Blue whales have always been considered record breakers when it comes to the size department.

Not only is it the largest animal alive today, but the species is often considered the heaviest to have ever lived.

But new research shows that title might belong to an ancient whale species which swam in the oceans around 39 million years ago.

Researchers have analysed the remains of a partial skeleton uncovered 13 years ago in the Ica desert on the southern coast of Peru.

Their findings, published in the journal Nature, suggest this extinct species had a body mass of up to 340 tonnes – three times heavier than the blue whale.

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