Alabama Teenager Discovers 34 Million-Year-Old Whale Skull

16 year old Lindsey Stallworth cleaning the whale skullPhoto byAlabama School of Math and Science

In a remarkable discovery during a shark tooth hunting trip, a 16-year-old student and her teacher stumbled upon a 34-million-year-old whale skull in Monroe County, Alabama.

Lindsey Stallworth and Andrew Gentry, from the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science, first noticed small bone fragments on Stallworth's family property.

Following these fossil clues uphill, they uncovered even larger bones, initially unsure of their significance. Days of careful excavation revealed a part of the lower jaw and a massive tooth, confirming their astonishing find: a prehistoric whale skull, measuring around four to five feet.

Gentry, a biology teacher and paleontologist, expressed excitement, stating that finding such a complete specimen was exceedingly rare.

We’re very excited by the fact that we got the majority of the skull out and that there is more of the skeleton left to uncover, which could give us the complete animal- Andrew Gentry, Paleontologist.

The discovery fuels hope for unearthing the entire whale skeleton, shedding light on this ancient creature's history.

Alabama's past was vastly different, with most of the land submerged under shallow sea millions of years ago, teeming with enormous marine life. This region has become a hotspot for discovering fossils of sea creatures.

The land where the whale skull was found belonged to Stallworth's family, who had previously collected fossils there. This discovery, however, unveiled a broader array of fossils.

With plans to continue excavation next summer, Stallworth and Gentry aim to reveal the complete skeleton, estimated to be 15 to 20 feet long. For now, they are meticulously cleaning and preserving the skull, now housed in their school's lab.

This extraordinary find has raised the possibility of uncovering a new species of prehistoric whale, leaving experts eagerly anticipating further discoveries as Stallworth and Gentry continue their remarkable journey into the past.