Long before whales became gentle ocean behemoths with baleen mouths and NPR energy, one of their ancient cousins was cruising through the seas around prehistoric Australia like a pint-sized sea monster. Scientists have just confirmed a new species of whale, Janjucetus dullardi, that clocked in at around six and a half feet long—roughly human-sized, if that human had a giant head and a face full of teeth.
The fossil, dug up from the Jan Juc formation in Victoria, includes a rare combination of skull fragments, teeth, and inner ear bones—enough to identify it as a member of the mammalodontids, a now-extinct family of early whales.
“It’s essentially a little whale with big eyes and a mouth full of sharp, slicing teeth,” said paleontologist Ruairidh Duncan, who led the study. A predator in a family better known for passive eating.
This Newly Discovered Ancient Whale Was No Bigger Than a Person
Despite technically being an early baleen whale, J. dullardi had no baleen. Just teeth. Lots of them. It lived around 26 million years ago, in the weird in-between chapter of whale evolution before modern filter-feeders took over. This one still hunted like a predator, and judging by the fossil’s sharp hardware, it probably did so with enthusiasm. Its big eyes suggest it relied heavily on vision, possibly for ambushing prey in shallower, coastal waters.
The fossil is a big deal not because of its size, but because of what it tells us about how whales got from Point A (toothy goblin) to Point B (massive plankton strainer). The preserved ear bones give scientists clues about how the animal heard and navigated underwater—important intel for understanding how marine mammals adapted to life in the deep. Until now, fossils with this level of detail have been nearly impossible to come by, especially in the Southern Hemisphere.
“This fossil opens a window into how ancient whales grew and changed,” said co-author Erich Fitzgerald, who’s spent his career studying early cetaceans. “We’re only just beginning to uncover their stories.”
Not every prehistoric whale was a gentle giant. Some, like Janjucetus, were tiny, terrifying, and of course…in Australia.
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