THE DISCOVERY: EVERYTHING BEGINS WITH A MISUNDERSTANDING
The inhabitants of Camerano Casasco still recount a rather unusual story that began at the end of the nineteenth century. In May 1891, during repair work to fix damage caused by heavy rains, a farmer found some large teeth in the ground.
A bag containing these teeth, initially thought to belong to a donkey, was brought to Turin by the renowned palaeontologist Federico Sacco, who confirmed that they were undoubtedly mammal teeth. Not from a donkey, but from a dolphin.
Excavation was immediately authorized, lasting eight months, and the results exceeded all expectations. From this work emerged the skeleton of the dolphin that had once swum in the warm waters of the Po Sea.
The full account of this remarkable discovery can be read in the book Fossils and Territories: Extraordinary Discoveries in the Hills of Asti by Laura Nosenzo.
THE SKELETON: ONE OF THE MOST COMPLETE WITH EXCEPTIONAL PRESERVATION
The fossil displays a truly excellent state of preservation and is one of the best-preserved specimens in the world. This specimen was part of the historic collection of marine mammals at the Regional Museum of Natural Sciences in Turin. Its transfer to Asti was completed in 2019 following an important agreement between the relevant authorities. Its exhibition, together with other fossil cetaceans at the Paleontological Museum of Asti in Palazzo Michelerio, has become a major attraction for school groups and visitors. The skeleton is included in the Catalogue of Piedmontese Fossil Cetaceans, published by the Paleontological Park in 2023.
ORCA OR DOLPHIN?
The Camerano dolphin Hemisyntrachelus cortesii (3.5 million years old) displays a robust dentition, a broad rostrum, and a vertebral column with characteristics very similar to those of the modern orca. The skull of the fossil species occupies an intermediate position between the two modern forms, with a shorter and stouter rostrum. It has fewer teeth, which are more robust than those of the modern dolphin, comparable to those of the orca while maintaining a less massive structure.
Comparison of skulls:
- Orcinus orca (modern orca)
- Hemisyntrachelus cortesii (fossil dolphin of Camerano Casasco)
- Tursiops truncatus (modern dolphin)
CAT SCANS TO REVEAL NEW INFORMATION
Since 2015, the Paleontological Museum has collaborated with the “Cardinal Massaia” Hospital of Asti to perform computed axial tomography scans (CT scans) of the fossil cetaceans in the Asti collection. Among these is the Camerano dolphin, and on the basis of these scans, a project is underway to create a high-quality virtual reconstruction of the endocranial cast (brain) to improve our understanding of the evolution of cetacean brains.
THE SIGNS OF TIME AND WORLD WAR II
The skeleton, studied and described by Sacco, was slightly damaged by the bombings of the Second World War, and some parts still display blackened stains caused by the smoke from fires.
The original caption from the Fire Brigade archive reads: Raid of 17 August 1943, Palazzo Carignano: what remains of a display case containing a prehistoric animal.
