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4d ago

Researchers Name New Oligocene Whale Janjucetus dullardi

Published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, the description of Janjucetus dullardi highlights this small toothed whale’s hunting adaptations, reinforcing Victoria’s Jan Juc Formation as a crucial fossil site.

Image
illustration of new whale species Janjucetus dullardi
Today’s whales are massive and mighty. Twenty-five million years ago, they were puny and freakish.
An artist depiction of the newly named Janjucetus dullardi chasing a fish.

Overview

  • Researchers formally published the name Janjucetus dullardi on August 12 in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society based on a partial skull found at Jan Juc Beach.
  • The 25–26 million-year-old specimen includes ear bones and razor-sharp teeth that indicate the 2–3 metre whale was an active predator with oversized eyes.
  • Belonging to the rare mammalodontid lineage, Janjucetus dullardi offers new evidence of the evolutionary transition from toothed ancestors to modern filter-feeding baleen whales.
  • Amateur fossil hunter Ross Dullard discovered the skull in 2019 and donated it to Museums Victoria, underscoring the continued impact of citizen scientists in major paleontological discoveries.
  • Museums Victoria and Monash University researchers are conducting further analyses of the specimen and plan to exhibit it at Melbourne Museum in the coming months.