Whale Valley

About

Around 37 million years ago, the desert sands of the Whale Valley lay beneath a prehistoric sea. During this time, a now extinct group of animals was retaking the seas. Known as archaeoceti, these large carnivorous mammals had front fins and a tail...and hind legs. That’s right, the fossilized skeletons found in the Valley of the Whales preserved the last stages of whales’ transition to purely seafaring creatures. The largest skeleton is a 21 meter long Basilosaurus, whose hind limbs are only around 40 centimeters long. Some of the fossils here are so well preserved that it’s still possible to see their stomach contents. While the whales get all the attention, the desert preserved a million years worth of sea life, including early sharks, rays, crocodiles, turtles, and a variety of invertebrates. In the nearby museum, housed in a unique underground building, you’ll find more fossils, and information detailing both whale’s evolution and Earth’s climate change.