Palaeontologists are gearing up to examine a remarkable discovery made by a family during a casual seaside outing at Ocean Grove on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula.
The relic, believed to be a segment of a whale’s vertebrae, emerged due to unusual tidal patterns and shifting sands.
“This area is stunning, so it’s not shocking that yet another marvel has been uncovered,” one local remarked on the significant find.
“It’s astonishing; it feels almost miraculous,” another individual commented.
Upon hearing about the discovery, Yestin Griffiths, a member of the Geelong Gem and Mineral Club, hurried to the site on Wednesday.
“I was thrilled beyond words and rushed to the scene immediately,” Griffiths expressed.
“It’s hard to find these fossils in the first place, and it’s even harder to find them again sometimes.”
The fossil has now been covered again by sand and water but Griffiths will return in the new year with Museums Victoria to properly excavate the 20-million-year-old find.
“Usually when you have anything that’s fossilised, it’ll break up and it’ll disperse a little bit before it gets buried,” Griffiths said.
“The good thing about this is that there’s a lot there.”
Scientists are eager to identify the species and analyse whether the remains can share more information about whale evolution.
A similar discovery by a school principal just 30 minutes up the road helped experts name a new type of whale in August.
