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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Environment
Petra Stock

‘Deceptively cute’ ancient whale with razor-sharp teeth and eyes the size of tennis balls discovered in Australia

Janjucetus dullardi, a new species discovered in Victoria, Australia, was ‘a little whale with big eyes and a mouth full of sharp, slicing teeth’.
Janjucetus dullardi, a new species discovered in Victoria, Australia, was ‘a little whale with big eyes and a mouth full of sharp, slicing teeth’. Illustration: Ruairidh Duncan/Museums Victoria

“Small and deceptively cute, but definitely not harmless” is how scientists have described a new species of ancient whale, from a 25-million-year-old fossil found on Victoria’s surf coast.

This early species, called Janjucetus dullardi, was an extremely unusual animal, said Dr Erich Fitzgerald, senior curator of vertebrate palaeontology at Museums Victoria Research Institute.

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