Whale Valley: Sahara’s Whale graveyard tells the tale of walking whales that once had feet and toes

Egypt's Wadi El-Hitan, or Valley of the Whales (Image: UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Deep in Egypt’s vast Sahara lies a place where ocean creatures once roamed. Today, that desert holds secrets of whale evolution locked in ancient stone.

A prehistoric ocean, now desert dust

Whale Valley, or Wadi Al-Hitan, sits tucked in the Egyptian Sahara. It is scattered with fossilised whale skeletons, many dating back over 40 million years. These marine fossils belong to the Eocene epoch, when the area lay beneath the ancient Tethys Ocean.

UNESCO calls these finds one of evolution’s greatest tales—proof of whales shifting from land to sea. Some skeletons remarkably retain hind limbs, feet, and even toes. These rare features offer evidence of whales’ distant land-dwelling past.

Basilosaurus isis: A predator with teeth and toes

In 1902, palaeontologists first uncovered a new whale species here—Basilosaurus isis. This massive predator stretched 60 feet long and may have fed on smaller whales. Its fossils show sharp incisors and cheek teeth ideal for crushing skulls.

More than 400 whale skeletons have since been found in the area. In 1989, researchers from the University of Michigan and Egypt’s Geological Museum discovered B. isis specimens with hind limbs. These limbs confirm the transition phase from land to sea mammal, according to a 2023 review article.

Modern whales have no visible hind limbs but retain pelvic bones. The fossils in Whale Valley belong to archaeocetes, an early group of whales that later evolved into today’s whales and dolphins.

Preserved fossils, protected lands

In 2005, the discovery of a near-complete B. isis fossil led UNESCO to list Whale Valley as a World Heritage site. Since then, palaeontologists have unearthed fossils of ancient turtles, sea cows, crocodiles, and sharks in the area.

The dry desert climate has helped preserve these fossils over millions of years. The valley now serves as an open-air museum, with a visitor centre and marked trails. The site remains protected, with research continuing into the region’s geology and fossil records.

Whale Valley’s fossils quietly tell a powerful story—how creatures once walked, swam, and evolved in the depths of time.