34 Million-Year-Old Whale Skull Discovered on a Family’s Farm

An incredible discovery unfolded in Alabama when a 16-year-old high school student named Lindsey Stallworth and her teacher, Andrew Gentry, unearthed the fossilized remains of a whale skull that thrived around thirty-four million years ago.

This remarkable find sheds light on a carnivorous whale species that existed during the Eocene epoch, a period spanning from 56 million to 33.9 million years ago. During this era, Alabama was submerged beneath a shallow ocean due to higher sea levels.

Start of the journey

Their journey began on Stallworth’s family’s timber property in Monroe County, where they embarked on a summer school project. Stallworth had previously uncovered fossilized shark teeth in the same area, which sparked their curiosity and led them to explore further.

In a matter of mere hours, their efforts were rewarded when they stumbled upon massive bones jutting out from a hill.

Stallworth described the moment of discovery, saying, “We saw something and we were like ‘oh my gosh, what is this?'” As they continued to investigate and excavate the site, they came to the realization that the find was in fact a significant one.

Remains of the whale

The fossilized remains of this carnivorous whale serve as a valuable piece of the puzzle in understanding the history of life on our planet.

Andrew Gentry, the teacher involved in this exciting discovery, revealed that when they first stumbled upon the fossil, they had “very little idea” of its true nature. All they knew was that it was a sizable vertebrate.

The discovery of the whale skull on Stallworth’s family property marked a significant moment in their excavation journey.

In the images, we see a teenage girl at the excavation site, along with a man and a woman crouching behind the massive whale skull beneath a protective tent.

This remarkable find was a collaborative effort that captured the curiosity and dedication of Lindsey Stallworth and Andrew Gentry, as well as the wonder of scientific exploration.

The combined expertise of all researchers

Gentry shared that he reached out to his paleontological colleague, Dr. James Parham at the University of California, Fullerton. They sent photographs of the tooth they had uncovered.

Dr. Parham, in turn, forwarded these images to Dr. Jorge Velez-Juarbe at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, an expert in fossil marine mammals. With their combined expertise, they were able to identify the discovery as a species of carnivorous whale.

Evolution is seen in the clear and marked development of traits in the fossil record with clear and marked changes between species, the whale for example, we can see the migration of the blowhole and the structures of the ear bones in the skull, which only the terrestrial pic.twitter.com/9iodumSDmW

— ⚡Judges 16:28⚡ (@16judges28) September 3, 2023

One advantage of the excavation site was that the geology had been previously dated, enabling them to determine the age of the fossil with precision. This made it clear that the whale lived during the Eocene epoch, approximately thirty-four million years ago.

However, the exact species of this whale is yet to be determined. During the Eocene period, Alabama was home to various primitive whale species, including the ferocious Basilosaurus cetoides, which lived between thirty-four million to forty million years ago and could reach lengths of up to sixty feet (eighteen meters).

More details about the whales

The excavation of the whale skull has been a promising start, but there is still much work to be done. According to Gentry, most of what they’ve unearthed is still encased in stone.

While they have a reasonable assumption that the whale belongs to the archaeoceti, a primitive whale family called Basilosauridae, it will take several more months of careful work to fully uncover and identify the species to which this whale belongs.

The skull has been transported to the Alabama School of Math and Science, where it is undergoing the delicate process of cleaning and detailed study. Gentry and Stallworth are not done with their excavation efforts. They plan to resume their work next year.

Other postcranial elements

Gentry mentioned that, aside from the skull, they’ve discovered several postcranial elements during the excavation, suggesting that more parts of the skeleton may still be preserved in the ground.

The hope is that as they continue their work in the coming summer, they will uncover additional elements and gain a more comprehensive understanding of this ancient whale.

This ongoing project showcases the meticulous and patient nature of paleontological research. Discoveries like this one can take time to reveal all their secrets, adding valuable knowledge to our understanding of Earth’s prehistoric creatures.