Peruvian paleontologists revealed on Wednesday the 12 million -year -old fossil of a prehistoric guinea pig found near the country’s Pacific coast.
The fossil, which measures 3.5 meters (about 11.5 feet) long, was found in July by Peruvian Palaeontologist Mario Urbina in the Ocucaje Desert, about 350 kilometers (217 miles) south of the capital Lima.
Presents his findings at the geological, mining and metallurgical institute in Lima, Urbina said it was a rare copy of a guinea pig from Pisco Geological Formation, noticed for its well -preserved marine fossils.
Another paleontologist, Mario Gamarra, said that relic’s excellent state would give scientists new opportunities to study the prehistoric marine mammal: “How it moved, how it swam, what it ate and how long it lived.”
The Ocucaje Desert is a paradise for fossil hunters.
The skeletons of four-legged dwarf whales, dolphins, sharks and other species from the Miocene period (between five million and 23 million years ago) have all been discovered in the area.
