the fossil.
"The finding is spectacular," said Elisabetta Cioppi, an official in the museum's paleontology department and the co-ordinator of the excavations.
Cioppi pointed to the fact that the skeleton was complete and that a variety of organisms were also found around the fossil.
"This will enable us to conduct an in-depth analysis on the paleo environment," she said in a statement issued on March 29.
The skeleton was found a few weeks ago in Orciano Pisano, in the countryside about 85 kilometres east of Florence.
It was found about 100 metres below ground in what used to be the sea occupying most of today's Tuscany, the statement said.
The fossil is expected to be taken to the Museum of Natural History in Florence and put on display once it is restored.