Scientists discovered the world's largest and deepest whale graveyard, preserving millions of years of ocean history.

Not every scientific discovery begins with a dramatic excavation. Sometimes the most important part comes later, after the fieldwork is over and the fossil has spent years waiting for someone to look at it more closely.

About 25 million years ago, the warm, shallow seas off the southern coast of Australia were home to a bountiful scene of ocean-dwelling creatures. “In these seas, there was this extraordinary abundance of life, including all these little whales, giant ...

Alfred the aetiocetid had teeth but needed a better way to capture his tiny prey. Credit: Carl Buell Baleen whales, such as the gigantic 30m-long blue whale, are the largest animals that have ever lived on this planet. They even beat the largest of the ...

Call it an unfinished story, but with a plot that's a grabber. It's the tale of an ancient land mammal making its way back to the sea, becoming the forerunner of today's whales. In doing so, it lost its legs, and all of its vital systems became adapted to ...