Ancient whales not gentle giants

SYDNEY - Ancient whales had the extremely sharp teeth of predators, like those of lions, Australian scientists said Wednesday about a discovery they believe debunks theories the mammals used their teeth to filter food like today's gentle giants.

There are two major groups of whales - toothed, such as killer whales, and baleen, which filter plankton and small fish from the ocean with special bristle-like structures in their mouths.

Using 3D scanners, Museums Victoria and Monash University paleontologists made digital teeth models of fossil baleen whales and today's mammals from specimen collections around the world.