15 million-year-old whale skull found on banks of Potomac River

Not sure which thread to put this in, so MODS please move to appropriate thread.



This 15-million-year-old whale skull was recovered July 20 at Stratford Hall, Va.
Calvert Marine Museum officials say the skull is 6-feet long and the entire whale would have been at least 25-feet long.

From the banks of the Potomac River, in a region steeped in American history, a massive fossil was dug up last month that apparently can be traced back to a time long before this country’s recorded history, a time deep in the world’s prehistory.

The fossil is the skull of a whale that is “approximately 15 million years old,” said John Nance, the paleontology collections manager at the Calvert Marine Museum in Southern Maryland.

The skull is about six-feet long and is believed to weigh about 1,000 pounds. It was excavated in July from the cliffs at the edge of the Potomac on the grounds of Stratford Hall, the home of Virginia’s Lee family and the birthplace of Robert E. Lee.

Source

The eroding river bank where the whale skull was found also is the area where thousands of shark teeth have been found , and the area is known to be rich in marine fossils.

When the fossil emerged from the cliff face on July 20, it was wrapped in plaster and burlap and lashed to metal poles. About a dozen people hoisted it into a boat, which took it to the nearby Westmoreland State Park boat ramp. From there, it was trucked to the marine museum.

Wow!!!
That is unbelievable.

Just thought I'd share this with you guys.
Very interesting......

This is a great find! I wonder what species of whale it is and how it got there. Imagine how much mainstream news this would get if it was a shark that was found.

Originally posted by Phoenix267
This is a great find! I wonder what species of whale it is and how it got there. Imagine how much mainstream news this would get if it was a shark that was found.

They said that the scientists won’t be able to conclusively determine the whale’s species until the entire fossil is excavated and so far, only the skull, lower jaw and some isolated vertebrae and rib bones have been removed .

This kind of thing doesn't generate enough 'high ratings' for the MSM therefore it probably won't be talked about much.

I've been there several times. There are fossils all over the place. Mostly shark teeth and shellfish. Cool find.