OREANDA-NEWS In Australia, scientists from Museums Victoria have described a new species of ancient whale Janjucetus dullardi, previously unknown to science, which existed about 25 million years ago, ABC News reports.

These whales lived 25 million years ago and belonged to the extinct mammalodontid family of whales. Janjucetus dullardi had large eyes, sharp teeth, and their size reached just over two meters in length. Scientists said that this species was a representative of formidable predators, according to the news service.

"This is a whale that was previously unknown to science," said Eric Fitzgerald, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Museums Victoria Research Institute.

Janjucetus dullardi is named after local resident Ross Dullard, who found the remains while walking along Janjuk Beach and then donated them to Museums Victoria.

"If they were alive now, they would have become legendary in Australia, just like kangaroos," Fitzgerald said.
The researchers claim that the condition of the remains will help to understand how ancient whales adapted to warmer ocean waters in the ancient period, which will also help predict how modern marine ecosystems will adapt to climate change in the coming years, the news service reports.