Read our paper here: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Phiomicetus anubis turns 4 today! So proud of the little guy 🥹P. anubis is a 42-43 million year old "walking whale" from the Fayum desert of Egypt. #whaleontology 🧪🦖

#whalewednesday Endocranial anatomy of the OG protocetid whale, Protocetus atavus - protocetids had surprisingly large brains, indicating brain expansion occurred early in cetacean evolution; also retained well-developed olfactory bulbs (and smell). 🐬🧪🦖Read here: academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...

It was for me a first opportunity to work with @muvp-eg.bsky.social , i.e., @hesham-sallam.bsky.social and @gohar.bsky.social , which was a blast! Thank you as well to @gsferreira.bsky.social and all other co-authors not on Bluesky.

…and the accompanying models on MorphoMuseuM here: morphomuseum.com/articles/vie...

You can find the paper here: academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...

Regarding the sense of smell, we basically found that no part of the olfactory apparatus was significantly reduced, indicating that these amphibious cetaceans most likely had a good nose (likely much better than ours), and that the reduction of this sense most likely came later in their evolution.

Comparing the relative volume of the brain endocast, we found that this early whale was quite brainy, which is a surprise, as the first cetaceans with big brains were so far understood to be the fully aquatic basilosaurids.

We addressed two aspects of cetacean evolution: their acquisition of a relatively big brain and the evolution of their sense of smell. As other mammals secondarily adapted to the aquatic environment, cetaceans have been assumed to reduce their sense of smell (which is air-born in this group).

We ct-scanned the skull of Protocetus atavus, an amphibious cetacean coming from the Mokattam Formation in Egypt. The inner anatomy of the skull was reconstructed, and we were able to reconstruct the brain imprint (endocast) as well as the different components of the nasal cavity.

Fossil brain 🧠🧟 of a 45-million-year-old cetacean! We are proud to publish‪ @journal-evo.bsky.social l the result of Elena Berger’s Bachelor’s thesis @smnstuttgart.bsky.social. Thread 👇 ‬

Named after the cat-headed goddess Bastet, Bastetodon is symbolically linked to Sekhmetops, inspired by the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet. Mythology meets science in this incredible find! #SallamLab #MUVP

Our new discovery, led by @shorouqalashqar.bsky.social , has unveiled a new 30-million-year-old species of apex predator, #Bastetodon, in Egypt’s Fayum Desert! Check out the study in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. @matt-borths.bsky.social @erikseiffert.bsky.social #SallamLab #MUVP

Thank you @gohar.bsky.social for a very nice invited talk on whale evolution for our group in Oslo yesterday!🐳🐋🐬

As usual, one of the best reconstructions of a protocetid early whale!

Oh groovy, our paper on the hindlimb biomechanics of the Triassic dinosauriform Lagosuchus is out! A quick thread for now. We uCT-scanned most of the existing skeletal material for this important outgroup to Dinosauria. We sorted through the elements and chose the best ones to make a 3D model from.

Dave traveled ✈️ to Egypt to interview Dr. Hesham Sallam, Egypt's first paleontologist and founder of the country's first Vertebrate Paleontology Center. NEW! Episode #80: Walking 🦶 Egyptian Whales 🐋 from the Sahara with Dr. Hesham Sallam. 🔊 www.paleonerds.com/podcast/heshamsallam

#FossilFriday with its bizarre skull, the protocetid whale Makaracetus has become my beloved nemesis. It’s extremely hard to reconstruct, but @gohar.bsky.social recently told me that my illustration of it is the most accurate he’s seen, so I must be on the right track. #paleoart #sciart #whale

I was searching for information about odontolite, which I did not find, but this fascinating article about early whales popped up instead. And now I need you all to learn about Tutcetus rayanensis and the Valley of the Whales. 🐳 (gift link) www.nytimes.com/2023/09/25/s...

Described only a week after the most massive basilosaurid, Tutcetus is not only one of the very smallest, with an estimated body length of only about 2.5m, but one of the earliest, coexisting with protocetes in the shallow coasts of Egypt during the early middle Eocene.

Cenozoic Paleo 2023 day 21: Meet Tutcetus rayanensis! #paleoart #paleontology #sciart

2023 in review: this year's advances in marine mammal paleontology! Here is my 11th annual [comprehensive] roundup of every peer-reviewed article that came out in our field this year. Check it out here: coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2023/12/2023...

More work from 2023: Tutcetus on its own, a T. rex sketch, and two versions of the Van Meter Visitor.

A diminutive new basilosaurid whale reveals the trajectory of the cetacean life histories during the Eocene; by Mohammed Antar, Abdullah Gohar, Heba El-Desouky, Erik Seiffert, Sanaa El-Sayed, Alexander Claxton, Hesham Sallam https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-04986-w

Important whale news! A new research paper reports a new species of basilosaurid. This whale is believed to be the smallest known basilosaurid and has been named Tutcetus rayanensis after the ancient Egyptian Pharoah, Tutankhamun. Paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-04986-w

Tutcetus rayanensis, New genus and species of ancient basilosaurid whales just discovered! It's 41 million years old and comes from Egypt! #paleo #paleontology #science #whale #basilosaurid

@AFP: Egypt dig unearths whale that lived 41 million years ago when the species was just completing their move from land to sea. The team has dubbed the species "Tutcetus rayanensis" after the Egyptian boy king Tutankhamun and the Wadi El-Rayan Protected Area https://t.co/s88Z33TUtD

They really looked at the newly discovered mini whale and decided “I’m gonna render it as the happiest whale ever.” https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/aug/10/fossil-of-41m-year-old-miniature-whale-discovered-in-egypt

#marine life🦑 Meet Tutcetus rayanensis, a fossil whale discovered in a middle Eocene (41 mya) formation in Egypt. "This new whale is the smallest basilosaurid whale known to date...of that family from Africa." https://phys.org/news/2023-08-unveiling-tale-tutcetus-pharaoh-whales.html

The newly described Tutcetus. In stark contrast to the *also* newly described Perucetus, this guy has the distinction of being the smallest basilosaurid ever discovered. It's a good time to be an ancient whale enjoyer. #sciart #paleoart #art

Another #paleostream sketch The new tiny basilosaurid Tutcetus cruising through some mangroves, Protosiren in the background.

#marinelife🦑 Tutcetus rayanensis, a newly described fossil whale, was found in Eocene rocks in Egypt. "With an estimated length of 2.5 meters and a body mass of approximately 187 kilograms, Tutcetus is the smallest known basilosaurid to date."

Starting off, here’s a sketch I made of Tutcetus rayanensis, a middle Eocene Basilosaurid whale from Egypt, shortly after its description. I’ve depicted a mother and two calves swimming through a deep channel in an estuary, passing by a floating Paratomistoma courti.

🦑 Basilosaurids ranged from the dolphin sized Tutcetus to Perucetus whose size resembled the modern blue whale

“The Lonely Kings” Under the moonlight, a Tutcetus rayanensis swims along the surface. His friend, a Perucetus colossus, sleepily watches, content in having a friend in the lonely sea.