A paleontologist with Paleo Solutions Lab, a company employed by the County of Orange –paleontologists must monitor construction excavations under California law — was working at the site when a large bone was spotted.
Paleontologists have preliminarily identified the bones as belonging to an extinct species of whale that lived during the late Miocene to the early Pliocene period, according to the statement.
Kristina Hamm, spokeswoman with Orange County Waste & Recycling, told CNN more bones were uncovered, including what appears to be a skull, lower jaw, snout, ribs, limb bones, scapula, humerus, and the clavicle.
“The ear bones are particularly important in species identification, and since we have the entire skull of the whale we are excited to be able to accurately identify the species,” Hamm said.
The findings were previously covered in white plaster to protect them from weather elements and stabilize them for transportation.
The new discovery “helps us really define the evolution of whales throughout time,” Aron said.
Source : Nbcnewyork
