Australia: Discovery of a Fearsome Prehistoric Whale with Sharp Teeth

Australian scientists have uncovered the fossil of a prehistoric carnivorous whale, a feared predator that roamed the oceans approximately 26 million years ago, several media outlets reported on Wednesday.

This remarkably well-preserved fossil consists of a skull discovered in 2019 in Surf Coast, located southwest of Melbourne. It allowed Museums Victoria to reconstruct a new species belonging to a group of ancient whales, distant relatives – and much smaller – than today’s baleen whales.

According to museum researchers, this is the fourth species of its kind to be identified to date.

The analysis of this fossil sheds valuable light on the evolution of cetaceans, revealing how these marine creatures grew, changed in morphology, and adapted over time to better survive in their marine environment.