An examination of fossils found 25 years ago on Victoria’s coastline are providing paleontologists with new clues into the evolution and habits of the baleen whale.
Unlike current baleen whales whose jaws are connected by elastic fibers, the fossils not only show the lower jaw fused to the front but upper jaw is also wider.
The difference in jaws suggests the ancient baleen whale may have had a different feeding strategy to the modern baleen whale.
Even after this discovery there are still many mysteries surrounding the baleen whale.
“There are many tantalising aspects of baleen whale evolution that remain mysterious,” said Fitzgerald.
Scientists involved in the examination will now look at the evolution of hearing in the baleen whale.
Read more at Cosmos Magazine