Whale fossil discovered in Santa Cruz mountains

4-million-year-old whale unearthed fossil has been unearthed at a construction site, in Santa Cruz mountains, in California.

The nearly intact 4-million-year old whale discovered well above sea level, to the mountains, because of the shifting of tectonic plates.

Above: Two paleontologists and an archeologist plaster the whale skeleton unearthed at a Scotts Valley construction site, in preparation to move the bones.  Credit Shmuel Thaler — Santa Cruz Sentinel

The ancient whale been found by the construction team, working on a development in Scotts Valley, a residential community in Santa Cruz mountains.

Paleontologist Scott Armstrong in a report by the Santa Cruz Sentinel, said:

“On some project sites, if a rock unit is known to have a high potential to produce it, then it’s typically outlined in the planning process and environmental impact report.”

via io9