The “Pokemon” Ancestor of the Modern Whale

Written by: Keya Gambhir

A long, long time ago, about 25 to 26 million years ago, the oceans were full of strange, tiny whales that looked nothing like the giant, gentle whales we see today. One of the newest discoveries is called Janjucetus dullardi, a prehistoric whale that scientists say was deceptively cute but a fierce predator, almost like a Pokémon swimming in real life.

This amazing whale was discovered on a beach in Victoria, Australia by Ross Dullard, a school principal and amateur fossil hunter. In 2019, while walking along the Surf Coast at Jan Juc Beach, Ross saw a black shape sticking out of a cliff. When he poked it, a tooth came loose. He immediately knew it wasn’t from a dog or seal. He sent photos to scientists at Museums Victoria, who realized it was a brand-new species of whale. To honor him, they named the species Janjucetus dullardi. Ross says discovering this whale was the greatest moment of his life. He even planned a fossil party with whale-themed games and treats to celebrate.

Janjucetus was small, about the size of a dolphin, but it was built to hunt. It had huge eyes the size of tennis balls, a pointed, shark-like snout, and razor-sharp teeth for catching fish and squid. Even though it might have looked cute at first, it was a fast, sharp-toothed predator. Scientists say it was like a shark version of a baleen whale, small and deceptively cute, but not harmless at all.

One of the strangest features of Janjucetus was that it may have had tiny little nubs of legs sticking out from its body. These weren’t true legs, just leftover parts from its ancient whale ancestors. Imagine a whale with tiny stumps for legs, which is why scientists say it looked like a mix of a whale, a seal, and a Pokémon.

Janjucetus was part of a group called mammalodontids, early whales that lived only during the Oligocene Epoch, about 23 to 30 million years ago. This group is very rare. Janjucetus is only the fourth mammalodontid ever discovered and the third in Victoria, following fossils found in 2006 and 1939. These small, toothy whales were distant relatives of today’s giant filter-feeding whales, like humpbacks, blues, and minkes, but they looked very different.

Finding fossils like Janjucetus is extraordinary. Millions of years of erosion, scavengers, and ocean currents destroy most whale skeletons. Only a tiny number of whales ever become fossils, and even fewer are preserved well enough for scientists to study. That is why this discovery is so important. It helps scientists learn how whales evolved, hunted, and adapted to life in the sea. It even gives clues about how marine life might respond to climate change today.

Victoria’s Surf Coast, where Janjucetus was found, has been called a cradle for unusual whales. Scientists say the region is rewriting the story of how whales came to rule the oceans, with plenty of surprises still waiting in the sand and rocks. Paleontologist Erich Fitzgerald, who studied Janjucetus, says that if these whales were alive today, they would be as iconically Australian as kangaroos.

Next time you see a whale at the aquarium, remember that millions of years ago, their ancestors were tiny Pokémon-like hunters swimming through the oceans. Thanks to curious people like Ross Dullard and the scientists who study fossils, we get to discover these incredible animals and learn how the oceans of the past were full of tiny but mighty predators.

Science can be just as exciting as any adventure or game, and sometimes, it even looks like a Pokémon.