Summary

This specimen of a partial skull and teeth is the holotype of Janjucetus dullardi. It is a toothed whale from a group called the mammalodontids. Despite having teeth, mammalodontids belong in the same group as the baleen whales such as Blue Whales and Humpback Whales today.

The teeth and bones of this specimen indicate it was a juvenile. For instance, the teeth show very little wear, meaning they have not been used much, and some of the skull bones have not yet fused together as they would in an adult. It was probably about two metres long, making it the smallest fossil whale known from Australia.

It was found in the Jan Juc Marl, part of the Oligocene Jan Juc Formation near Torquay in Victoria. It is the third species of mammalodontid whale known from these rocks.

The species name dullardi commemorates Ross Dullard, who found the holotype specimen in 2019 and donated it to Museums Victoria.

Specimen Details

Taxonomy