Original subtitles

NARRATOR: A bizarre discovery in the sand of Wadi al-Jarf

may reveal the secret of Egypt's largest pyramid.

- They have to be man-made, but what are they?

NARRATOR: Astounding camel rock art

discovered on the edge of the Saudi Arabian desert

may change our understanding of human history in the region.

- This site is much, much older than we initially thought.

NARRATOR: And an extraordinary rock formation

discovered in the Sahara is out of this world.

- It's really an awe-inspiring sight, but what exactly is it?

NARRATOR: Astonishing discoveries

unearthed from the depths of the desert.

Ancient lost cities,

forgotten treasures,

mysterious structures,

extraordinary curiosities, once lost to the sands of time

are finally revealed

as new technology uncovers remarkable tales

hidden beneath the deserts of the world.

The secrets in the sand

will finally be exposed.

- (trickling sand grains)

NARRATOR: 150 kilometres south of Suez, Egypt,

along the western coast of the Red Sea, is Wadi El-Jarf.

This region is part of Egypt's Eastern desert,

approximately 220,000 square kilometres of the Sahara,

that conceals innumerable mysteries

lost to the sands of time.

- Around 95% of Egypt's population

lives within 20km of the Nile River Basin.

While the rest of the country is virtually uninhabited

because of the hostile desert environment,

Wadi El-Jarf included.

NARRATOR: A large team of marine archaeologists

were investigating a remote section

of the Red Sea coast at Wadi El-Jarf

when they discovered something strange in the water.

- At first sight, it looks sort of like a landform

running parallel to the shoreline.

At low tide, it becomes even more visible.

- It could be a shoal, which are ridges that form

where currents deposits material

that builds up over time and creates a shallower area.

- But shoals are usually made up of sand or other fine sediment.

However, this formation at Wadi El-Jarf appears to be made of rock.

NARRATOR: The marine archaeologists

continued their investigation underwater.

And discovered that the formation was L-shaped,

stretching about 160m east,

then turning southeast

and extending for roughly another 120m.

- This is a huge structure!

- Whatever it is, could have been on land when it was constructed

and then over the years, erosion and rising sea levels

ate into the coast and it ended up submerged.

- Maybe it's the ruins of an ancient palace that sat close to the shore,

or a military outpost

for defending against enemies coming from the sea.

- But this is a desolate area.

There's no evidence that there was ever a city here

or anything worth defending.

NARRATOR: As the team explored beneath the water,

they made another surprising discovery.

Limestone blocks on the sea floor,

all with a hole cut into them.

NARDI: They're about the size of a microwave,

and have been shaped into a trapezoid with rounded corners.

They have to be man-made. But what are they?

NARRATOR: The team moved the excavations

onto the shore at Wadi El-Jarf

and unearthed further evidence of ancient activity.

The ruins of two large stone structures,

about 30m in length and eight to 12m in width.

- The buildings seem to have five or six rooms,

separated by low walls constructed with limestone and pebbles.

The same materials used to build the underwater structure.

Another 99 limestone blocks with holes cut into them were found.

But unlike the ones discovered on the sea floor,

these seem to have traces of rope attached to them.

LEONARD: So the limestone blocks found at Wadi El-Jarf

are most likely anchors.

The ones found on the seabed probably fell off boats.

The ones found in the collection on land were probably stored

in the two buildings that were discovered.

CANTOR: Given the L-shape and the presence of anchors,

it's likely the underwater structure was a pier,

which also would have served as a breakwater,

protecting moored ships from the ravages of the Red Sea.

- Considering all the evidence found in the vicinity of the pier,

it looks like there must have been

significant maritime activity on this part of the coast.

NARRATOR: In 1823, a British explorer had discovered tunnels

around 6km inland from the location of the pier,

but nobody had investigated them further.

Interested in a possible connection,

the team ventured to the site.

- There are 30 long narrow tunnels carved into the hillside.

They average 15-20 metres in length,

3m in width and 2.5m in height.

Clearly, they're man-made.

And they're spacious enough for human activity.

But what were they for?

NARRATOR: Exploring the tunnel complex further,

the team discovered something strange.

Hundreds of pieces of wood.

CANTOR: Several pieces of the wood are thought to be parts of oars.

And there are also lengths of rope and dozens of jars.

So this whole system of tunnels looks like it must have been used

as a storage area for boat parts and supplies for voyages.

LEONARD: But maybe this tunnel system was used

for more than just storage and supplies.

It's entirely possible that whole boats

were assembled and stored here.

NARDI: All signs point to Wadi El-Jarf

being a major seafaring hub.

Which is kind of strange, considering that population centres

at the time were hundreds of kilometres across the desert.

CANTOR: And there's no evidence of any infrastructure

or extensive human presence

that you typically find at a busy port site.

Why would the Ancient Egyptians

build this harbour complex in the middle of nowhere?

NARRATOR: In Egypt, a discovery in the waters of the Red Sea

had sparked interest from archaeologists

who drew a potential connection

to a series of tunnels 6km inland.

Further exploring the tunnels,

the team made an astonishing discovery

that may be one of the most important

in the storied history of Egyptian Archaeology.

- There are around 800 pieces of inscribed papyri!

And most are very well preserved

because of the dry desert environment

and from being in the tunnels, sheltered from the elements.

NARRATOR: The archaeologists

set about analysing and translating the papyri.

And found that one of the best preserved pieces

made reference to the year after the 13th cattle count,

approximately 2570 BCE,

during Pharaoh Khufu's reign.

Famously, Khufu's tomb

lies within the largest pyramid in Egypt,

the Great Pyramid of Giza.

An architectural feat commissioned by the pharaoh himself.

NARDI: The cattle count was a way for Egyptian officials

to collect taxes based on assessing the value

of a farmer's crops and livestock.

They travelled from place to place every two years

and quite literally counted cows.

- If the papyri were written after

the 13th cattle count of Khufu's reign,

then that means that this was the 27th year of his time in power

and they date back almost 4,600 years.

CANTOR: These are the oldest inscribed papyri ever found.

And the harbour at Wadi El-Jarf is the oldest of its kind.

NARRATOR: Their remarkable age

is even noted by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Further analysis of the papyri

not only revealed the age of the harbour site,

including the pier originally discovered,

but surprising details about what transpired there

during Khufu's reign.

- There are two basic categories of documentation.

The first is a sort of accounting ledger

detailing deliveries to the area.

The second, and by far the more intriguing of the two,

seems to be the daily diary of a man named Merer.

WAKEFIELD: He appears to have been a bureaucrat of some kind

who was in charge of a team of men

ferrying goods throughout Egypt.

At one point, the journals mention a stop at Tura,

a town known for its limestone quarry.

NARDI: Merer describes loading their boat with stone

and taking it up the Nile River.

So it seems likely that they were building something.

But what exactly was it?

NARRATOR: Merer's diary also references

reporting to the noble Ankh-haf,

who was thought to be the half-brother of Khufu

and a powerful figure within the pharaoh's inner circle.

- It's been long suspected that Ankh-haf oversaw the building

of the Great Pyramid at Giza.

We know that Tura limestone was used

for the pyramids' outer layer, so Merer's diary provides a glimpse

into the logistical and engineering feats required

to build one of the wonders of the world.

- One thing that has puzzled experts over the years

is how the Ancient Egyptians got the massive stones to Giza

to build the pyramids.

The Nile is several miles away,

and it would have required a Herculean effort

to transport them over land.

LEONARD: According to Merer's account,

the stones were taken from Tura directly to Giza by boat.

Which supports the popular theory

that the Egyptians redirected parts of the Nile, probably using canals,

and constructed a major port close to the pyramid complex at Giza.

- But if Merer and his men were involved

in the building of the Great Pyramid,

then why was his diary found over 200km away at Wadi El-Jarf?

NARRATOR: Wadi El-Jarf is about 50km across the Red Sea

from the Sinai peninsula,

the location of Egypt's mining operations.

Some experts believe that Merer's responsibilities

were more focused on acquiring and delivering materials

like copper and turquoise that were needed to make the tools

used to build the Great Pyramid.

LEONARD: So the harbour was probably built to secure easy access

to the resources needed for these huge construction projects.

And despite this important role,

Wadi El-Jarf was probably only in use for a few decades.

NARDI: Why the harbour was ultimately abandoned

is still up for debate. But the common belief

is that it may have been shut down at the end of Khufu's reign,

having served its purpose of helping to build the Great Pyramid.

- Maybe, for his final act,

as operations at the harbour came to an end,

Merer simply tossed the papyri into the tunnel

and sealed the entrance, symbolically closing the book

on this chapter of Ancient Egyptian history,

only for it to be opened again an astounding 4,600 years later.

NARRATOR: This was a monumental discovery.

Merer's diary provides the only first-hand account

of the logistical and engineering achievements that went into

one of the most fabled construction projects in world history.

- (wind whistles)

- (echoing wind)

NARRATOR: In northern Saudi Arabia,

just south of the city of Sakakah, is the Al Nafud desert.

Which translates to 'The Great Sand Dune.'

This is the second-largest stretch of the Arabian desert

and features enormous crescent-shaped,

red-tinted sand dunes.

- The extreme heat of this desert

can reach as high as 54 degrees Celsius

and never drops below 15 degrees, even in the winter.

- Not much thrives here in this 65,000 square kilometre desert.

It even has a reputation for being impassable

and incredibly inhospitable.

NARRATOR: Along the northern edge of the desert,

8km outside Sakakah,

researchers exploring the region

were drawn to a crumbling outcropping

of three striated sandstone rock spurs.

When they looked closely,

they discovered clear traces of human life.

NARDI: Along the rock face are carved outlines

of what looks like legs and bodies.

Some are very faint etchings,

others are crumbling, rounded-out shapes.

But they are clearly images of animals.

- The artworks are large. Practically life-sized!

Measuring 1.5 to 2.5m in length,

with legs up to 1m tall.

They are very distinctive animals. They're camels.

- (grunts)

NARRATOR: Camels are an essential part of Saudi Arabian culture,

integral to modern life, and are still celebrated today.

53% of the Arabian peninsula's camels are found in this area,

providing food, labour, and entertainment.

- There is even a camel pageant at King Abdulaziz Camel Festival,

awarding the most beautiful camel each year

from Gulf and Arab countries.

So it is not surprising that these magnificent beasts of burden

would be featured in local art throughout the ages.

- Looking around, there are 12 separate panels

with a total of 21 animal images.

The animals include 17 camels,

and what is likely an early ancestor of the horse.

LEONARD: The images carved at the rock spurs are reliefs.

A technique of sculpting in which

the image protrudes from the background

but is still connected to it.

- They are made in both low relief,

featuring slightly raised images,

and high relief, where the image stands out in three dimensions

from the flat surface, creating more shadow and distinction.

NARRATOR: Experts compare this site

with the only other known three-dimensional camel relief,

at Petra, Jordan.

The images at Petra's Bab as-Siq

revealed a monumental sculptural group

along a narrow passageway

that features herdsmen guiding camels.

- They're believed to be from 50 BCE,

and are among the earliest surviving reliefs in Petra.

So it's possible these camel images outside Sakakah

could be around 2,000 years old as well.

- The images in Petra are attributed to the Nabataeans,

Arabian nomads from the Negev Desert

who lived between the 6th century BCE and 100 CE.

The Petra reliefs feature similar subject matter.

But the works here in Saudi Arabia

are smaller than the giant 3.5m figures found there.

ELLIS: Historic Nabataean caravan routes

crossed through what is now the Sakakah Basin,

connecting the entire peninsula,

moving people and goods over hundreds of years.

So it's possible they could be responsible

for the images here too.

LEONARD: However, another notable difference in the images

is that the animals at Sakakah appear to be unharnessed

and featured in their natural environment,

where humans play a secondary role.

This is unlike the Petra images

where the camels are being guided by men.

So maybe they weren't created by the Nabataeans.

- (sheep bleat)

HARIDY: While nomadic Neolithic people of Arabia

did herd cattle, sheep, and goats,

they had not yet domesticated camels,

likely only hunting them for food.

NARRATOR: Surveying the area of ground and sediment

around the rock bases, researchers discovered dozens of flint pieces

among the crumbling rocks and sand.

- When flint, which is a form of quartz,

is struck by a heavier or harder stone,

it creates jagged and sharp fragments.

The pieces of flint found here

were likely tools used to create the artwork.

NARRATOR: To date the artwork,

experts measured the regrowth of the rock's natural varnish,

a coating on its surface caused by atmospheric exposure.

This layer is mainly composed of clay and oxides

and grows only a few micrometres per thousand years.

HARIDY: The depth of the varnish on the art

reveals that this site is much, much older than we initially thought,

even older than the 2,000-year-old Petra camels.

NARRATOR: Further testing revealed

that the Sakakah camel site actually dates

between 7,000 and 8,000 years ago.

Making these the oldest life-sized animal reliefs in the world.

- The site is astounding, not only given its age,

but considering the effort it would have taken to create it.

Especially given the available technologies at that time.

NARRATOR: While many areas of the rock spur are still quite imposing,

digital reconstruction of the site lead experts to believe

that the spurs would have reached up to 10m in height,

and were between 70m and 80m in length

at the time the art was created.

- It's likely that the reliefs were created

over different periods by multiple artists,

whether taking on panels individually

or working on them in tandem.

Which could explain the differences in style across the site.

HARIDY: Given the enormous height,

and the fact that these life-sized,

two and three-dimensional camels

are seen throughout the rock's surface,

one would assume that whoever made these

would have needed some form of ancient scaffolding.

NARDI: But why were they drawn here?

Seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

NARRATOR: On the edge of the Arabian desert in Saudi Arabia,

the discovery of the oldest animal reliefs in the world

pushed experts to unearth more answers.

Archaeologists excavated a one-by-five metre,

40cm deep trench, on the north side of the centre rock spur.

They discovered artefacts that ranged widely in age.

Some dated as far back as the mid-6th millennium BCE,

while others were as recent as 1587.

- Eight transverse arrowheads were among the artefacts discovered.

Their style is indicative of items

that were previously catalogued in Jordan.

- Transverse arrowheads tend to be much smaller

than the triangular arrowheads you might normally think of.

They can range from a few centimetres in length

to the size of a thumb nail.

NARRATOR: Transverse arrowheads are a Neolithic relic

of ancient hunter-gatherer societies.

They may be small, but nonetheless, they are deadly.

Designed to penetrate deep into the prey's flesh.

- These arrowheads are believed to date from 5600-5300 BCE.

The evidence found in the trench supports the idea

that Neolithic people seem to have repeatedly returned

to this camel site over a wide spectrum of time.

NARRATOR: The rock formations are positioned

between the vast expanse of the desert

and the mountainous massif to the north,

an area of the Earth's crust that is defined by faults.

- The rocks at the camel site

sit between 550-650m above sea level.

And given their height above the sand,

they would be visible from quite a distance,

which could be helpful after a long, dusty trek

through the extreme heat of the desert.

ELLIS: Some people even think that the original formation

may have looked somewhat like a camel from a distance.

So perhaps the site and its camel reliefs

were a landmark of some kind.

NARRATOR: Expanding the search, researchers and locals alike

uncovered another 11 rock art sites

with similar carved and engraved images

distributed along the edges of the Al-Nafud Desert.

With a twelfth site as far away as southern Jordan.

LEONARD: Teams have identified a total of 27 panels,

depicting an astonishing 37 life-sized carvings of camels.

They all share common characteristics,

including details like hair, eyes, and ribs.

NARDI: It's believed that this site was in use over a prolonged period,

and that communities likely revisited

and added to the art over time.

Though the exact reason people were drawn here is still unknown.

HARIDY: The camel rock art sites

across the Nafud desert, including at Sakakah,

stand as evidence of a deep artistic tradition.

NARRATOR: Above all, these sites are testament to the fact

that the wild camel was a creature of great cultural importance

for the Neolithic peoples of this land.

The beginnings of a relationship between man and animal

that would remain an integral element of life in the region

for generations to come.

- (howling wind)

NARRATOR: The Adrar Plateau in northwest Mauritania

is a remote, hostile region of the Sahara desert,

mostly comprised of desolate canyons,

imposing sand dunes, and parched rocky landscapes.

- It's extremely dry here, averaging around 70mm of rain annually.

And that mainly falls during August and September,

which would explain why the region is almost completely devoid of life.

NARRATOR: This extraordinary terrain

is even more striking when viewed from above.

- All systems are good at this time.

- (boom)

NARRATOR: Astronauts on a four-day orbit around Earth

aboard the Gemini IV spacecraft

were asked by NASA to photograph the planet's landscape.

While flying over the Adrar Plateau,

they spotted something striking in the middle of the desert.

ELLIS: It's a huge circular formation on the ground

that has concentric rings of different colours

extending out from a large central area.

WAKEFIELD: It looks kind of like a multi-coloured bull's-eye

carved into the desert.

And if the astronauts could see it from space,

it must be absolutely massive.

- It's determined that the diameter of the structure

is an astounding 40 kilometres.

It's really an awe-inspiring sight,

but what exactly is it?

NARRATOR: Named the Richat Structure,

but most commonly referred to as the Eye of the Sahara,

this mysterious geological formation

has perplexed scientists ever since its discovery.

- Perhaps it's an impact crater,

created when an object from space slammed into the Earth's surface.

After all, a circular formation of this magnitude

is very rare outside of meteorite strikes.

- Researchers in the area have found what are called brecciated cherts.

These are small, angular pieces of sedimentary rock, similar to quartz,

that are made up of smaller rock fragments and minerals

that have been cemented together over time.

WAKEFIELD: Whenever there's a large extra-terrestrial impact,

a huge amount of debris, in the form of different rock types,

is launched into the air.

These fragments then fall back to the ground.

And over the years, they slowly meld together.

NARRATOR: Breccias can be found at almost all major impact sites.

Among them, northern Arizona's famous Meteor Crater,

an almost otherworldly site

gouged into the desert of the Colorado Plateau.

- It's a spectacular crater,

roughly 1,200 metres across

and 170 metres deep.

It's thought to be around 50,000 years old,

which is actually fairly young in geological time.

- About 150km southwest of the Eye of the Sahara

is an impact site believed to be significantly older.

The Aouelloul Crater could be up to three million years old.

ELLIS: It's pretty close to the Eye, so maybe this area

was once a hotbed for meteorite activity.

WAKEFIELD: The Aouelloul Crater is quite a bit smaller though,

with a circumference of roughly 1.2km.

But there are similar characteristics.

Like a raised rim around a relatively flat centre.

NARRATOR: Further investigation at the Eye of the Sahara

didn't uncover any other evidence of impact.

Naturally, explosive incidents leave traces behind,

but such pieces of evidence were never found here.

- Yes, they found breccia, but they were small.

An impact severe enough to make a crater this large

would leave much bigger rocks called megabreccia.

CANTOR: You would also find shatter cones on surrounding rocks.

These are marks and fractures caused by shockwaves,

but they haven't been found at the site.

- The Eye is also very shallow compared to how wide it is.

It's 40km across and yet it's only about 50m deep.

If something hit the ground with enough force

to leave a depression this wide,

there would be evidence of the collision

at least 10km below the surface of the Earth.

CANTOR: So if the Eye isn't an impact crater,

what else could it be?

NARRATOR: The origin of an enormous rock formation in the Sahara desert

has captured the curiosity of people all over the world.

Many believe it might have mythical origins.

WAKEFIELD: Some theorise that the Eye

is actually the remains of the legendary lost city of Atlantis.

ELLIS: Plato first described Atlantis

in writings dated to 360 BCE,

claiming it was constructed using concentric rings

that were varied between land and water,

which kind of fits the description of the Eye.

NARRATOR: Critics are quick to point out

that most scholars believe that the story of Atlantis

is nothing but a rhetorical concept used by Plato.

A morality tale

about the destruction of an advanced utopian society.

- It's a bit of a far-fetched idea for several reasons.

First off, Plato describes Atlantis's location

as being in the Atlantic, just beyond the Pillars of Hercules,

which most people assume to be in the Strait of Gibraltar,

hundreds of kilometres away from the Eye.

- Atlantis is also said to have been surrounded by flat plains.

That's not really an accurate description of the rugged landscape

that surrounds the Eye of the Sahara.

Plato also suggested that there was a main canal

that ran through the city,

but there's obviously nothing like that here.

- There's really no physical evidence to suggest

that an advanced society existed here.

But the Eye of the Sahara has been home

to many interesting archaeological finds

that are much older than the mythical Atlantis.

NARRATOR: Along the outermost rings,

archaeologists have unearthed stone tools.

Mostly primitive oval and pear-shaped hand-axes

called bifaces, commonly used by early humans.

- This means that there could have been early human activity

in this area over a million years ago.

Maybe this was the site

of some kind of ancient village where early humans lived.

- But no evidence of human-made structures has been found.

And there are no other deposits that suggest

that early people lived here on a permanent basis.

It's more likely that the area

was used temporarily for hunting and tool-making.

And even if they did live here, that doesn't tell us anything

about how the Eye was actually formed.

NARRATOR: A recent theory

put forth by two Canadian geologists

may clarify the origins of the mysterious Eye of the Sahara

once and for all.

- They believe that the Eye was formed

more than a hundred million years ago

when the supercontinent Pangea was pulled apart by plate tectonics,

separating what are now South America and Africa.

WAKEFIELD: Molten rock bubbled up towards the surface of the Earth,

but didn't manage to break through,

which produced a dome that's made up of layers of rock.

This uplift also created fault lines in and around the Eye,

and melted limestone near the centre, which collapsed,

and created the brecciated rock formations found there today.

- Then sometime after, there was a violent eruption

that caused the entire dome to disintegrate.

And then it was just a matter of millions of years of erosion

to create this spectacular formation.

And so, this striking ring-like appearance

is likely due to the presence of different kinds of rock

that erode at various speeds.

NARRATOR: There is fear among experts

that as climate change accelerates desertification,

the Eye of the Sahara could become buried in the sand

and one of the most arresting geological formations on Earth

would be lost forever.

But until then, the great eye in the desert watches over us all.

NARRATOR: 150km southwest of Cairo

in the Western desert of Egypt,

lies a hot, dusty stretch of orange sand and dry rock formations

known as Wadi El Hitan.

- The Western desert takes up two-thirds of Egypt,

covering nearly 700,000 square km of the country in sand.

- Wadi El Hitan is a remote desert valley

that is made up of a series of escarpments with ancient sands

that can be dated as far back as 48 million years ago.

NARRATOR: Under 43 degree Centigrade heat,

and demanding field conditions,

a team made up of palaeontologists and masters students

were surveying a site when they discovered a near complete,

though fragmented, fossil of an ancient creature.

- They carefully uncovered a partial skull,

a series of disassociated vertebrae

and some other strange bones lying next to one another.

This specimen measures nearly 2m in length.

- So the bones of this animal were found all together.

Articulated. Connected to one another.

And what this means is that there was no post-mortem movement,

and therefore the animal was found exactly where it died.

- This is clearly a sea creature, and a large one at that.

But how did a sea creature end up in the middle of the Western desert?

CANTOR: You wouldn't know it

by looking at this field of endless sand,

but tens of millions of years ago,

it was entirely underwater.

NARRATOR: 250 million years ago,

this desert was the bed of the Central Tethys Sea,

named after the Greek goddess of the seas.

It existed between the super continents

of Gondwana and Laurasia before these landmasses broke apart,

forming the modern continents and oceans we know today.

- The sea floor closed up with the settling of the plates

approximately 50 million years ago during the Cenozoic Era.

This left a shallow bay that eventually dried up.

MIFFLIN: So even though it looks like a vast desert wasteland,

this area is well known for having the richest collection

of marine fossils in Egypt.

NARRATOR: In 2015, a fully intact Basilosaurus,

one of the first pre-historic whales, was discovered.

- The Arabic name Wadi El Hitan, means valley of the whales.

It's called that because of the hundreds

of ancient whale skeletons that have been discovered right here.

So perhaps maybe this too is a whale.

NARRATOR: Among the numerous whale species

discovered here in the valley,

palaeontologists have also found Phiomicetus anubis,

named after the Ancient Egyptians' god of death.

- This is not your average whale by any stretch of the imagination.

It's very small compared to modern whales.

It's only about 3m long and weighed approximately 600kg.

MIFFLIN: Especially when considering

that the average right whale living today is 18m long,

and the blue whale can be up to 33m long.

NARRATOR: This whale has an elongated head with a long snout,

indicating that it would have had a hefty bite

for any unsuspecting prey.

It's believed this would have been a carnivorous predator

similar to today's orcas.

- But that's not even the strangest thing

about this 43 million-year-old fossil of a whale in the desert.

This whale seems to have legs. Four legs.

And legs are used for walking. It was a walking whale!

HARIDY: More surprisingly,

this is not the first walking whale discovered.

In 2011, palaeontologists in Peru

found a 4m long whale fossil

that had hooves and webbed feet.

Through evolution, whales went from small hoofed mammals

who occasionally swam, to the ocean-dwelling animals,

like blue whales, that we have today.

NARRATOR: Further examination of the skull of the sea creature

found in the Wadi revealed two opercules,

bone structures that protect the gills

and define the connection of the head to the body.

LEONARD: The presence of this bone structure here

indicates that these remains are not those of a whale.

In fact, it seems to be some type of very large fish.

But what kind of fish is it?

NARRATOR: Palaeontologists noticed another particular set

of unique bones, known as the Weberian Apparatus.

- This is amazing!

The Weberian Apparatus is a distinctive arrangement

of small bones that connect the swim bladder to the auditory system.

It enhances the fish's ability to hear

under the extreme pressure caused by swimming in deep water.

CANTOR: The bones of the Weberian Apparatus

are unique to the bony fishes.

A category of 8,000 species,

including carps, minnows, suckers, and catfish.

NARRATOR: Dating the bones

by the strata layer they were discovered in,

palaeontologists were able to estimate the age of the fish

to 37 million years old.

LEONARD: Due to the extremely dry conditions of the desert

that prevent moisture damage,

these bones are incredibly well preserved despite their age.

CANTOR: And they are very anatomically modern.

In fact, it's remarkably similar to its living relative,

the catfish.

NARRATOR: The name catfish refers to the long feelers around the mouth

that give the fish the appearance of having whiskers.

They're generally omnivorous scavengers and bottom-feeders.

- Catfish are a diverse group of fish.

And they're the most abundant freshwater fishes in the world,

accounting for 22% of all fish found in freshwater.

- However, they were historically a saltwater species

that adapted their tolerance to freshwater over many generations.

CANTOR: It's likely a member of the Ariidae catfish family,

which lived primarily in the sea

due to its high tolerance for saltwater.

NARRATOR: Palaeontologists compared

the reconstructed specimen discovered in the Wadi

with other prehistoric fossilised catfish

found in other regions of Africa.

And determined that this individual

was in fact a new genus of catfish.

- This is the oldest and most complete catfish specimen

found in this region to date.

Named Qarmoutus hitanensis.

'Qarmoutus' from the Old Arabic word for catfish

and 'hitanensis' meaning 'from the whale'.

LEONARD: This is also the first marine catfish

to be found in the Valley of the Whales.

Meaning that even at nearly 2m in length,

it was still possibly prey

to many of the mammalian predators in its midst.

- Every species plays a special role in its ecosystem.

And each new fossil fills in a part of the larger picture

that can't be properly understood

until all members of its respective marine community are discovered.

NARRATOR: The importance of Wadi Al-Hitan

to the world of Vertebrate Palaeontology can't be understated.

It's helping to answer questions about the lives, feeding behaviour,

and relationships of whales and other ancient sea creatures.

This catfish discovery at Wadi Al-Hitan contributes

to an expanding and inspiring snapshot of marine evolution.

Subtitles by Sky Access Services