Perucetus colossus UPSC NOTE

 

• The newly discovered Perucetus colossus is an ancient whale species believed to be one of the largest and heaviest animals ever.

• A study published in Nature reveals estimates of its size and weight, challenging the previously held belief that the blue whale was the heaviest animal.

• The trend of gigantism in marine mammals might have started earlier than previously thought.

• The discovery is based on a partial skeleton found in Southern Peru, estimated to be around 39 million years old.

• The estimated skeletal mass could be two to three times that of a 25-meter-long blue whale.