Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Prehistoric fossils have led to the discovery of an ancient whale species off the coast of Australia. Scientists said the species, Janjucetus dullardi, is one of the earliest cousins of modern whales but was not an ocean giant, researchers from Museums Victoria Research Institute said.

Scientists have discovered a “deceptively cute” but fearsome whale that roamed the seas 26 million years ago. Australian scientists at Museums Victoria identified the species from an unusually well-preserved fossil of a skull found on Victoria’s Surf Coast in 2019.