Paleontologists from the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum on Wednesday collected what is believed to be a 12-million-year-old sperm whale fossil from the campus of Chadwick School on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The fossil of the whale skull, embedded in an Altamira shale boulder weighing several hundred pounds, required a forklift for loading. The museum will study the artifact for the next year and keep it as part of the collection. A model of the skull will be provided for the school in exchange for the gift.