Scientists believe an ancient whale species used echolocation to stalk and capture prey, similar to the way bats track down insects to eat.
Fossils of the Cotylocara macei show air pockets in the whale's skull akin to those found in modern porpoises and whales to emit beams of sound, Live Science reported.
In the new study published in the journal Nature, researchers say the whale lived 28 million years ago. Growing to around 10 feet long, the ancient whale probably lived in a shallow marine environment and looked something like the modern dolphin.
"[The study] suggests echolocation evolved very, very early in the history of the group that involved toothed whales," said study co-author Jonathan Geisler, an anatomist at the New York Institute of Technology, as quoted by Live Science.
Because the whale's soft tissue and ear bones weren't preserved, scientists can't know how the whale's echolocation sounded. The whale's sharp teeth combined with the ability to beam sound likely made it a ferocious predator.
The Cotylocara macei, whose fossil remains were discovered in Summerville, S.C., is now the oldest known whale to have used echolocation, Reuters reported. Sperm whales, killer whales, dolphins and porpoises are among the marine animals that have the ability today.
"It's a sonar-like system that allows them basically to navigate and find food, particularly in waters where there's little light, either at great depth or in very turbulent waters with a lot of mud, like estuaries or around marshes," said Geisler, according to Reuters.
According to Geisler, the whale's distinctive features also included several deep holes for air, one of which is on top of the skull. The whale also has variations in bone density and more air cavities on either side of its snout.
While it looks similar to some of today's toothed whales, scientists don't believe the ancient whale has any modern counterparts.
"This is a member of an extinct family that split off very early from other echolocating whales, dolphins and porpoises," Geisler said. "They went extinct 25 million or 26 million years ago and they don't have any living relatives."
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
