Collection: Cetacean Fossils: Prehistoric Whales and Dolphins

Cetaceans are a group of marine mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Their fossil record provides fascinating insight into the evolution of marine mammals and the ancient oceans they inhabited. Fossil cetaceans are found in marine deposits around the world and often date from the Eocene through the Miocene and Pliocene epochs, roughly 56 to 2.6 million years ago.

Among the most commonly discovered cetacean fossils are tympanic bullae (ear bones), vertebrae, and rib fragments. The tympanic bulla is a particularly dense bone that formed part of the whale’s hearing system and is one of the best preserved whale fossils due to its robust structure.

Many well-preserved cetacean fossils originate from marine deposits in the North Sea basin, including the Antwerp region of Belgium, which is famous among collectors for its Miocene marine fossils.