Italian scientists found the remains of an extinct sea cow in Palawan, said reports on Monday.
The fossils were discovered by a team of Italian scientists in a cave located in a limestone in one of the underground rivers in Palawan last February and March. The remains of the aquatic mammal consist of spine parts and several ribs said the scientists.
Pres. Aquino and Mayor Hagedorn with the team of Italian scientists.
Leonardo Piccini, a geologist from the University of Florence said to AFP in an interview,
“The fossil is in the rock, in the cave. We cannot remove it and we don’t want to extract it. We would like to wait (for) when the technology will allow us to study the fossil without extracting it.”
The scientific discovery was formally announced in Malacanang attended by President Aquino himself and Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn.
Scientists estimate that the extinct sea cow could have lived during the Miocene era, or about 20 million years ago. They estimate the size of the animal to be about six feet long and could have belonged to one of the two species of the plant-eating sea cow.
“It’s the first remains of this kind of animal in the area, so it is important in reconstructing the habitat and the diffusions of this animal in the Miocene,” Piccini furthered during the interview.
The discovery scientists added it is the first in the Philippines.
Today, sea cows are part of the long lists of endangered marine animals.
Photo credit: yahoo.com.ph
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