News Paleontology

A colossal ancient whale could be the heaviest animal ever known

Perucetus colossus may have tipped the scales at up to 340 metric tons

An illustration of an ancient whale under water with much smaller fish swimming around the massive creature.

The ancient whale Perucetus colossus (illustrated) might have edged out blue whales for the title of heaviest known animal, possibly weighing up to 340 metric tons.

Alberto Gennari

By Skyler Ware

Move over, blue whales. There could be a new heavyweight champ in town.

Fossilized vertebrae and ribs from a newly discovered ancient whale suggest that it could have outweighed modern blue whales, researchers report August 2 in Nature.