<
https://theconversation.com/a-cornucopia-of-tiny-bizarre-whales-used-to-live-in-australian-waters-heres-one-of-them-262806>
"Australia is home to a unique bunch of native land mammals, such as koalas,
wombats and wallabies. These furballs evolved in isolation on this island
continent and have become Australian symbols.
But between 27 and 23 million years ago, the coastal seas of Australia were
also home to sea mammals found almost nowhere else: whales.
But not just any old whales. These creatures were among the strangest of all
whales, called mammalodontids. If alive today, mammalodontids would be as
iconically Australian as kangaroos.
Recent fossil discoveries from coastal Victoria reveal that not just one or two
species, but a cornucopia of these wonderfully weird whales once called
Australia home.
Our latest find, a roughly 25-million-year-old fossil of a newly named whale
species
Janjucetus dullardi, joins their bizarre ranks. Our discovery is
published today in the
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
