Saudi Arabia: 37-million-year-old whale fossil found in Al Jouf Region

Dubai: A team of Saudi geologists has discovered the remains of an extinct primitive whale dating back to 37 million years in Al Jouf Region, northwest of the Kingdom, local media said.

The historic discovery was announced by the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS), which took to its Twitter account and wrote: “This historic discovery was the first of its kind. The excavation team said that it would be useful for national and international scientific research, especially in the field of fossils.”

“Very little is known about this rather niche area of micropaleontology,” Saudi researchers explained, “And the mission’s initial aim was just to get a better understanding of natural desert biodiversity,” it added.

The historic discovery shows the ancient geography of marine mammals across the Eocene era in the northwest of Saudi Arabia. The unearthed fossils show that Saudi Arabia was home to a variety of whales and sea creatures millions of years ago.

This is not the first archaeological source to be discovered in the Kingdom. Earlier this year, archaeologists discovered the first evidence of dog domestication by the ancient inhabitants of the northwest region of the kingdom.

The Geological Survey posted a video clip on its Twitter account On June 27 that shows the trip of the team which discovered the remains of the extinct whale. The clip was very popular on social media.