File:Wadi Hitan banner 1.jpg

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English: Wadi Al-Hitan, the Whale Valley.
Wadi Al-Hitan is a very important fossil site that firmly establishes the fossil record of whale evolution from land mammals, one of Darwin's major assertions in "The Origin of Species." The wadi hosts skeletons of families of archaic whales in their original geological and geographic setting of the shallow, nutrient-rich bay of the Tethys Sea of 30-40 million years ago, in what is now central Egypt.
There is no other place in the world yielding archaic whale fossils of such quality in such abundance and concentration -- over 400 cetacean skeletons have been discovered, the most important finds coming between 1985-1995. Many of the sirenians and cetaceans are preserved as virtually complete articulated skeletons which, uniquely, preserve reduced hind limbs, making them intermediate between earlier land mammals and later modern whales.
In addition to the whale fossils, numerous other fossils of plant and animal life provide a rich picture of the ecology of the Tethys Sea during Eocene time, enabling interpretation of how animals then lived and how they were related to each other. These fossils are the subject of continuing study and are of iconic value for the study of evolutionary transition, and make the site vitally important as a niche in Earth's natural history.
Wadi Hitan has been named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.
Stitched panorama, 6 frames, ArcSoft Panorama Maker 4.0


Français : Ouadi Al-Hitan, ou la « Vallée des Baleines ».
Ce lieu est un important site fossilifère, il renferme des fossiles de cétacés archaïques qui se sont formés dans les eaux riches et peu profondes d'un golfe de la mer Thétys, dans ce qui est aujourd'hui l'Égypte centrale, il y a 30 à 40 millions d'années. Ces fossiles permettent de démontrer le passage évolutif des ancêtres des cétacés actuels de la terre ferme vers la mer, qui avait été prédit pa Darwin dans son Origine des espèces.
Il n'existe aucun lieu connu sur terre donnant de fossiles de cétacés archaïques d'une meilleure qualité que Ouadi Al-Hitan. 400 squelettes de cétacés archaïques ont été trouvés ici, surtout entre 1985 et 1995. Les squelettes sont en place, avec les ligaments et, plus important encore, les os atrophiés des membres arrières ; ce qui montre le caractère intermédiaires de ces animaux entre des animaux terrestres et les cétacés actuels.
Ce site livre aussi de nombreux autres fossiles animaux et végétaux, donnant un panorama détaillé de la vie de cet ancien golfe de la mer thétys datant de l'éocène. Il permet en partuculier de connaitre les différentes communauté animales et leurs relations entre elles, et il donne au site une valeur unique dans l'étude de l'évolution récente.
Le Wadi al Hitan est classé au patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco depuis avril 2005.
Image panoramique obtenue en assemblant 6 clichés avec ArcSoft Panorama Maker 4.0
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Source This file was derived from: Wadi Hitan (Whale Valley) Panorama.jpg
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This is a retouched picture, which means that it has been digitally altered from its original version. Modifications: Crop and scale for use as Wikivoyage page banner. The original can be viewed here: Wadi Hitan (Whale Valley) Panorama.jpg. Modifications made by Pbsouthwood.

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    • 2009-05-20T02:39:38Z Tm 15865x2358 (7222454 Bytes) {{Information |Description= Stitched panorama, 6 frames, ArcSoft Panorama Maker 4.0 Wadi Al-Hitan is a very important fossil site that firmly establishes the fossil record of whale evolution from land mammals, one of Darwin'

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current19:58, 6 July 2013Thumbnail for version as of 19:58, 6 July 20132,100 × 300 (697 KB)Pbsouthwood== {{int:filedesc}} == {{Information |Description={{en|'''Wadi Al-Hitan, the Whale Valley'''. <br> Wadi Al-Hitan is a very important fossil site that firmly establishes the fossil record of whale evolution from land mammals, one of Darwin's major asser...

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