Prehistoric Whale Fossil Found at Landfill Site
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From Times Staff Reports
A landfill crew digging for a new spot to dump trash uncovered the skeleton of a prehistoric baby whale, Orange County waste department officials said Friday.
Paleontologists estimate that the 20-foot-long fossil, found April 17 at the Prima Deshecha Landfill, is at least 5 million years old. The skeleton is nearly intact, which suggests the baby baleen whale nose-dived into mud, preventing scavengers from getting to its carcass, officials said.
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