Overview

• The new species Janjucetus dullardi was formally named in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society from a 25–26 million-year-old juvenile skull unearthed on Victoria’s Surf Coast in 2019.
• MicroCT scans of the fossil’s intact cochlea and razor-sharp teeth indicate it was a small, fast predator with large forward-facing eyes tuned for hunting in warm Oligocene seas.
• As the fourth known mammalodontid and third from Victoria, J. dullardi underscores the Jan Juc Formation’s status as a global hotspot for early-whale evolution.
• The delicate preservation of ear bones provides the first detailed sensory data on hearing and navigation in toothed baleen-whale ancestors.
• Museums Victoria researchers are continuing analysis of the specimen and related finds and anticipate more discoveries before the fossil is placed on public display.