Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Whale

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1755057448982cropped-seiji-seiji-ur4pyEnPdA0-unsplash.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Whale. Seiji Seiji, Unsplah</span></span></span></div><p>SYDNEY, Australia — Australian scientists have discovered a razor-toothed whale that prowled the seas 26 million years ago, saying Wednesday the species was &quot;deceptively cute&quot; but a fearsome predator.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/life/05/11/17/look-dead-whale-serves-as-wake-up-call-on-plastic-pollution">LOOK: &#x27;Dead whale&#x27; serves as wake-up call on plastic pollution</a></div><p>Museums Victoria pieced together the species from an unusually well-preserved skull fossil found on Victoria&#x27;s Surf Coast in 2019.</p><p>Scientists discovered a &quot;fast, sharp-toothed predator&quot; that would have been about the size of a dolphin.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s essentially a little whale with big eyes and a mouth full of sharp, slicing teeth,&quot; said researcher Ruairidh Duncan.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/7/31/drone-footage-shows-beached-whale-carcasses-in-central-japan-s-chiba-2325">Drone footage shows beached whale carcasses in central Japan&#x27;s Chiba</a></div><p>&quot;Imagine the shark-like version of a baleen whale -- small and deceptively cute, but definitely not harmless.&quot;</p><p>The skull belonged to a group of prehistoric whales known as the mammalodontids, distant smaller relatives of today&#x27;s filter-feeding whales.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/08/03/23/heaviest-animal-ever-scientists-discover-massive-ancient-whale">Heaviest animal ever? Scientists discover massive ancient whale</a></div><p>It is the fourth mammalodontid species ever discovered, Museums Victoria said.</p><p>&quot;This fossil opens a window into how ancient whales grew and changed, and how evolution shaped their bodies as they adapted to life in the sea,&quot; said palaeontologist Erich Fitzgerald, who co-authored the study.</p><p>Victoria&#x27;s Surf Coast lies on the Jan Juc Formation -- a geological feature dating to the Oligocene epoch between 23 and 30 million years ago.</p><p>A string of rare fossils have been unearthed along the scenic stretch of beach, a renowned site for the study of early whale evolution.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/focus/08/09/18/plastic-food-wrappers-found-inside-dead-whale-shark-in-davao">Plastic, food wrappers found inside dead whale shark in Davao</a></div><p>&quot;This region was once a cradle for some of the most unusual whales in history, and we&#x27;re only just beginning to uncover their stories,&quot; said Fitzgerald.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re entering a new phase of discovery.</p><p>&quot;This region is rewriting the story of how whales came to rule the oceans, with some surprising plot twists.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/overseas/10/26/18/dead-fin-whale-washes-up-on-belgian-beach">Dead fin whale washes up on Belgian beach</a></div><p>The species was named Janjucetus dullardi, a nod to local Ross Dullard who stumbled across the skull while strolling the beach in 2019.</p><p>It was described in the peer-reviewed Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fuEbPiOuTRk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qBGG5Kzw4NI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Scientists have discovered a razor-toothed whale that prowled the seas 26 million years ago, saying the species was "deceptively cute" but a fearsome predator.</p>

Scientists have discovered a razor-toothed whale that prowled the seas 26 million years ago, saying the species was "deceptively cute" but a fearsome predator.

Scientists unearth 'cute' but fearsome ancient whale

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Scientists unearth 'cute' but fearsome ancient whale

Agence France-Presse

Published Aug 13, 2025 11:58 AM PHT

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