Call it an unfinished story, but with a plot that's a grabber. It's the tale of an ancient land mammal making its way back to the sea, becoming the forerunner of today's whales. In doing so, it lost ...

Fossil skulls reveal how extinct mammals smelled the world, with new research linking olfactory bulb size to gene counts.

The sense of smell is vital for animals, as it helps them find food, protect themselves from predators and interact socially. An international research team led by Dr. Quentin Martinez and Dr. Eli ...

Dr James Rule (L) and Dr Erich Fitzgerald (R) with the Murray River whale fossil at Melbourne Museum. Credit: Eugene Hyland. Source: Museums Victoria Dr James Rule (L) and Dr Erich Fitzgerald (R) with ...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Long before whales were majestic, gentle giants, some of their prehistoric ancestors were tiny, weird and feral. A chance discovery of a 25 million-year-old fossil on an ...

A fossil pulled from Victoria’s Surf Coast has revealed a very different kind of whale, one built for speed, sight, and killing power. Measuring just over two metres, Janjucetus dullardi had large ...

In this illustration provided by Ruairidh Duncan a Janjucetus dullardi is depicted chasing a fish. Ruairidh Duncan / AP WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Long before whales were majestic, gentle giants, some ...

Tutcetus rayanensis swimming in the Tethys ocean of present-day Egypt, 41 million years ago, in an illustration. Antarctic blue whales, the largest animals on Earth, can reach 98 feet from mouth to ...