36-million-year-old whale fossil on display in Peru(1/4)

A Basilosaurus whale fossil dating back 36 million years is displayed at the Museum of Natural History after its discovery in the Ocucaje desert, in Lima, Peru, March 17, 2022. (Photo/Agencies)

The roughly 36-million-year-old well-preserved skull was dug up intact last year from the bone-dry rocks of Peru's southern Ocucaje desert, with rows of long, pointy teeth.

Scientists think the ancient mammal was a Basilosaurus, part of the aquatic cetacean family, whose contemporary descendents include whales, dolphins and porpoises.

A Basilosaurus whale fossil dating back 36 million years is displayed at the Museum of Natural History after its discovery in the Ocucaje desert, in Lima, Peru, March 17, 2022. (Photo/Agencies)

A Basilosaurus whale fossil dating back 36 million years is displayed at the Museum of Natural History after its discovery in the Ocucaje desert, in Lima, Peru, March 17, 2022. (Photo/Agencies)

A Basilosaurus whale fossil dating back 36 million years is displayed at the Museum of Natural History after its discovery in the Ocucaje desert, in Lima, Peru, March 17, 2022. (Photo/Agencies)