Scientists discover ‘deceptively cute’ ancient whale

In this illustration provided by Ruairidh Duncan a Janjucetus dullardi is depicted chasing a fish (Ruairidh Duncan via AP)

A chance discovery of a 25 million-year-old fossil on an Australian beach has allowed palaeontologists to identify a rare, entirely new species that could unlock mysteries of whale evolution.

Researchers this week officially named Janjucetus dullardi, a cartoonish creature with bulging eyes the size of tennis balls, in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.