Whales in the Sahara: Valley of the Whales

The Sahara holds a field of giant bones from extinct whales. This incisive series is mounted (first aired in 2020 & 2023) on bringing paleofinds—geological and ancient fossilized sites—to mainstream audiences. Four stories are narrated in a single sitting. We start in a Hundred miles from the nearest coast, in the Egyptian desert. Ancient "whale graveyard" lies exposed in the sands of Wadi Al-Hitan, a place where 37 million -year-old whales' remains have been found. The skeletons of Basilosaurus—ancient mammals—have tiny legs. Geological conditions preserved the skeletons in the sand. The area is a renowned site to observe the evolution.

The Whale Graveyard in Egypt

The Valley of the Whales in the Sahara has hundreds of fossils of Basilosaurus. Now within the Faiyum Oasis of Egypt. Ancient bodies accelerated north and back of this water trap, during the Eocene-Oligocene epochs. These skeletons are up to 15 meters long, with the size of a school bus. Some still have tiny hind legs, a remnant of their four-footed land mammal ancestry. The reptiles and mammal-lovers have skeletons that are often seen in the sand, and their fossils, bones and skulls, cover the sand. The rock formations and the overlying strata point to early, middle or late Eocene epochs. The Valley of the Whales also includes a collection of skeletal remains, including mammals and reptiles. The whale graveyard provided a tale of land mammals' return to water: the transition of the Basilosaurus species from land to sea. The climate was wet then. This open woodland, with rivers and lakes, is a now a vast desert. After the Eocene, it dried up, with the earth quaking.

The Power of Dust

One of the central mysteries of the Amazon rainforest is the source of its fertility. The Amazon forest nourishes itself with dust from the Sahara. Tiny particles from a former lake bed in Chad, the Bodélé Depression, feed the Amazon—over 26 million tons annually. The dust crosses the Atlantic every year to fertilize the Amazon. Tiny-particle dust from a now-empty lakebed in Chad crosses the Atlantic, fertilizing the Amazon. In the absence of dust, the Amazon forest couldn't support the trees and crops.

Secrets Hidden in Ice

Antartican Forest. Under Antarctica’s thick ice, a fossil rainforest reveals the chilling flip-flops of Earth’s climate. In 2019, scientists drilled through 800 meters of ice from the seabed off West Antarctica. 800 meters of ice covered a fossilized forest. After 20 meters of rock, they retrieved a 30-million-year-old forest, from the Eocene epoch. From a time when the icy continent was covered in trees. While 13 species of plants were found, its woody plants were completely new to science.

The Miracle of Water

Water trapped under rock, in the mine near Timmins, Ontario, is 2 billion years old. Called 2 billion-year-old water. The deep water has been trapped in rock, underground, since before oxygen filled the atmosphere. The water was trapped in a mine 2.68 kilometers underground. With an odd greenish tint and an equal mix of hydrogen and helium, it has no oxygen. The water doesn't taste like water. It's salty and smells like rotten eggs.

The Age of Climate Disruption

Underwater Lights

The Amazon Rainforest is filled with ghosts from ancient worlds: Forests that once stood. These examples show how earth's climate has changed over 30 million years. The Sahara was wet. Antarctica was covered in trees. They were the victims of a massive climate disturbance. While the climate changed gradually, it also undergoes sudden flip-flops. The earth changes can happen in centuries, not eons. To understand the future, we need to study the past, and there's still much to learn.

Exploring the Valley of the Whales

Egypt’s deserts cover Wadi Al-Hittan, site of fossilized whales. Whales lost their hind legs. They evolved to survive in water. This ocean—once covered the expanse of the Sahara. This ocean existed for 30 million years—from the Paleocene to the Oligocene. The whale fossils date back to the Middle Eocene. The weathered, wind-swept land of Wadi Al-Hittan can be difficult to travel. Bring a 4x4 jeep and knowledgeable guide. To see these whale fossils in the sands—a wonder of evolution. Bring water and food. The desert climate can be brutal. The Valley is in the desert. The site is also called “Valley of the Whales.” The Whale Museum is a building made from sandstone and clay brick. The valley is a United Heritage (UH) Protected Area, recognized by UNESCO. Get permits from the Ministry of Environment to visit privately.