Storms in Portugal reveal rare 10-million-year-old whale fossils

The stormy weather that has battered the Portuguese coast since the beginning of the year has led to an exceptional paleontological discovery. On Galé-Fontainhas beach, near the town of Grândola, scientists found two very well-preserved whale skeletons dating back to the ancient Miocene epoch.

A difficult operation to rescue the fossils

In January and February this year, Portugal was hit by a series of intense storms that caused deeply buried layers of sand to be pushed up onto the beach surface. Representatives of the Grândola municipality, while monitoring the state of the coastline, identified objects resembling fossils. Professional assistance was immediately requested from experts from the Lourinhã Museum, the Dom Luiz Institute (Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon), and the Portuguese National Museum of Natural History and Science.

The team of scientists faced no easy task. The fossils were located in a zone of constant tidal activity, and strong winds and high waves threatened the preservation of their integrity. Work began immediately, and the team members had to contend not only with unpredictable weather but also with difficult access to the site and complicated transport conditions. Last week, the find was finally extracted, secured and transported to the Lourinhã Museum.

Miocene skeletons among the best preserved in Europe

Closer analysis revealed that the storms had exposed a roughly 100-meter section of sedimentary rock in which the skeletons of two whales from the Mysticeti group had been preserved. One of them consists of a skull, two nearly complete jaw bones, and several vertebrae and ribs, while the other includes an almost complete skull, part of the jaws, several vertebrae and ribs, and probably also the bones of the forelimbs and shoulder girdle. It is one of the most comprehensive discoveries of this kind in Europe.

According to the scientists, both specimens were representatives of a group of small or medium-sized whales that inhabited the coasts of Portugal in large numbers about 10 million years ago. Their modern relatives are baleen whales, including the gray whale and the blue whale, the largest animals on Earth.

The significance of the Grândola discovery

In a statement issued by the Grândola Municipal Council, it was announced that the Miocene fossils will undergo further study, the results of which may help scientists better understand the evolution, ecology and way of life of whales.

The entire region, known to paleontologists as the Alvalade Basin, is an extremely valuable repository of prehistoric animal remains. Fossils of dolphins, turtles, sharks, fish and birds have already been found there. In the areas around Lisbon and Setúbal, traces of former whale species that are now extinct are particularly numerous, including Adicetus lactus, Adicetus vandelli and Cephalotropis coronatus. The latest discovery from Galé-Fontainhas beach will help fill gaps in knowledge about Miocene fauna and assist scientists in reconstructing the marine environment from millions of years ago.

European beaches still conceal many secrets in the form of fossils. In the United Kingdom, specifically on the Jurassic Coast, the remains of early dinosaurs and ancient marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs have been discovered. Among the French cliffs of Cap Blanc-Nez and Cap Gris-Nez, researchers have found remains of prehistoric reptiles, sea urchins and ammonites from the Cretaceous period. Valuable paleontological discoveries have also been made on the coasts of Denmark and the island of Santorini.

Coastal erosion, although dangerous for many coastal communities and ecosystems, often represents a unique opportunity for scientists to reach remains from past eras buried beneath sediments accumulated over thousands or even millions of years. The challenge is to secure these treasures of history before the sea claims them.