Ancient whale fossil found in San Juan Capistrano landfill is hauled to Santa Ana so scientists can determine species
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SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Efforts are underway to determine the species of an ancient whale fossil believed to be as much as 7 million years old found at the Prima Deshecha Landfill.
A team of paleontologists and county officials, on Tuesday, Sept 25, loaded the seven-ton fossil packed in six hard casts aboard a flatbed truck bound for the Cooper Lab in Santa Ana. The facility, operated by OC Parks, houses artifacts and fossils accumulated over the last four decades from sites in Orange County.
There, volunteers will work with scientists to break away sediment surrounding the bones. Once the bones are revealed, experts will try to confirm whether the fossil — now believed to be a 2- to 7-million-year-old baleen whale — is a new whale species.
The pre-historic whale fossil was discovered June 29 in a rock formation while crews at the San Juan Capistrano landfill were excavating a 57-acre area to put trash.
Paleontologists are required by the California Environmental Quality Act to accompany work crews operating scrapers and digging up new ground. Those at the landfill site, from Monrovia-based Paleo Solutions, identified a snout, ribs, limb bones, portions of the backbone, shoulder bones and an intact skull. The largest piece measured 11-by-8 1/2 feet.
“It’s always exciting to find a large whale, especially when it’s a new species that seems really well-preserved,” Geraldine Aron, head paleontologist at Paleo Solutions Lab, said shortly after the discovery. “It appears to be from the late Miocene to early Pliocene (time period).”
The difference between the baleen whales of today – such as the gray whales that annually migrate along the Orange County coastline – is these pre-historic whales had several neck vertebrae fused together, likely lessening their mobility compared to today’s giant swimmers.
Work will begin within the next few days to excavate pieces from the plaster casts. Volunteers will go layer by layer until they reach the bone material, a process that likely will take eight to 12 months, said Dennis Shaffer, operations manager in charge of historical resources for OC Parks at the Cooper Lab.
The fossil was accompanied to Cooper Lab by a report prepared by Paleo Solutions that describes the geological formation in which it was found.
“That helps us identify it, if we know what part of history we’re looking at,” Shaffer said.
Once the bones are revealed, a paleontologist will do a complete analysis to see if the whale fossil is an unknown species.
Even if it’s not a new species, the fossil will be an asset to the Cooper Lab’s growing collection of marine fossils including dolphins, whales, sea lions and fur seals from the Eocene and Miocene epochs. Its oldest fossils are snails from the Jurassic epoch.
“It’s incredibly exciting because we’re adding to human knowledge,” Shaffer said. “This will be our big project for the next year. They will decide, ‘Is it a scientific piece for research or will it be an educational piece for display?’”
The whale fossil is the second discovery in two years at the 1,500-acre landfill. The earlier find also is a species of whale.
Want to help?
Volunteers are needed to work on the whale fossil and other projects at the Cooper Lab. For information, visit ocparks.com/volunteer. Volunteers work in shifts from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
The lab is at 1141 E. Chestnut Ave., Santa Ana; it can be visited by appointment only. Call 657-278-5460.