‘Deceptively cute’ historic whale with razor-sharp tooth and eyes the dimensions of tennis balls found in Australia | Whales

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

This early species, referred to as Janjucetus dullardi, was a particularly uncommon animal, stated Dr Erich Fitzgerald, senior curator of vertebrate palaeontology at Museums Victoria Research Institute.

It was tiny – concerning the dimension of a dolphin – and had razor-sharp tooth, bearing little resemblance to its closest residing family members within the baleen whale household, together with blue whales, among the largest animals to ever stay.

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The whale’s closely constructed cranium was “almost over-engineered”, Fitzgerald stated. It had comparatively massive eyes – approaching the dimensions of tennis balls – and a brief snout with deeply rooted tooth for gripping and tearing.

“This was a really gnarly whale that I personally wouldn’t want to get in the water with,” Fitzgerald stated.

“It’s essentially a little whale with big eyes and a mouth full of sharp, slicing teeth,” stated co-author Ruairidh Duncan, a researcher on the Museums Victoria Research Institute and Monash University. “Imagine the shark-like version of a baleen whale – small and deceptively cute, but definitely not harmless.”

Duncan and Fitzgerald described the brand new species within the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society from an “exceedingly rare” fossil discover that included a partial cranium, ear bone and eight tooth – key options that enabled the scientists to establish it as a brand new species.

When absolutely grown, the species was most likely about 3m lengthy. But the fossil was more than likely a juvenile, based mostly on its huge open root canals, barely worn tooth and bone connections that weren’t as tightly fused as in a mature specimen. “This individual was probably no more than about two to 2.2m long,” Fitzgerald stated. “You could fit it on to a beach towel.”

Janjucetus dullardi lived throughout the Oligocene (30-23 million years in the past) – about midway again to the extinction of the dinosaurs – a time of worldwide heat and rising seas. It was the fourth recognized species from a gaggle often known as mammalodontids, uncommon animals that have been an “early offshoot” of the baleen whale household tree, Fitzgerald stated.

He stated proof from fossils of tiny plankton from the Jan Juc Formation – the identical type of rock – urged sea temperatures in southern Australia would have been hotter then, extra akin to subtropical waters off Coffs Harbour.

“In these seas, there was this extraordinary abundance of life, including all these little whales, giant penguins, sharks – about a third, or even twice as long as today’s great white shark – and various other primitive dolphins and other species of whales. It was a very different world,” Fitzgerald stated.

It was a turning level within the historical past of life within the oceans, and the start of an explosion within the diversification of whales and dolphins.

Flinders University palaeontologist Prof John Long, who was not concerned within the paper, stated the fossil was a exceptional discover that might assist uncover the evolutionary steps as early carnivorous whales transitioned to develop into filter feeders.

“To understand the radiation and evolution of the big baleen whales that live today, we need to look at the fossil record to see the stages of how they acquired their special characters,” he stated.

It additionally highlighted the worth of fieldwork, by skilled scientists and members of the general public, Long stated.

The discovery wouldn’t have been potential with out native resident and faculty principal Ross Dullard, who discovered the specimen in 2019 whereas strolling alongside the seashore close to Jan Juc on Victoria’s surf coast.

Recognising the fossil’s significance, Dullard donated the fossil to the museum for additional research. In recognition of his contribution, the brand new species was named in his honour.

This highlighted the important function that members of the general public continued to play in Australian palaeontology, Fitzgerald stated. “It’s a reminder that world-changing fossils can be found in your own back yard.”

“Victoria has got a rich fossil heritage,” stated Long. “I grew up in Melbourne and collected fossils as a kid since I was seven. You can find fossils of nearly all geological periods in Victoria … if you know where to look.”