New Leviathan Whale Was Prehistoric"Jaws"? (Pictures)

Evoking theposter for the original summer blockbuster,a new species of killersperm whaleattacks a baleen whale in an illustration.

Dubbed Leviathan melvillei—an homage toMoby-Dickauthor Herman Melville—the recently unearthed fossil sea monster lived about 13 million years ago in waters atop what's now aPeruviandesert, according to a study published by the journalNatureon Wednesday.

Living alongside the largest sharks ever known, the raptorial—meaning actively hunting—whale measured about 60 feet (18 meters) in length, about as big as a modern male sperm whale.

But whereas modern sperm whales feed primarily on squid, Leviathan's large teeth—some of which measured more than a foot (36 centimeters) long—suggest the whale hunted more challenging prey, including perhaps its close whale relatives.

"It was probably a very powerful and frightening animal, so it fits well with the description Melville made of Moby-Dick,"said lead study author Olivier Lambert, a paleontologist at the National Museum of Natural Historyin Paris.

(Related picture:"Whale Found in Egypt Desert.")

—Ker Than

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