Prehistoric whale fossil found in Peru

WASHINGTON - Paleontologists have found a well-preserved fossil of a four-legged amphibian ancestor of whales, a discovery that sheds new light on the mammals' transition from land to the ocean.

The ancestors of whales and dolphins walked on Earth about 50 million years ago in the regions that now comprise India and Pakistan.

Paleontologists have previously found partial fossils of the species in North America that were 41.2 million years old suggesting that by this time, the cetaceans had lost the ability to carry their own weight and walk the Earth.