The heaviest animal ever may be this ancient whale found in the Peruvian desert

In this 2023 artist illustration by Alberto Gennari, Perucetus colossus is reconstructed in its coastal habitat, with an estimated body length: ~20 meters. A new species of ancient whale might be the heaviest animal ever found. Researchers describe the new species named Perucetus colossus, or “the colossal whale from Peru," in the journal Nature on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023. (Alberto Gennari/Nature via AP)

By MADDIE BURAKOFF / AP Science Writer August 3, 2023 3 min read

NEW YORK (AP) — There could be a new contender for heaviest animal to ever live. While today’s blue whale has long held the title, scientists have dug up fossils from an ancient giant that could tip the scales.

Researchers described the new species — named Perucetus colossus, or “the colossal whale from Peru” — in the journal Nature on Wednesday. Each vertebra weighs over 220 pounds (100 kilograms) and its ribs measure nearly 5 feet (1.4 meters) long.

“It’s just exciting to see such a giant animal that’s so different from anything we know,” said Hans Thewissen, a paleontologist at Northeast Ohio Medical University who had no role in the research.

The bones were first discovered more than a decade ago by Mario Urbina from the University of San Marcos’ Natural History Museum in Lima. An international team spent years digging them out from the side of a steep, rocky slope in the Ica desert, a region in Peru that was once underwater and is known for its rich marine fossils. The results: 13 vertebrae from the whale’s backbone, four ribs and a hip bone.

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Ancient whale found in the Peruvian desert

In this June 2017, photo provided by Department of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa, disarticulated vertebrae of the skeleton of Perucetus colossus is excavated by Eusebio Diaz, from left, Alfredo Martinez and Walter Aguirre, in the Ica Province, southern Peru. Scientists reported Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023, that the creature could challenge the blue whale's title as the heaviest animal that lived on Earth. They've been digging up massive fossils from the creature in the Peruvian desert over the past decade. (Giovanni Bianucci/Department of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa, via AP)

In this June 2017, photo provided by Department of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa, a single vertebra collected within a plaster jacked of Perucetus colossus is transported from the site of origin in the Ica desert in Ica Province, southern Peru, to the Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor San Marcos, in Lima. Scientists reported in the journal Nature, Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023, that the creature could challenge the blue whale’s title as the heaviest animal that lived on Earth. They've been digging up massive fossils from the creature in the Peruvian desert over the past decade. (Giovanni Bianucci/Department of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa, via AP)

In this May 2022, photo provided by Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor San Marcos (Lima), disarticulated vertebrae of the skeleton of Perucetus colossus were surface-scanned to assess their volume by Walter Aguirre, from left, Alberto Collareta, Marco Merella, in Lima, Peru. A new species of ancient whale might be the heaviest animal ever found. Scientists reported Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023, that the creature could challenge the blue whale's title as the heaviest animal that lived on Earth. They've been digging up massive fossils from the creature in the Peruvian desert over the past decade. (Giovanni Bianucci/Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor San Marcos, Lima via AP)

In this June, 2018 photo provided by Department of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa, is the site of origin of Perucetus colossus field excavation in the Ica desert, in Ica Province, southern Peru. A new species of ancient whale might be the heaviest animal ever found. Scientists reported Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023, that the creature could challenge the blue whale's title as the heaviest animal that lived on Earth. They've been digging up massive fossils from the creature in the Peruvian desert over the past decade. (Giovanni Bianucci/Department of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa, via AP)

Paleontologist Mario Urbina poses for a photo next to the vertebrae of a newly found species named Perucetus colossus, or “the colossal whale from Peru”, during a presentation in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023. The bones were first discovered more than a decade ago by Urbina from the University of San Marcos’ Natural History Museum. An international team spent years digging them out from the side of a steep, rocky slope in the Ica desert, a region in Peru that was once underwater and is known for its rich marine fossils. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Visitors and journalists attend a presentation introducing a newly found species named Perucetus colossus, or “the colossal whale from Peru”, in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023. The bones were first discovered more than a decade ago by Mario Urbina from the University of San Marcos’ Natural History Museum. An international team spent years digging them out from the side of a steep, rocky slope in the Ica desert, a region in Peru that was once underwater and is known for its rich marine fossils. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)