10-12 million-year-old Sperm Whale fossils discovered at County landfill
The hills of the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill near Irvine hold secrets of the past, even as the land reflects forward-looking environmental engineering at its best
The fossil find is considered rare and significant
SANTA ANA, Calif. – How do ancient sperm whale fossils wind up at an elevation of 1,272 feet? That’s what paleontologists explained at a media briefing today to unveil the recent fossil find of more than 20 sizable pieces, including teeth weighing at least one pound, a flipper bone and portions of jaw and skull bones from a sperm whale dating back 10-12 million years.
“Orange County is blessed with a wide variety of fossil whales, ranging in age from 25 million years old to the modern ones offshore today. The history of whales is well preserved in OC. The Southern California ocean has always been a good place for whales to live. The fossils we are looking at today show that the largest toothed whales also lived in Orange County waters in the past (as they do today), hence are important additions to the whale record of our county,” explained Jere Lipps, director of the Cooper Center, where extensive research on the fossils will be conducted. Continue reading
