Peru scientists display 'best preserved' sperm-whale fossil

Paleontologists from the Peruvian University of San Marcos on Wednesday displayed to the public a 7 million years sperm whale fossil they consider "the best preserved" of its kind.

The fossilized 4.26 feet skull was found in April 2020 in the Ocucaje desert, but it took several months and seasons of work to retrieve it. Scientists estimate the specimen could be as large as 18 feet long. The Ocucaje desert has become an area of paleontological exploration interest in Peru, where multiple fossils have been found.