37 million years old remains of an extinct whale discovered in Saudi Arabia
The CEO of the Saudi Geological Survey, Abdullah Al-Shamrani, announced the discovery of parts of an extinct whale’s remains 37 million years old in the Kingdom.
Eng. Abdullah Al-Shamrani explained that this historical and vital fossil dates back to the upper Eocene era and is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia.
The discovery serves research and scientific work, especially in the field of fossils. He explained that a specialized team from the Department of Paleontology at the Geological
Survey examined the limestone cliffs near the governorates of Qurayyat and Haditha.
It has been inferred and identified the types of marine fossils and their deposition environments in northern Saudi Arabia date back to 37 million years ago.
It is mentioned that the Arabian Peninsula is the main vital geographical gateway between Africa and Eurasia and is the apparent route taken by the first individuals during their travel outside Africa and their journey to the Middle East.
Stone tools reveal that ancient humans explored Arabia at different times in prehistoric times when the climate was wetter before green grasslands punctuated by freshwater lakes turned into harsh deserts.
