Rare prehistoric Australian whales with razor-sharp teeth and tennis-ball eyes discovered
TL;DR Summary
Recent fossil discoveries in Victoria, Australia, reveal a diverse array of bizarre, small baleen whales called mammalodontids that lived around 25 million years ago, including the newly identified Janjucetus dullardi, which was about two meters long and likely a juvenile. These whales lacked baleen and had unique features, representing an extinct branch of whale evolution that thrived during a warm, shallow sea environment before going extinct around 22 million years ago due to climate cooling.
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- New species of "deceptively cute" but fearsome ancient whale named after local who found its skull on beach CBS News
- ‘Deceptively cute’ ancient whale with razor-sharp teeth and eyes the size of tennis balls discovered in Australia The Guardian
- Shark-like prehistoric whale with razor-sharp teeth discovered off Australia The Independent
- Tennis-Ball-Eyed Ancient Whale Found on Australian Coast The Jerusalem Post
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