An article on CNN notes the recent discovery of the fossilized teeth of the "Leviathan Melvillei." The teeth were recently found in fossils in the Pisco-Ica desert in coastal Peru. Originally thought to be elephant tusks because of their size, the teeth indicate that these sea monsters fed on large prey like baleen whales. At about the size of three modern day killer whales, the reason for their extinction is unknown but as they were top predators, only few thrived at any given time.
In The Archaeology of Animal Bones, Terry O'Connor analyzes bone composition and the archaeological evidence left by the processes of life, death and decomposition. Tim Tokaryk, a Canadian Field Naturalist, said the book "proves to be a useful guide not only for zooarchaeologists and event paleontologists alike, but for mainstream archaeologists as well."More information on O'Connor's work can be found here, or purchased on Amazon.
This rare archaeological find will be detailed in the scientific journal Nature, published today.
