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Giant Wolf-size Otters Once Roamed China

Giant Wolf-size Otters Once Roamed China
Giant Otter © Jon Hornbuckle

A wolf-sized otter with crushing jaws once prowled southwestern China, according to scientists, who say the discovery of the animal's fossilised remains could illuminate the evolution of its modern relatives.

The fossils of the huge otter, Siamogale melilutra, including a nearly complete cranium, an assortment of teeth, a mandible and other bones, were found in Yunnan province, said a research paper published in the UK-based Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 

Archeologists discovered the animal's remains in a coalpit in 2010, according to China's Xinhua news service.

The animal lived more than six million years ago and weighed about 50 kilos , far more than modern otters and similar to a modern wolf, the agency said.

It added that the find could help piece together the puzzling evolutionary record of mustelids, the family of carnivorous mammals that includes otters, badgers and weasels.

Two Siamogale melilutra individuals, one feeding on a fresh water clam, are pictured in this artist illustration handout image obtained by Reuters. Image: AsiaOne
Two Siamogale melilutra individuals, one feeding on a fresh water clam, are pictured in this artist illustration handout image obtained by Reuters. Image: AsiaOne

 

"The new discovery permits recognition of a rare clade of otters and affords an opportunity to explore relationships among several enigmatic fossil mustelids that have been referred either to as badgers or to otters," said the paper.

US and Chinese researchers involved in the study told US media the large teeth and powerful jaws indicated the animal probably used them for crushing hard objects such as large shellfish and freshwater molluscs.

Siamogale melilutra fossils were first uncovered in 2010, with more finds in subsequent years completing the picture, the researchers said. 

 

Source: Asia One

Indah Gilang Pusparani

Indah is a researcher at Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Daerah Kota Cirebon (Regional Development Planning and Research Agency of Cirebon Municipality). She covers More international relations, tourism, and startups in Southeast Asia region and beyond. Indah graduated from MSc Development Administration and Planning from University College London, United Kingdom in 2015. She finished bachelor degree from International Relations from University of Indonesia in 2014, with two exchange programs in Political Science at National University of Singapore and New Media in Journalism at Ball State University, USA. She was awarded Diplomacy Award at Harvard World Model United Nations and named as Indonesian Gifted Researcher by Australian National University. She is Researcher at Regional Planning Board in Cirebon, West Java. She previously worked as Editor in Bening Communication, the Commonwealth Parliament Association UK, and diplomacy consulting firm Best Delegate LLC in USA. Less
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