Italian scientists find extinct sea cow fossil in Philippines

Italian scientists have found in the Philippines the bones of an extinct sea cow species that lived about 20 million years ago, media reports said Tuesday.

Several ribs and spine parts of the aquatic mammal were found earlier this year in limestone rock above the waters of an underground river on the island of Palawan, University of Florence geologist Leonardo Piccini annouced Monday at a symposium held at the Philippine presidential palace.

Piccini said the fossil is in the rock and they want to wait for when technology will allow them to study the fossil without extracting it.

He said it was a rare discovery in the region from the Miocene era -- 20 million years ago.

"It's the first remains of this kind of animal in the area, so it is important in reconstructing the habitat and the diffusions of this animal in the Miocene," he said.

It's believed the fossil belongs to one of two extinct species of sea cows, which were about 1.8 meters long.

Two sea cow species live to this day, including the dugong of the Indo-Pacific region.

Source: Xinhua