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.

Unlike the modern gentle giants, Janjucetus dullardi w as a fast, sharp-toothed predator with a compact body about the size of a dolphin built for hunting, according to a new study published in the journal Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

A newly identified species of ancient whale reveals how the first baleen relatives hunted, sensed their world, and grew.